Post AkSM9v10206bbUNMOG by curiously@mastodon.au
(DIR) More posts by curiously@mastodon.au
(DIR) Post #AkSM9rrJlXZvoap5No by collectifission@greennuclear.online
2024-07-30T11:00:17Z
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THAT'S IT? This is what 20 years worth of spent nuclear fuel looks like safely stored at the former Maine Yankee nuclear plant.The energy produced from this fuel helped avoid 70 million metric tons of CO2 emissions.#Nuclear #EnergyTransition #ClimateChange
(DIR) Post #AkSM9srM2tCauzqd4y by curiously@mastodon.au
2024-07-30T11:30:17Z
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@collectifission contains Pu 239? How long is that storage rated for?
(DIR) Post #AkSM9tuE9h5uACCRCC by collectifission@greennuclear.online
2024-07-30T11:37:29Z
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@curiously Those type of casks are typically rated for 100 years. After this time something needs to be done with it, like:- Put it in a new cask- Put it in final underground storage- Recycle the spent fuelGiven that 96% of the fuel is still there, it could very easily be recycled, ideally in a breeder reactor that burns away all of the fuel (including the plutonium).What is left is then 1% of the original volume and losing its radiotoxicity after around 300 years.
(DIR) Post #AkSM9v10206bbUNMOG by curiously@mastodon.au
2024-07-30T11:44:39Z
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@collectifission didn't President Carter make it illegal in the US to reprocess due to the waste produced, high radiation and the risks of handling material in reprocessing?
(DIR) Post #AkSM9w7Pvcpj1gO024 by collectifission@greennuclear.online
2024-07-30T11:45:08Z
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@curiously He did. Reagan overturned that ban.
(DIR) Post #AkSM9xH1dO74bltBeC by curiously@mastodon.au
2024-07-30T11:52:53Z
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@collectifission I'll have to update my reading. I thought breeder reactors were used to produce Pu239 with Pu238 capturing fast neutrons? Has the technology moved on?
(DIR) Post #AkSM9xvRD8RId6nSdc by collectifission@greennuclear.online
2024-07-30T12:08:00Z
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@curiously It might be a confusion in terms. There are specific military breeders for producing weapons grade material. That wasn't what I was talking about.The point of fast / thermal breeders is different: they 'breed' their own fuel by the way they function. This is how they can utilise the uranium-238 that is not usable in a traditional PWR.
(DIR) Post #AkSM9yX0xQUsVeNTCy by curiously@mastodon.au
2024-07-30T12:26:12Z
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@collectifission ok like the BN-600 style. Didn't think they had reached commercial viability. Still using sodium coolants? (that seemed to be one of the challenges). Can you point me at a contemporary version so I can update my understanding.
(DIR) Post #AkSM9zMlqzth6Aanse by publius@mastodon.sdf.org
2024-07-30T12:39:32Z
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@curiously @collectifission The technology of sodium cooling works very well. The problem has always been transferring the heat from the sodium to water, which people working in the field are apt to regard as a very difficult fluid to work with. Some sodium-heated steam generators, such as those in the French Phénix, have worked very well for many years. Others, such as those in the Superphénix, have not. But every problem that arises provides engineers with new solutions.