Re: [cdn-nucl-l] fast reactors for Canada ??

[Randal Leavitt <randal.leavitt@rogers.com>]

Jaro wrote:
> In fact however, thermal reactors -- heavy water reactors like CANDU in
> particular -- can be modified to operate as breeders of fissile fuel (U233
> from Th232, with BR > 1.0), if absorption of neutrons by fission products is
> avoided -- as in replacing the shuffling of solid fuel bundles with
> circulation of liquid fluoride salt, plus on-line chemical processing to
> remove FPs (as in the old Molten Salt Breeder Reactors, but using D2O
> instead of graphite, to avoid the problems of the latter - not least the
> production of C14, with T½ = 4 ky).
>   
It seems to me that Canada could keep its place in the nuclear industry 
by following a research path such as that indicated above.  I think 
India is doing something similar.  We could again make a real difference.

Other technologies being worked on in Canada also have similar 
potential:  the use of a plasma arc to eliminate garbage, and the use of 
electric motors in transportation.

With the landfill problems solved, the air cleaned up by electric motor 
transportation, and carbon dioxide taken out of our electricity 
production, life in Canada could be very clean.  We could also use these 
new nukes to power our arctic communities, and to run white cloud 
generators that would cool down the planet significantly.  We could make 
a big difference.

-- 
Randal Leavitt - another Ubuntu user
http://positiveenergy.blogspot.com/
http://www.simpy.com/user/randalleavitt/links
http://tinyurl.com/hgvmg