Small Nuclear Reactors – An Alternative Energy Possibility?
by Chris Morrison, B-NET, November 19, 2009
James Lovelock, a prominent British scientist, wrote in 2004 that “civilization is in imminent danger and has to use nuclear”. Lindsey Graham, the breakaway Republican senator who advocated carbon controls, is pushing hard for nuclear power. Wherever one looks, there’s new support and excitement for nuclear plants. But using what technology?
Nuclear science atrophied in the latter part of the 20th century due to environmental lobbying. That meant the U.S. became stuck with its second “generation” of reactors and left a few other countries, mainly France and Japan, working in the third generation. Now there’s signs of a breakaway dash to a fourth generation, as well as some unconventional ideas.
One is small, modular nuclear plants. Under development at the Idaho National Laboratory, these reactors would produce 25 to 70 megawatts of energy, depending on whether you want electricity or heat; enough for a small town, large factory or oil field (the latter two might use it for steam). They’re designed to be safe and cheap, with electricity coming out just slightly more expensive than a coal plant.
The NYTimes covers small nuclear reactors briefly without mentioning the name of the company getting ready to start prototyping, Hyperion Generation. Next Big Future does a better job, or you can head over to the just-released eight page / 18 slide summary for the full treatment.
Hyperion is pretty neat, and it, or Toshiba, which is working on its own small reactors, would be making the first modern mini-nuke (the Russians made quite a few decades ago). The idea with more world-shaking implications, though, is a fast reactor that can reuse uranium. [Read Rest of story]