Comments on: An overview of future fission nuclear technologies http://www.edouardstenger.com/2009/11/09/an-overview-of-future-fission-nuclear-technologies/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=an-overview-of-future-fission-nuclear-technologies A selection of the latest headlines and best researches on sustainable development, climate change, cleantech and the world energy sector. Wed, 08 Feb 2012 10:08:35 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: 10 reasons to support nuclear power :: Sustainable development and much more http://www.edouardstenger.com/2009/11/09/an-overview-of-future-fission-nuclear-technologies/comment-page-1/#comment-12415 10 reasons to support nuclear power :: Sustainable development and much more Sun, 24 Jan 2010 17:34:06 +0000 http://www.elrst.com/?p=5718#comment-12415 [...] An overview of future fission nuclear technologies [...] [...] An overview of future fission nuclear technologies [...]

]]> By: Kiashu http://www.edouardstenger.com/2009/11/09/an-overview-of-future-fission-nuclear-technologies/comment-page-1/#comment-12208 Kiashu Thu, 12 Nov 2009 09:16:53 +0000 http://www.elrst.com/?p=5718#comment-12208 I think <a href="http://europe.theoildrum.com/node/5929" rel="nofollow">this</a> provides a better overview. Basically, there are a lot of technical obstacles (breeders so far has been unreliable) and breeders are more prone to accidents. The breeder yield in a built reactor has never been enough to actually <i>be</i> a breeder, that is, never enough to fuel another reactor. Plus... weapons. I mean, you need about 1.5t of Pu-239 for the core of a 1GW fast breeder. Enough for 75-300 atom bombs (depending on purity, whether there's a U-238 blanket, and so on), or 1,000 boosted fission bombs. And breeders make <i>more</i> fissile material. As for thorium, the contaminants of the thorium cycle which make U-233 unsuitable for weapons also make it hard to reprocess the thorium fuel. The thorium reactor requires a plutonium core. It works out that for every thorium reactor you'd need a uranium reactor to produce plutonium for it. Thus, our use of thorium would be limited by available uranium reserves. I don't want to swap global warming for a nuclear winter, thanks very much. I think this provides a better overview. Basically, there are a lot of technical obstacles (breeders so far has been unreliable) and breeders are more prone to accidents. The breeder yield in a built reactor has never been enough to actually be a breeder, that is, never enough to fuel another reactor.

Plus… weapons. I mean, you need about 1.5t of Pu-239 for the core of a 1GW fast breeder. Enough for 75-300 atom bombs (depending on purity, whether there’s a U-238 blanket, and so on), or 1,000 boosted fission bombs. And breeders make more fissile material.

As for thorium, the contaminants of the thorium cycle which make U-233 unsuitable for weapons also make it hard to reprocess the thorium fuel. The thorium reactor requires a plutonium core. It works out that for every thorium reactor you’d need a uranium reactor to produce plutonium for it. Thus, our use of thorium would be limited by available uranium reserves.

I don’t want to swap global warming for a nuclear winter, thanks very much.

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