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We really don't know what to do about it Another myth. Of course we do: breeder reactors. Hint: why is nuclear waste dangerous? because there is still loads o
by gaius 9y ago
We really don't know what to do about it
Another myth. Of course we do: breeder reactors.
Hint: why is nuclear waste dangerous? because there is still loads of energy in it.
- swerner 9y agoAnd then we put the breeder reactors into abandoned mines. Breeders aren't the solution, they have waste products too, and those waste products are also radioactive.
- sliverstorm 9y agoThe good news is breeder waste is a mix of very short half lives and very long half lives. The very short ones decay to safe levels quickly, and the very long ones have a low level of activity.
- dsfyu404ed 9y agoThis. Conservation of energy/matter applies. If there's a lot of energy output and a fixed amount of input the duration must be small. You can visit the Chernobyl exclusion zone. You just can't spend a good chunk of your life there there. I'd be totally for "Yucca Mountain OHV park"
- monknomo 9y agoTricky to use breeder reactors in a way that doesn't upset the non-proliferation balance
- maxerickson 9y agoIt's not a solved engineering problem. It's likely that planned reactors would work, but they are also likely to be really expensive.
- nothrabannosir 9y ago> why is nuclear waste dangerous? because there is still loads of energy in it. I though it was because of γ-radiation and long half lives? Are those properties unique to matter with high energy potential?
- KGIII 9y agoI will try to explain it as best as I can. Radioactive material decays as particles are emitted. If it has a long half-life, that pretty much means that the energy is being released rather slowly. In other words, just don't go poking at it and you'll be fine. On the othe hand, stuff with a short half-life means that atoms are decaying rapidly. Particles are being knocked off with great rapidity. That stuff is much more dangerous, in the now. It is transferring energy, in a harmful form, quickly. A long half-life means don't go poking at it for a while. A short half-life means you probably should consider containing it really well. We store both safely because we know people like to poke stuff, and it is harmful. It's just that the scary long half-lives only tell part of the story and many people seem to think those are the more problematic. Disclaimer, I'm a mathematician, not a physicist. However, I've taken a whole lot of physics courses. Someone can probably explain this better than I.
- nothrabannosir 9y ago[Same here] From what I remember, the energy released by γ-radiation is quite low. I'm still not convinced that just because something emits γ-radiation, short or long half life, it has an inherently meaningful energy potential. α- and β-radiation: sure. But γ? It's harmful to humans for very different reasons than fissile material is a useful energy source, isn't it? Or am I completely misremembering this all?
- gaius 9y agoCorrelation is not causation sure. But "spent" nuclear fuel has plenty of energy left in it that a breeder can extract.
- deleted 9y ago[deleted]