nuclear-reactors-mars

This new design for a tiny nuclear power plant is a big breakthrough....
The same tiny nuclear reactor that can power up a Mars base or Mars Rover could also be used to power an EV or a house back here on earth.
Cheers!
The same tiny nuclear reactor that can power up a Mars base or Mars Rover could also be used to power an EV or a house back here on earth.
GUANGZHOU, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese nuclear power operator signed an agreement Tuesday with a French energy organization to deepen cooperation on nuclear power technology.
The deal, between China General Nuclear Power Corporation (CGN) and the French Alternative Energy and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA), focuses on areas such as nuclear reactor technology, advanced fuels and materials, and nuclear fuel cycles.
Under the agreement, CGN and CEA will deepen cooperation in the upstream and downstream nuclear power industry chain, including reactor life management and the concept design of the fourth-generation nuclear energy technology.
He Yu, chairman of CGN, said the new agreement will enhance bilateral exchanges in nuclear power technology and open new space for Sino-French nuclear power cooperation.
Founded in 1994, CGN is the largest nuclear power operator in China, with 39,000 employees worldwide. It focuses on the development of clean energies such as nuclear power, nuclear fuel, wind power and solar power.
The CEA is a key organization in research, development and innovation in France. Its main areas include defense and security, nuclear and renewable energy, and physical and life sciences.
GHung wrote:The same tiny nuclear reactor that can power up a Mars base or Mars Rover could also be used to power an EV or a house back here on earth.
Right, Planty. A coffee can full of uranium in every garage and a chicken in every pot, eh?
Plantagenet wrote:-snip-
We've got a little problem with global warming happening just now---greenhouse gases emitted from burning fossil fuels are going to overheat the climate and damage the planet's ecosystem if we don't do something about it.
And Nuclear energy doesn't release CO2 or CH4.
-snip-
China starts work on “landmark” fourth-generation fast breeder reactor
China has begun pouring concrete for one of the world’s first “gen IV” nuclear reactors, the CFR-600, on the coast of Fujian province, about 400km south of Shanghai.
The 600MW demonstration unit, which is due to be complete in 2023, follows a 20MW experimental reactor completed in 2011. It is intended to be the prototype of a 1GW commercial reactor scheduled for around 2030.
The significance of the sodium-cooled reactor is that it points the way to the “fast breeder” fourth generation designs that are expected to be adopted by the global nuclear power industry over the next century.
It is not the only design that the Chinese industry is pursuing. Another fast breeder gen IV is being built in nearby Jiangxi province. This uses “pebble-bed” fuel and a helium cooling system.
The advantage of these reactors, which use fast neutrons to split uranium atoms, is that they are about 60 times more fuel efficient than slow reactors, they generate less radioactive waste and they can be used in a “closed cycle” system, in which waste is reprocessed into new fuel.
This last requirement is particularly important for China, which is planning a massive expansion of its nuclear fleet, but it concerned about future shortages of uranium. The China Institute of Atomic Energy, which designed the CFR-600, is envisaging an increase in output from 40GW in 2015 to 400GW in 2050, at which time it is forecast that it will account for 16% of the country’s 2,500GW installed capacity.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, Wang Shoujun the chairman of China National Nuclear Corporation commented: “The fast neutron reactor project has been recognised as China’s major scientific and technological nuclear energy programme, which is of much significance for the closed cycle of nuclear fuel, promoting the sustainable development of China’s nuclear energy and boosting the local economy.”
KaiserJeep wrote:Plantagenet wrote:
We've got a little problem with global warming happening just now---greenhouse gases emitted from burning fossil fuels are going to overheat the climate and damage the planet's ecosystem if we don't do something about it.
And Nuclear energy doesn't release CO2 or CH4.
A popular misconception. Nuclear energy does release greenhouse gasses when uranium is mined, refined, and transported. About 15% as much as coal and 6% as much as natural gas.
KaiserJeep wrote: Uranium fuel is not without environmental consequences, but you can honestly say that those are relatively minor compared to FF's.
KaiserJeep wrote:The mining and refining of aluminum is also energy-intensive, and wire insulation and fiberglas are essentially made from petrochemicals....
ALL production of all types of power generation equipment including nuclear, solar, and wind ceases when petroleum fuels go away was my point.
Prototype fast breeder reactor to be commissioned in two months: IGCAR director
Chennai: The country's first 500MW Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) is expected to be commissioned in two months and commercial generation of power is likely to begin by end of 2018. Director of Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR) Arun Kumar Bhaduri announced on Thursday at the 5th International Congress of the International Institute of Welding.
Bhaduri said the reactor, designed by IGCAR as a technology demonstrator, is in the final stage of commissioning. "In two months we will declare the reactor's criticality," he said. The Rs5,400 crore reactor has been built by Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam Limited (Bhavini) at Kalpakkam.
Bhaduri had earlier said that a series of tests were being conducted in the presence of regulators. "Because this reactor is a first of its kind, we have got four regulators, which is usually not the practice. The idea is to take time and it better rather than make a mistake in haste and repent later," he said.
Simultaneously efforts will be on to build six more reactors each with a capacity of 600MW with a design optimised to low production costs and match WNA safety criteria, the IGCAR director said. "We are looking at constructing six more reactors that we call future fast breeder reactors," he said.
