Dharma1521
Soooo do I look as young as I look?
Can we dump these canidates and start new?
I'm voting Harvey Birdman.
Can we dump these canidates and start new?
Are you familiar at all with the newer breeder reactors? The spent fuel has a half life of 100 years, rather than the shitty reactors of the 70s that had a half life of 10,000 years. Additionally, breeder reactors can even use the waste fuel of the older reactors!
Nuclear IS the answer. Fission for now, fusion for later...
I think someone actually posted this here before:
http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,519043,00.html
The concept actually isn't new. It's been around since the 1950's if I remember correctly.
Bottom line is it's a much safer design than whats widely used now. Back in the day some shenanigans went down and the breeder (or pebble) reactors got the shaft.
China's developing a bunch.
But yeah, these types of pebble reactors are a solid choice for power.
Yar, iirc Nixon nix'd them for the US.
here's an idea for reforming politics: make it illegal for political parties active in national politics (congress, senate, president) to have any ties to or collusion with, parties that operate on a state level.
anyone think that might help reduce the democrat/republican lock on this country and give us some real alternatives?
here's an idea for reforming politics: make it illegal for political parties active in national politics (congress, senate, president) to have any ties to or collusion with, parties that operate on a state level.
anyone think that might help reduce the democrat/republican lock on this country and give us some real alternatives?
here's an idea for reforming politics: make it illegal for political parties active in national politics (congress, senate, president) to have any ties to or collusion with, parties that operate on a state level.
anyone think that might help reduce the democrat/republican lock on this country and give us some real alternatives?
Are you familiar at all with the newer breeder reactors? The spent fuel has a half life of 100 years, rather than the shitty reactors of the 70s that had a half life of 10,000 years. Additionally, breeder reactors can even use the waste fuel of the older reactors!
Nuclear IS the answer. Fission for now, fusion for later...
But yeah, these types of pebble reactors are a solid choice for power.
Pebble produces as much waste, volume wise, as a light water reactor. The pebbles themselves are graphite moderators. You know what else used graphite moderators? Chernobyl.
I'm not arguing against nuclear. It really needs to be part of the equation. However, your analysis on breeder reactors is wrong.
1. Virgin uranium is cheaper than recycled fuel.
2. We have more than enough virigin uranium to triple the total world nuclear power production at current cost levels.
3. Storing nuclear waste is far less risky and toxic than reprocessing. You can carry a spent rod around for a while without a suit and its mostly useless to anyone. Reprocessing is complex, dangerous, and yields highly radioactive material that also happens to be great for building bombs. The UK looked at the risk analysis and is shutting down their reprocessing facility.
4. What you really want is a sub critical reactor, like a thorium plant. There's something like 500 times more thorium on earth than uranium, there's zero chance for melt down, it can't produce weapons grade material, and it can burn MOX in some designs.
Pebble produces as much waste, volume wise, as a light water reactor. The pebbles themselves are graphite moderators. You know what else used graphite moderators? Chernobyl.
The problem with getting rid of the Electoral College is then the whole country is doomed to be controlled by urban people.
What's good for California, NYC, NJ, Seattle, etc. is not necessarily good for NH, VT, KS, KY, IA, SD, etc.