RE: proton accelerator energy...???

["Bradshaw, Keith" <Keith.Bradshaw@nnc.co.uk>]

> Does anyone have any thoughts/opinions/concerns
> about the use of proton accelerators to destroy
> high level nuclear waste/generate nuclear
> power???
> 
> 
> Cathy
> 
> 
	It has been stated in the news that the US and Russia has agreed to
'destroy' 65 tonne of weapons grade plutonium.  By my reckoning, that's
about 50 Gigawatt-years of electricity(*).  As I've said before, I hope this
energy is going to be used rather than just dissipated as waste heat.
There's also all the civil Pu piling up around the world.  Since the breeder
reactor has been killed off everywhere except Japan, the options to use this
energy resource seem to be MOX fuel or one of these accelerator-driven
sub-critical 'power amplifiers'.  Both seem wasteful to me when we could
have had the breeder reactor!

	Personal views only (*)and back of envelope calculations

	keith.bradshaw@nnc.co.uk


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