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CANDU reactors use un-enriched Uranium. Technology exists, and has been in use for half a century.
by rciorba 3y ago
CANDU reactors use un-enriched Uranium. Technology exists, and has been in use for half a century.
- jansan 3y agoBut the German government has stopped ALL research in nuclear power usage. Even if there was a safe and cheap solition that would not make us dependent from Russia, Germany would not find it because they decided to not even try. It is an absolute disgrace.
- _Microft 3y agoThe German federal government is funding Wendelstein 7-X, a large, experimental fusion reactor of the stellerator type, to a high degree (9/10 of 80% = 72% as it seems?), so this statement cannot be true in general (maybe you are thinking only of nuclear fission research?).
- pfdietz 3y agoStellarators (like tokamaks) have terrible volumetric power density, so it's really doubtful they can ever be made economically competitive, even with fission as it currently exists.
- pfdietz 3y agoThe modern Advanced CANDU reactor in fact does use moderately enriched uranium. The cost of enrichment has fallen greatly since the original designs, so the benefit of using natural uranium has mostly dissipated, and enrichment provides some operational benefits.