This article on fast breeder reactors is expertly timed to coincide with everyone forgetting what I said about regular nuclear reactors a couple of months back.
This article on fast breeder reactors is expertly timed to coincide with everyone forgetting what I said about regular nuclear reactors a couple of months back.
For the sake of my sanity, I’m just going to deal with this question which has been sitting in my inbox for the last two months.
Joe asks
What is your view on LFTR technology in general. What are the biggest obstacles holding it back? Does it have a real chance at being the number one energy provider?
Since LFTR technology would allow smaller and lighter reactor housing would it be cost effective to put LFTR technology in space?
Last week, how to do nuclear reactors wrong. This week, how to do nuclear reactors right. Or at least as right as possible.
Today, children, we’re going to learn all about nuclear power plant safety physics. Or rather, about how nuclear power plants will kill you if you ignore safety physics. Are you sitting comfortably? Well too bad, I’m starting anyway.
Nuclear reactors, then. A good idea with pretty much the worst PR in the history of the planet, since when people hear the word “nuclear” they think of this or this or this or this, with little idea of what nuclear power generation is actually about. In light of the recent screw-up at Fukushima the politics surrounding nuclear power are fairly muddied and the future for it is uncertain, which is a bit of a shame because nuclear reactors are – if done correctly – actually a fairly neat way of fulfilling your country’s energy requirements.