4 ms·
Aren't micro reactors meant to be like one-use batteries? That's the info I got from listening to the Omega Tau podcast about this.
by moogly 3y ago
Aren't micro reactors meant to be like one-use batteries? That's the info I got from listening to the Omega Tau podcast about this.
- jnsaff2 3y agoOne use of 2-3 years. You have two of them working at the same time and when it’s time to refuel you have a new one waiting and old gets shipped back to factory for refueling. The expensive part of nuclear power plants is all the electricity generation part (turbines/generators/piping/transformers/etc) that is pretty much the same as for coal power plants. You don’t swap out any of that.
- moogly 3y agoWhat are the chances the old one will be left on the site because it's not financially viable to ship it back and recycle it?
- zizee 3y agoThey are the size of a shipping container, not prohibitively expensive to move. The customers buying these things have no ability to recycle/refuel or dispose of the spent fuel. I presume any purchase agreement comes with a commitment to deal with it at end of life. I guess if the supplier goes out of business, you might have trouble, but I'd expect these companies are putting things in place for that eventuality e.g. insurance.
- nine_k 3y agoThey are one-use batteries in the sense that they are sealed and not intended to be refueled at the place of deployment, if ever. They can last for a decade without refueling though, so it may be fine.