R Chidambaram, principal scientific advisor to the Government of India, who also addressed the gathering, said high quality welding is critical in a nuclear plant to prevent major accidents. "In a sodium-cooled fast reactor, leakage of sodium can lead to fire and leakage in one tube in the steam generator could result in discarding the entire steam generator. The industry must ensure zero defects and no distortion. There are safe welding techniques available and the non-destructive testing in nuclear power plant will ensure that the welding is of high quality," the PSA said.
Subjectivist wrote:India says their prototype fast reactor will be powered up in two months adding 500 MWe to their grid.Prototype fast breeder reactor to be commissioned in two months: IGCAR director
Chennai: The country's first 500MW Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) is expected to be commissioned in two months and commercial generation of power is likely to begin by end of 2018. Director of Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR) Arun Kumar Bhaduri announced on Thursday at the 5th International Congress of the International Institute of Welding.
Bhaduri said the reactor, designed by IGCAR as a technology demonstrator, is in the final stage of commissioning. "In two months we will declare the reactor's criticality," he said. The Rs5,400 crore reactor has been built by Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam Limited (Bhavini) at Kalpakkam.
Bhaduri had earlier said that a series of tests were being conducted in the presence of regulators. "Because this reactor is a first of its kind, we have got four regulators, which is usually not the practice. The idea is to take time and it better rather than make a mistake in haste and repent later," he said.
Simultaneously efforts will be on to build six more reactors each with a capacity of 600MW with a design optimised to low production costs and match WNA safety criteria, the IGCAR director said. "We are looking at constructing six more reactors that we call future fast breeder reactors," he said.
R Chidambaram, principal scientific advisor to the Government of India, who also addressed the gathering, said high quality welding is critical in a nuclear plant to prevent major accidents. "In a sodium-cooled fast reactor, leakage of sodium can lead to fire and leakage in one tube in the steam generator could result in discarding the entire steam generator. The industry must ensure zero defects and no distortion. There are safe welding techniques available and the non-destructive testing in nuclear power plant will ensure that the welding is of high quality," the PSA said.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/cit ... 968967.cms
GHung wrote:
What could go wrong?
StarvingLion wrote:The Peoples Republic of California ....
Diablo Canyon shutdown last chapter for clean nuclear power in California
https://www.ocregister.com/2018/01/25/d ... alifornia/
The Public Utility Commission has accepted PG&E’s plan to close Diablo Canyon, the state’s single largest power plant and the last of its nuclear reactors, once their federal operating licenses expire. PG&E ...plans to recover the lost generation with natural gas.... ”
Plantagenet wrote:StarvingLion wrote:The Peoples Republic of California ....
Diablo Canyon shutdown last chapter for clean nuclear power in California
https://www.ocregister.com/2018/01/25/d ... alifornia/
The Public Utility Commission has accepted PG&E’s plan to close Diablo Canyon, the state’s single largest power plant and the last of its nuclear reactors, once their federal operating licenses expire. PG&E ...plans to recover the lost generation with natural gas.... ”
The liberal environmentalists are going to kill us all. They don't seem to understand that increased use of NG means increased levels of CH4 in the atmosphere, a greenhouse gas 60 times more powerful then CO2.
Its crazy to shut down a power source that emits no CO2 and replace it with power sources that emit greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
You'd think the moronic politicians who run California would've noticed that the state is experiencing droughts, record heat waves, and record forest fires that are linked to global warming, and taken steps to reduce their fossil fuel emissions. But no......California shuts its nuclear plants and BOOSTS its emissions of greenhouse gases.
Shame on California. First they exterminate the California Golden Bear with unchecked hunting, and now they want to exterminate everything else with unchecked carbon emissions.
Cheers!
Georgia Regulators Won’t Reconsider Decision On Vogtle Nuclear Project
Georgia regulators won’t reconsider their decision allowing construction at a troubled nuclear power project to continue.
The Public Service Commission voted in December to keep the nuclear expansion at Plant Vogtle going despite billions of dollars in cost overruns and a five-year delay.
The consumer advocacy group Georgia Watch had asked the PSC to revisit that December decision.
“We still have not seen any analysis of what the actual cost will be to ratepayers and how much more the company’s shareholders will profit as a result of that decision,” said Liz Coyle, director of Georgia Watch.
Georgia Power is the biggest owner of Plant Vogtle, and its customers pay for financing costs and profits on their monthly bills.
Coyle said the PSC didn’t gather all the evidence before voting to allow the project to go forward.
“Some of what they ordered has a real impact on ratepayers, on the customers of Georgia Power,” she said.
For example, allowing Georgia Power to begin collecting money from its customers to pay for the capital costs of the nuclear units as they come online, rather than waiting for the project to be completed.
At a hearing Thursday morning, Georgia Power’s attorney Kevin Greene told the PSC the decision they’d made was legally sound.
“This motion for reconsideration merely asks you to change your decision because Georgia Watch disagrees with it,” said Greene.
The Commission unanimously voted not to reconsider.
Earlier this week, Georgia Power said the nuclear fee on its customers’ bills would be lower starting in April because of the federal tax overhaul. Georgia Power customers will also receive credits on three electric bills this year coming from payments from Toshiba. That company owed money to the owners of Plant Vogtle after its subsidiary Westinghouse, which was the lead contractor on the nuclear project, went bankrupt.
https://www.wabe.org/georgia-regulators ... r-project/
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