4 ms·

Yes, breeder reactors can feed on waste: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breeder_reactor https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breeder_reactor China has the plan to achi

by krasin 2y ago

Yes, breeder reactors can feed on waste: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breeder_reactor https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breeder_reactor China has the plan to achieve closed nuclear fuel cycle, and there are new breeder reactors being put online to move the country closer to that goal: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CFR-600 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CFR-600

qwerty456127 2y ago
Why is anybody troubled by the waste then? Why won't they just build some reactors of this kind?
- krasin 2y ago
  > Why is anybody troubled by the waste then? Greenpeace had a point back in 1970-ies, but the message got into a myth and subsequent advancements in technology have not been popularized enough to change the public perception.
- dgellow 2y ago
  Generally a lots of misunderstandings regarding radioactive waste, but also breeder reactors are still fairly experimental.
  - qwerty456127 2y ago
    I've read about breeder reactors in a German kids book in the nineties. How long do they have to be "experimental"? No surprise the nuclear industry is so weak when the progress is kept so slow (I used the word "kept" because the thing we are discussing can hardly be considered a bleeding edge advance).
    - dgellow 2y ago
      The Wikipedia article covers the development pretty well: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breeder_reactor https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breeder_reactor In short: > Breeders were at first found attractive because they made more complete use of uranium fuel than light-water reactors, but interest declined after the 1960s as more uranium reserves were found[2] and new methods of uranium enrichment reduced fuel costs.
- ttepasse 2y ago
  Because nuclear waste is not just spent nuclear fuel: intermediate-level waste and some forms of high-level waste (reprocessing spent nuclear fuel seems to generate new waste) still need storage solutions. The Asse II scandal concerned the unsuitable storage of intermediate waste. For some reason some people only speak about the fuel when discussing waste, not the rest of it. I don't know why.

by krasin 2y ago

qwerty456127 2y ago

Why is anybody troubled by the waste then? Why won't they just build some reactors of this kind?

krasin 2y ago
> Why is anybody troubled by the waste then? Greenpeace had a point back in 1970-ies, but the message got into a myth and subsequent advancements in technology have not been popularized enough to change the public perception.
dgellow 2y ago
Generally a lots of misunderstandings regarding radioactive waste, but also breeder reactors are still fairly experimental.
- qwerty456127 2y ago
  I've read about breeder reactors in a German kids book in the nineties. How long do they have to be "experimental"? No surprise the nuclear industry is so weak when the progress is kept so slow (I used the word "kept" because the thing we are discussing can hardly be considered a bleeding edge advance).
  - dgellow 2y ago
    The Wikipedia article covers the development pretty well: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breeder_reactor https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breeder_reactor In short: > Breeders were at first found attractive because they made more complete use of uranium fuel than light-water reactors, but interest declined after the 1960s as more uranium reserves were found[2] and new methods of uranium enrichment reduced fuel costs.
ttepasse 2y ago
Because nuclear waste is not just spent nuclear fuel: intermediate-level waste and some forms of high-level waste (reprocessing spent nuclear fuel seems to generate new waste) still need storage solutions. The Asse II scandal concerned the unsuitable storage of intermediate waste. For some reason some people only speak about the fuel when discussing waste, not the rest of it. I don't know why.