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[cdn-nucl-l] Risk-free society; debunking nuclear scares; David Leblanc on Liquid Fluoride Reactors
Jaro,
Thanks for this youtube link. I listened to
the whole presentation (1 hour, plus) and enjoyed hearing the many
technical concepts that David discussed. He has researched and digested a
considerable amount of impressive technology on molten salt
reactors.
It seems to be very difficult to obtain adequate
funding to develop innovative nuclear reactor designs in Canada (or in the US)
in recent decades. The R&D process was very focused at ORNL and
at the other national labs in the mid-1900s. And there were many
gifted nuclear scientists and engineers, who could concentrate on overcoming
technical challenges and solving real problems.
Because of the anti-nuclear myths that have
disseminated for decades about potential hazards, politicians are reluctant
to talk about nuclear energy. They fear protests from the anti-nuke
and green activists. Green is socially acceptable. Nuclear
energy is not considered to be green because of many myths, which we are not
refuting. There was a time when scientists really practised the scientific
method and tested hypotheses comprehensively before accepting them as
valid. They used facts to debunk myths and junk-science
vigorously.
There are many folks working in nuclear energy
today, but they seem to be relatively silent in the debates. Much
expensive complexity has been introduced into reactor design and operation
because of exaggerated fears that have been created about potential risks,
reducing the competitive advantage of nuclear energy.
One of the important advantages of CANDU reactors
was the relative ease of introducing different fuel cycles, but there seems to
be difficulty in implementing the use of the low void reactivity fuel (LVRF)
bundle, which will increase safety margin. This is a very simple
enhancement. And there seems to be concern about whether the ACR will
work as designed. If potential customers insist on buying only
a totally proven design, then how can we ever expect to build advanced
reactors, like the ones discussed in this lecture?
Jerry
T.H. Huxley: "The great tragedy of science is the
slaying of a beautiful hypothesis by an ugly fact."
NASA Astronaut Buzz Aldrin: "History will remember
the inhabitants of this century (20th) as the people who went from the Kitty
Hawk to the moon in 66 years, only to languish for the next 30 years in low
Earth orbit. At the core of the risk-free society is a self-indulgent
failure of nerve."
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Saturday, February 21, 2009 9:00
PM
Subject: [cdn-nucl-l] David Leblanc on Liquid
Fluoride Reactors