[ RadSafe ] Reactors for the Future

[Joseph Preisig]

Dear Radsafe:

     Hey All,  Hope you are quite well.

       
     A Warm winter this year???

     The Argonne National Lab news item I posted about lately discusses the use of a molten salt- fast neutron reactor 
     to utilize spent reactor fuel to run a reactor.  I think the news item said that after fuel use, the reactor "used"
     spent fuel would be radioactive for only 300 years.  So, perhaps, just then put it in Yucca Mountain for 300
     years???  No big deal???

     Also lately, there has been some emphasis on small modular reactors.

     Perhaps the small modular reactor design companies will soon be able to offer a small, modular, fast neutron
     reactor which could be located at the sites of current USA/Europe etc. conventional reactors.  Spent fuel from the conventional 
     reactors could be used as fuel for the fast neutron reactors.  This could happen now or 20 years from now when the current
     reactors come offline.

          Sounds like nuclear power will remain a viable energy/power option for quite some time --- hundreds of years???

     Add in coal, natural gas, oil, other hydrocarbons, solar, and so on, and perhaps our global society will remain viable, 
     and sustainable???. for hundreds of years.  If fusion energy becomes a proven reality, then that helps
     considerably also.  Now maybe we just have to reduce the world's population by a factor of 2 (in a controlled and
     well-thought out manner) and living on the good old Earth would be nice for everyone.

     Regards,    Joseph R. (Joe) Preisig, PhD