"Jon Anderson" wrote in message
...
Ed Huntress wrote:
My heart sunk when Three Mile Island put the final nail in fission's
coffin for at least a generation. I hope I live long enough to see
something happen.


There's some new designs proposed and actually being built, that are
failsafe in that the safety mechanism is built in and relies on the law of
physics, not human judgment to control a runaway. Hardly an exhaustive
search, but this was the first Google hit I looked at:
http://www.me.utexas.edu/~ans/info/reactor4.htm

Yeah, but note that the article is 18 years old. A few things have happened
since. The French apparently are using a breeder technology now that
produces a non-weaponable reprocessed product, rather than plutonium. And my
very limited understanding is that the action now is in designing a
universal, modular power plant. It will be much easier to control, build,
train for, etc. And the red-tape approval stage should be slashed to a
fraction of its present, miserable state.

All in all, it sounds to me like we're ready for it. What we need is a whole
new national attitude.

One of the more interesting facts in the site above is that coal fired
plants routinely release more radioactive particles than any nuclear
facility.
I think when things get tight enough, attitudes are going to change.

I hope so, and I hope it doesn't require a depression or political coercion
from some tin-pot dictatorship to accomplish it.

I too hope to live long enough to see safe nuclear power live up to it's
promise.

Well, have a drink for me if you make it and I don't. d8-)

--
Ed Huntress

Ed Huntress wrote:
Yeah, but note that the article is 18 years old. A few things have happened
since.
I was lazy and only cited the first relevant article I came across. I've
read several articles in recent years on newer
reactor designs. TMI was just a glorified and scaled up version of the
first reactor. In typical human fashion,
since the concept worked, nobody invested a whole lot of time and money
trying to come up with something better.

All in all, it sounds to me like we're ready for it. What we need is a whole
new national attitude.

When electricity bills start climbing like gas did (and will again),
maybe some lights will come on.
Well, have a drink for me if you make it and I don't. d8-)
I surely will! But I hope you make it.

Jon

On Sun, 18 Jan 2009 22:35:19 -0500, "Ed Huntress"
wrote:

Yeah, but note that the article is 18 years old. A few things have happened
since. The French apparently are using a breeder technology now that
produces a non-weaponable reprocessed product, rather than plutonium. And my
very limited understanding is that the action now is in designing a
universal, modular power plant. It will be much easier to control, build,
train for, etc. And the red-tape approval stage should be slashed to a
fraction of its present, miserable state.

All in all, it sounds to me like we're ready for it. What we need is a whole
new national attitude.
=============
Unfortunately, as long as we have the mindset where the cheapest
bidder gets the contracts and the lowest cost operator runs the
reactors we will have problems.

An analog is airline safety. An airline can be safe or they can
be cheap but not both.

Because of the cheap-cheap-cheap mindset, practices such as
rotating and 12 hour shifts are common that guarantee operator
sleep deprivation, fatigue and inattention. FWIW -- this also
statistically reduces the operators lifespan by several years [c.
5-20%], even if no radiation is involved.
http://www.jstor.org/pss/3463801
http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/224105.pdf
http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/224105.pdf
http://www.ttuhsc.edu/amarillo/som/e...resenation.ppt
http://www.ttuhsc.edu/amarillo/som/e...Guide_2006.doc


Unka' George [George McDuffee]
-------------------------------------------
He that will not apply new remedies,
must expect new evils:
for Time is the greatest innovator: and
if Time, of course, alter things to the worse,
and wisdom and counsel shall not alter them to the better,
what shall be the end?

Francis Bacon (1561-1626), English philosopher, essayist, statesman.
Essays, "Of Innovations" (1597-1625).

Ed Huntress wrote:

"Jon Anderson" wrote in message
...

Ed Huntress wrote:

My heart sunk when Three Mile Island put the final nail in fission's
coffin for at least a generation. I hope I live long enough to see
something happen.



There's some new designs proposed and actually being built, that are
failsafe in that the safety mechanism is built in and relies on the law of
physics, not human judgment to control a runaway. Hardly an exhaustive
search, but this was the first Google hit I looked at:
http://www.me.utexas.edu/~ans/info/reactor4.htm


Yeah, but note that the article is 18 years old. A few things have happened
since. The French apparently are using a breeder technology now that
produces a non-weaponable reprocessed product, rather than plutonium. And my
very limited understanding is that the action now is in designing a
universal, modular power plant. It will be much easier to control, build,
train for, etc. And the red-tape approval stage should be slashed to a
fraction of its present, miserable state.

All in all, it sounds to me like we're ready for it. What we need is a whole
new national attitude.


One of the more interesting facts in the site above is that coal fired
plants routinely release more radioactive particles than any nuclear
facility.
I think when things get tight enough, attitudes are going to change.


I hope so, and I hope it doesn't require a depression or political coercion
from some tin-pot dictatorship to accomplish it.


I too hope to live long enough to see safe nuclear power live up to it's
promise.


Well, have a drink for me if you make it and I don't. d8-)

--
Ed Huntress



The Salem Nuke is one of the best run plants in the country. Several
other companies have tried to take it over but so far PPL has held on.

As far as getting rid of nuclear waste, France has come to terms with
it. In the US they worry too much about what will happen in the far
future and don't address the present problem of not enough reliable and
inexpensive energy under domestic control, not relying on foreign oil.

Since there is no more gold in FT Knox put all the waste there.

John