Owain wrote:
On Aug 5, 5:18 pm, Peter Scott wrote:
You (well, one) can buy a black box type reactor. Comes sealed, on a
lorry, effectively with a couple of sockets to allow you take the power
out. Wish I could give a reference but remember it being announced two
or three years back on a reputable medium, probably radio 4, or possibly
New Scientist. When its 20 year life is up the supplier takes it away,
still sealed.

Problems may occur when counterfeit ones start arriving from China.

Lucky Golden Hedgehog Nucurear Power Plant Make All Glow With
Happiness.


Joke not.

China is probably well placed to make exactly that sort of thing.

However I was intrigued that this random thought led me to the nuclear
puff site..the one that's all pro nuclear energy etc etc, and they did
make some interesting points.

Small modular and possibly 'sealed for life' nuclear reactors are being
looked at very seriously, because they offer a lot of advantages,. Mass
production for one,. There are very few places that make containment
vessels big enough for gigawatt units, but megawatt units are not so hard.

Likewise its possible to leverage a site with planning permission, and
start with a small setup, get some cashflow off that, and install more
kit as the profits roll in.

Sealed for life units should be good for 'proliferation' as well. With
no onsite provision for refuelling, it would be a brave nation that
opened one up to tamper with it.

And, finally, they are much quicker to build: If you have a standard
reactor unit, where most of the safety issues are covered in its design,
you don' need to get individual site approval, : the unit is acceptable
as it stands. Also its far more predictable cost wise. Whilst not as
cost effective as a gigantic reactor design, these smaller units might
be able to be commissioned in as little as two years, which gives good
flexibility.

And it might be very politically acceptable in some parts of the West,
if reprocessing their fuel WAS being done in China, or India....


Owain