Nuclear Energy Thread.

[Husky_Khan]

Former SpaceX engineers who founded a startup called Radiant are working on a portable microreactor which is an outgrowth of their work with SpaceX in researching ways to power a potential Mars Colony.

Radiant announced last year that it had received two provisional patents for its portable nuclear reactor technology. One of these was for a technology that reduces the cost and the time needed to refuel their reactor, while the other improves efficiency in heat transference from the reactor core. The microreactor will use an advanced particle fuel that does not melt down and is capable of withstanding higher temperatures than traditional nuclear fuels. Helium coolant, meanwhile, reduces the corrosion and contamination risks associated with traditional water coolant. Radiant has signed a contract with Battelle Energy Alliance to test its portable microreactor technology at its Idaho National Laboratory (INL).

Ex-SpaceX Engineers Are Building a Cheap, Portable Nuclear Reactor - Interesting Engineering

Technology designed for future Mars colonies is 'making nuclear power portable' on Earth.

interestingengineering.com

 

[Free-Stater 101]

This is a thread for all talk concerning Nuclear Energy and it's uses and controversies!

To start with I saw this great youtube video today concerning nuclear powered commercial ships which was interesting as it showed the overall difficulties both within and without concerning vessel operation.

 

[Simonbob]

So.

To sum up, good idea, crippled by politics and our media. Again.


Same with power generation on land. Same people, making the same mistakes.

 

[Bacle]

Tiny Reactors Could Spark a 'Nuclear Revolution' to Fight Climate Change

As the demand for energy rises, miniaturized nuclear power plants could be a climate-friendly new source. But some critics aren't so sure

www.newsweek.com

NuScale Power | Small Modular Reactor (SMR) Nuclear Technology

We are the global leaders in SMR nuclear technology, delivering our groundbreaking NuScale Power Module to customers in 4, 6, and 12-module VOYGR power plants.

www.nuscalepower.com

This has been the company/start up I've kept my eyes on for SMRs. Their design has few moving parts in the reactor itself, relying on heat convection, pressure, and gravity to operate the primary coolant loop.

Currently their cores only last a few years, so a lot more refueling happens more often; however that is a issue they are working on.

 

[Simonbob]

This has been the company/start up I've kept my eyes on for SMRs. Their design has few moving parts in the reactor itself, relying on heat convection, pressure, and gravity to operate the primary coolant loop.

Currently their cores only last a few years, so a lot more refueling happens more often; however that is a issue they are working on.

Sounds like some interesting stuff. Still won't go anywhere, I'd say.

NIMBY's and Greens are still way too powerful. It's deeply stupid, but that's what seems to be the state of things.

 

[The Whispering Monk]

Sounds like some interesting stuff. Still won't go anywhere, I'd say.

NIMBY's and Greens are still way too powerful. It's deeply stupid, but that's what seems to be the state of things.

"Do you want heat in the winter?"
"Do you want AC in the summer?"
"Would you like your hospitals to have power all year round...every day...every hour?"

Pretty simple way to get them on board.

 

[Simonbob]

"Do you want heat in the winter?"
"Do you want AC in the summer?"
"Would you like your hospitals to have power all year round...every day...every hour?"

Pretty simple way to get them on board.

No, not in my experiance.

They'll still whine, and ignore that they're wrong. The more moderate you can talk to. The rest?

Morons.

 

[LordSunhawk]

"Do you want heat in the winter?"
"Do you want AC in the summer?"
"Would you like your hospitals to have power all year round...every day...every hour?"

Pretty simple way to get them on board.

I've actually been told by Greens that heating and air-conditioning are bad because they promote whiteness, blah blah blah.

I personally believe that any environmentalist who isn't 100% behind safe nuclear power is either a blithering idiot or a watermelon.

 

[The Whispering Monk]

I've actually been told by Greens that heating and air-conditioning are bad because they promote whiteness, blah blah blah.

Did you laugh in their face?

 

[Simonbob]

Did you laugh in their face?

The full Watermelon? No. They have no sense of humor, and no flex.

Anything short? Friendly chat about why it works. That's usually OK.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Small reactors could figure into U.S. energy future

news.uchicago.edu

Small reactors, woo!

