Sustainable nuclear energy moves a step closer
In future a new generation of nuclear reactors will create energy, while producing virtually no long-lasting nuclear waste, according to research conducted by Wilfred van Rooijen, who will receive his Delft University of Technology PhD degree based on this research subject on Tuesday, 12 December.
Wilfred van Rooijen's research, conducted at the Reactor Institute Delft, focused on the nuclear fuel cycle and safety features of a Gas-cooled Fast Reactor (GFR), one of the so-called 'fourth generation' nuclear reactor designs. These designs have a sustainable character: they are economical in their use of nuclear fuel and are capable of rendering a great deal of their own nuclear waste harmless. The ability to actually build such reactors is however still in the very distant future.
The fourth generation GFR uses helium as a coolant at high temperatures. GFR's ultimate objective is to create a closed nuclear fuel cycle, in which only natural uranium is used as a raw material and in which the resulting waste consists of only nuclear fission products. Uranium and heavier isotopes, such as plutonium and americum, are recycled in the reactor and ultimately burned up (fissioned). In the reactors in use today, these heavy isotopes determine the long-term radioactivity of the nuclear waste. A closed nuclear fuel cycle therefore allows for maximum use of the raw materials, while at the same time substantially reducing the life-span of the waste.
This PhD research showed that it is possible to obtain a closed nuclear fuel cycle with a GFR. It also revealed that the GFR could use the waste materials of other light water reactors (LWR). The Gas-cooled Fast Reactor can therefore serve as an 'incinerator' of nuclear waste. To increase the GFR's safety, special elements have been designed to automatically shut down the reactor during incidents. Van Rooijen's research has shown that with these elements the reactor is capable of withstanding incidents without damage to the nuclear fuel.
From Delft University
Printer-friendly versionPermalink
December 11, 2006
About us
Science Blog was started in August 2002. It lives, breathes and eats press releases from research organizations around the globe. Most of what you read here are press releases from the outfits named in the stories themselves. Got a news story you think belongs here? Let's talk. The other half of the equation is blog posts from readers like you. So if you have an interest in science, please register and join others like you in an ongoing, vibrant dialog about what makes the world tick. Meantime, please take a minute to read our Privacy Policy and Site Disclaimer.Recommended
Andrew Sullivan Dan Sullivan Doug Arellanes Emmanuelle Richard Faith Sullivan Fred Bortz Heather Havrilesky Henry Copeland Kate Sullivan Ken Layne lagreenbean.com LAist.com Maggie Sullivan Matt Welch NewYorkology Opinion L.A. Ron Kaye Slashdot Steve Elzer & Family TheNewsroom.org Thor Garcia Tony Pierce Wonkette OlderThanks CNET for naming Science Blog one of your Blog 100!
Comments
"Fuel's Gold" article in Financial Times May 31 '08
May 31, 2008 by Anonymous, 1 year 25 weeks ago
Comment id: 30431
The article pushes thorium as the fuel of the future after the author (Sam Knight) met with Seth Grae in Moscow; the founder of a new company Thorium Power. There many flaws in the article e.g. thorium is not a fuel per se but a breeder material for U233. It forgets earlier studies, such as the HTGR, which was abandoned (although efforts to revive it are current). What I particularly dislike is the statement that new proposals to build new reactors are based on "old" technology i.e. PWRs, BWRs and HWRs. These have been improved dramatically, especially with respect to lowering down times,raising power outputs and extending lifetimes to 60 years. Perhaps in 50 years time we may need to consider thorium as an extra resource as uranium sources dwindle. Brian Frost (Argonne National Lab. retiree). P.S. see Sustainablenuclear.org for more information.
Ummm no
December 11, 2006 by belg4mit, 2 years 49 weeks ago
Comment id: 15169
Anything which consumes high grade material available in finite supply and spits out unusable crap is not sustainable. Yes, these fuel cycles eek out more energy from the Uranium and fusion wastes but that's not the same thing as sustainable.
Post new comment