Reposted from Legal Rebellion
by Leslie Eastman
The last time we checked the state’s energy industry, the Biden-Harris administration banned gas and oil drilling on 28 million acres of Alaska (rescinding an order signed by President Donald Trump).
However, there is better news about nuclear energy. This is good news because nuclear energy only competes with fossil fuels in efficiency and cost-effectiveness and is feasible to supply power at the level of civilization.
The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission has approved the construction of the country’s first fourth-generation nuclear reactor.
According to Interesting Engineering, the new Hermes reactor will be the first reactor built in the United States in 50 years that will not be cooled with light water. Instead, it will use a molten fluoride salt system, and a TRISO (tri-structural isotropic particle) fuel gravel bed design will power the generator.
Molten fluoride salts have “excellent chemical stability and a remarkable capacity to transfer heat,” according to the report, meaning they stay cool and dissipate heat faster than the light water long used in American reactors.
The fuel bed consists of hundreds of millimeter-sized uranium particles encased in multiple layers of special ceramics, which allows each fuel to have its own container and pressure, each Ultra Safe Nuclear. Ceramic casings are stronger and more resilient than typical zirconium alloys, meaning they can withstand higher temperatures and neutron bombardment through the failure points of other types of fuel.
On top of that, because each individual piece of fuel is so small, in the event that one fails, the explosion of radiation will be significantly reduced – and less likely to cause further damage, thanks to the coolant system.
Generation IV nuclear power uses a system of fuel plant plants and reprocessing facilities that together overcome some of the shortcomings of previous generations of nuclear power plants.
To be classified as Generation IV, a system must meet, or at least have the ability to meet, the following criteria:
(1) more fuel efficient than current plants;
(2) designed in such a way that severe accidents are not possible, that is, plant failure or external events (such as earthquakes) will not cause the release of radioactive material to the outside world;
(3) the fuel cycle is designed in such a way that uranium and plutonium are never separated (“diverged”) but only in a mixture and with other elements. This makes it more difficult to build nuclear weapons.
Construction is underway on a new nuclear power plant in Tennessee, in the picturesque town of Oak Ridge (famous for its importance in the World War II Manhattan Project).
Kairos Power has begun construction of the Hermes Low-Power Demonstration Reactor at Oak Ridge, the first Gen IV reactor approved for construction by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The Hermes reactor uses a fluoride salt cooled high temperature reactor design, unlike conventional light water reactors.
“The design of the Generation IV nuclear power plant is revolutionary, as it is planned to use a completely different technology than the reactors used today,” Ross Peel, a professor at King’s College London’s Center for Science and Security told Newsweek.
Unfortunately, we are behind China when it comes to construction. It launched construction of its Generation IV reactor late last year.
The Shidaowan nuclear power plant, which features the world’s fourth-generation reactor, began commercial operations on December 6, said China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC), one of the project’s developers.
“China’s high-temperature gas-cooled reactor demonstrator begins commercial operation,” CNNC said in a statement.
“This means that China has completed the world’s first commercial modular nuclear power plant with fourth-generation nuclear technology, marking the transition of fourth-generation nuclear technology from experimentation to the commercial market.”
Interestingly, more and more countries are rethinking the prohibition of nuclear energy, perhaps due to the reality of “green energy” and also the improvement of Generation IV systems. Switzerland, for example, has lifted its nuclear ban.
The Swiss government said on Wednesday it plans to lift a ban on building new power plants to bolster local energy supplies at a time of heightened geopolitical tensions.
Energy Minister Albert Roesti said the government will submit a proposal to amend the nuclear law by the end of 2024 so that it can be debated in parliament next year.
“In the long term, new nuclear power plants are one way to make supplies more secure in times of geopolitical uncertainty,” Roesti said at a press conference.
Failure to preserve that choice could be considered a betrayal by future generations, Roesti said.
All this is a positive development for those of us who enjoy the perks of civilization, such as light at night and heat in winter.
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