4 ms·

That's pretty neat, what makes the newer reactors able to use old waste as fuel?

adrianN 8y ago
A large part of the "waste" gets turned into fuel through breeding. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breeder_reactor https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breeder_reactor
TomMarius 8y ago
I can't answer you but this concept is part of 4th generation reactor design. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generation_IV_reactor https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generation_IV_reactor
fulafel 8y ago
They don't - unless we talk about prospective future designs or small research reactors. There are big downsides to these designs, which is why their development stalled in the 70s and have been on life support since. (Technically an exception is the bn-800 but it was modified rebuild from an 80s aborted reactor construction project, to get rid of weapons grade plutonium, before the the us/russia treaty fell apart... Good story at http://euanmearns.com/the-bn-800-fast-reactor-a-milestone-on-a-long-road/ http://euanmearns.com/the-bn-800-fast-reactor-a-milestone-on... )
- Recurecur 8y ago
  "There are big downsides to these designs, which is why their development stalled in the 70s and have been on life support since." Not really, what happened is there were "good enough" designs, there was a China Syndrome inspired move away from nuclear, and the government had little to no interest in reactor designs that made it hard to recover weapon materials. Bill Gates is championing both molten salt and traveling wave reactors that "burn" nuclear waste. There are other very interesting designs, including the Xscale helium-cooled pebble bed design. It, and many of the molten salt designs, don't require water cooling. Not needing a source of nearby water vastly expands siting options. https://www.energy.gov/ne/articles/x-energy-developing-pebble-bed-reactor-they-say-cant-melt-down https://www.energy.gov/ne/articles/x-energy-developing-pebbl... Another interesting design is ThorCon's molten salt reactor, which it recommends siting 100 feet underground, eliminating almost all security issues including plane strike. http://thorconpower.com/ http://thorconpower.com/
  - fulafel 8y ago
    No, there were no good enough designs, and after decades of effort they are still elusive: There has been huge amounts of subsidy money poured into breeder reactors and Pu fuel in the west, much later than China Syndrome. The subsidies have been in the form of the MOX program, PRISM, and other gov funded fuel recycling programs in many countries. The problems remain: weapons grade Pu profileration risk, unviable cost, dearth of demonstrated working large plants due to technical difficulties inherent in the designs, difficulties scaling up to commercial sizes competitive w traditional designs. Yes, there are many interesting designs on the drawing table, same as it has been for decades...

A large part of the "waste" gets turned into fuel through breeding. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breeder_reactor https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breeder_reactor

TomMarius 8y ago

I can't answer you but this concept is part of 4th generation reactor design. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generation_IV_reactor https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generation_IV_reactor

fulafel 8y ago

They don't - unless we talk about prospective future designs or small research reactors. There are big downsides to these designs, which is why their development stalled in the 70s and have been on life support since. (Technically an exception is the bn-800 but it was modified rebuild from an 80s aborted reactor construction project, to get rid of weapons grade plutonium, before the the us/russia treaty fell apart... Good story at http://euanmearns.com/the-bn-800-fast-reactor-a-milestone-on-a-long-road/ http://euanmearns.com/the-bn-800-fast-reactor-a-milestone-on... )

Recurecur 8y ago
"There are big downsides to these designs, which is why their development stalled in the 70s and have been on life support since." Not really, what happened is there were "good enough" designs, there was a China Syndrome inspired move away from nuclear, and the government had little to no interest in reactor designs that made it hard to recover weapon materials. Bill Gates is championing both molten salt and traveling wave reactors that "burn" nuclear waste. There are other very interesting designs, including the Xscale helium-cooled pebble bed design. It, and many of the molten salt designs, don't require water cooling. Not needing a source of nearby water vastly expands siting options. https://www.energy.gov/ne/articles/x-energy-developing-pebble-bed-reactor-they-say-cant-melt-down https://www.energy.gov/ne/articles/x-energy-developing-pebbl... Another interesting design is ThorCon's molten salt reactor, which it recommends siting 100 feet underground, eliminating almost all security issues including plane strike. http://thorconpower.com/ http://thorconpower.com/
- fulafel 8y ago
  No, there were no good enough designs, and after decades of effort they are still elusive: There has been huge amounts of subsidy money poured into breeder reactors and Pu fuel in the west, much later than China Syndrome. The subsidies have been in the form of the MOX program, PRISM, and other gov funded fuel recycling programs in many countries. The problems remain: weapons grade Pu profileration risk, unviable cost, dearth of demonstrated working large plants due to technical difficulties inherent in the designs, difficulties scaling up to commercial sizes competitive w traditional designs. Yes, there are many interesting designs on the drawing table, same as it has been for decades...