 

[TheRomanSlayer]

All of a sudden, I’m thinking that maybe nuclear energy would be more preferable to natural gas, although Greta types might scream bloody murder at the idea of nuclear energy being the replacement as well.

 

[bintananth]

All of a sudden, I’m thinking that maybe nuclear energy would be more preferable to natural gas, although Greta types might scream bloody murder at the idea of nuclear energy being the replacement as well.

In terms of minizing overall environmental impact it's hard to top nuclear.

Unfortunately radiation is scary along with being misunderstood by "no way, no how, no hell" NIMBY's who would be absolutely apoplectic upon discovering that ionization smoke detectors - like the one in their home - contain radioactive material extracted from nuclear waste.

 

[Typhonis]

We may also want to look into recycling nuclear waste to see if it can be enriched and used again. Also, there is Thorium. It has less direct military applications.

Of course, if you want to make the Greens turn green...ask them what Solar power is, ask What is a Star?

 

[bintananth]

We may also want to look into recycling nuclear waste to see if it can be enriched and used again.

We already do reprocess some nuclear waste, but doing so is neither cheap, nor easy, nor quick.

Once-through, then stuffing it somewhere secure to be dealt with "later" after maybe extracting the comercially and scientifically useful isotopes is usually cheaper.

 

[Bacle]

At least Japan is being smart about restarting reactors, unlike Germany who shut their down but is reopening coal plants.

 

[gral]

At least Japan is being smart about restarting reactors, unlike Germany who shut their down but is reopening coal plants.

Japan may go for coal as well.

This was something I didn't expect Kishida would do - his constituency is in Hiroshima.

 

[Bear Ribs]

REPORT: Scientists ‘switch off’ autism symptoms using $3 drug: discovery

NYPost.com: Scientists are reporting a breakthrough discovery: A $3-per-pill epilepsy drug may be used to “switch off” autism symptoms in mice, according to a new peer-reviewed study published Tuesday in Molecular Psychiatry journal. Autism

ussanews.com

These Researchers From California Have Achieved A Big Breakthrough In Nuclear Fusion

After achieving exceptional progress in nuclear fusion on August 8th, 2021, researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s (LLNL’

wonderfulengineering.com

For some reason this isn't getting nearly the acclaim it deserves.

 

[Bacle]

REPORT: Scientists ‘switch off’ autism symptoms using $3 drug: discovery

NYPost.com: Scientists are reporting a breakthrough discovery: A $3-per-pill epilepsy drug may be used to “switch off” autism symptoms in mice, according to a new peer-reviewed study published Tuesday in Molecular Psychiatry journal. Autism

ussanews.com

These Researchers From California Have Achieved A Big Breakthrough In Nuclear Fusion

After achieving exceptional progress in nuclear fusion on August 8th, 2021, researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s (LLNL’

wonderfulengineering.com

For some reason this isn't getting nearly the acclaim it deserves.

Maybe we can have nice things after all.

 

[Husky_Khan]

Apparently there's a World Nuclear Energy Day and it is... Actually it was yesterday. December 2nd. On the anniversary of Enrico Fermi's self sustaining chain reaction at a commercial scale electric power reactor, the Chicago Pile-1 on December 2nd, 1942.

Yesterday was the fourth annual World Nuclear Energy Day.



Wow some random internet nuclear energy influencer (I guess that's a thing) even got to speak to the Prime Minister of le France about Nuclear Energy.

At COP28, Countries Launch Declaration to Triple Nuclear Energy Capacity by 2050, Recognizing the Key Role of Nuclear Energy in Reaching Net Zero

Declaration Recognizes the Key Role of Nuclear Energy in Keeping Within Reach the Goal of Limiting Temperature Rise to 1.5 Degrees Celsius

www.energy.gov

At COP 28 (The World Climate Action Summit) in Dubai (where all international events concerning climate change and energy policy take place apparently) around twenty nations pledged to tripling global nuclear energy production by 2050. While the overarching reason for it at the Summit is to pursue a carbon neutral energy policy, nuclear energy development and production is a good thing in general regardless. The countries that made the pledge are United States, Bulgaria, Canada, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Ghana, Hungary, Japan, Republic of Korea, Moldova, Mongolia, Morocco, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom.