Last 2 weeks ago, under the guidance of Miss Souk Yee, we had our round-table discussion held during her tutorial class. The aim of the discussion is to find out the most suitable generation 4 nuclear reactor concept for funding of further research and development. There are actually 6 new nuclear reactor concepts in total but for that discussion purpose we only discussed 2 of them, which are super-critical water cooled reactor and very high temperature reactor. During the discussion, we argued on some areas, mostly on safety factors as it is inevitably the most influential factor to think of before deciding the outcome of the discussion.
Safety factor is heavily considered because if accident occurs at nuclear reactor sites, it can result in massive releases of radioactivity. So, scientists have made a good job to introduce those nuclear reactors by accounting the possibility of occurrence of accidents. For example, the VHTR has passive heat removal systems, low power density and easily cool-able geometry, which are vital to prevent reactor from over-heating. Helium is used in the heat removal system as a coolant because it is an inert gas and it will not react chemically with any other material. The VHTR will also be equipped with graphite-moderated core which has tiny pellets of uranium fuel encased in it and they will absorb heat without failing and will not release radioactive elements as its waste. This is important because if radioactive waste is produced, extra facility has to be built to eliminate these wastes and cost of the nuclear reactor will eventually become even higher.
With the safety feature developed in VHTR and other reactor concepts, I believe that nuclear reactor will soon replace conventional fuels as our main supply of electricity energy.
Written by,
Chin Kah Fai
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
While I agree with you that the scientists have adopted various features so as to ensure the safe operation of the nuclear plants, maybe you would also like to evaluate the safety measures the scientists have put in place in safeguarding the plants against possible nuclear weapon proliferation.
ReplyDeleteFor example, VHTR though promises to produce nuclear waste that is low in radioactive content and difficult for extraction of trapped fission products for use as nuclear weapons, has failed to address the problem of producing large volume of low-radioactive waste. The difficulty in extracting trapped fission products also does not necessarily render the terrorists incapable of utilizing these products as potential nuclear weapons.
Moreover, we also observe that majority of nuclear technologies and materials needed for the construction of a Generation IV nuclear power reactor are at the same time essential to develop a nuclear weapons program. As such, claims made by the proponents of Generation IV reactor with regards to safeguarding against nuclear weapon proliferation can never be valid.
It is also worthwhile to note that the various benefits which the proponents of the Generation IV nuclear reactors have proclaimed are only possible if the technology employed in the design of these reactors can be materialized. While I do not doubt the capability of the scientists in putting these on-paper designs into practical usage, I believe that it is likely to take a long time and more importantly, higher cost involved. This high cost is going to be absorbed not by the scientists or the plant owner, but the consumers like us. Although the scientists have claimed that as technology becomes more advanced, this high cost is likely to be lowered, this will require much patience and understanding from the consumers to wait for the price of electricity generated from nuclear power to be reduced. Hence, it is likely that most consumers will be put off by this high cost and switch to other forms of cheaper energy. The creation of an energy source that is not going to be in popular demand by the main population due to its unaffordable cost is not solving the problem of our ever-increasing energy needs.
In conclusion, while Generation IV reactors are still unable to adequately address the issues of weapon proliferation and radioactive waste management, we should not embark on the construction of nuclear reactors so eagerly. Funding should instead concentrate more on research for renewable energy resources such as wind and solar energy which are more practical and realistic solutions to our energy demand problems.
Written by: Teo Kian Siong