3 ms·
the spent fuel still produces a lot of heat. have there been examples of somehow utilizing the waste while it degrades?
by whycome 4y ago
the spent fuel still produces a lot of heat. have there been examples of somehow utilizing the waste while it degrades?
- LeoPanthera 4y agoThat is called a "Radioisotope thermoelectric generator" but it's not the magic bullet that it appears to be. Depending on the isotope, you either get a very tiny amount of power (far less than you'd get from a solar array), or a very short half life. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radioisotope_thermoelectric_generator https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radioisotope_thermoelectric_ge...
- whycome 4y agoI mean maybe not even powergen. Store it in the arctic where the population is low, people are unlikely to stumble across it, and then use the latent heat to heat homes or greenhouses or something. Also, I don't think seismically active and things like flooding/hurricanes aren't a thing. If the containers can keep their integrity, why not? If if not enough to fully heat homes/water/whatever, it would at least reduce the need for other sources. Of course this all depends on if the stuff can be stored safely -- and I think that's mostly solved?