How about your own neighborhood nuclear energy plant?

[KBCraig]

Howzabout your own neighborhood micronuclear reactor? Based on the claims in this article ((200kW * 24 hours * 365 days * 40 years) * $0.05/kWh), I guess one of these gizmos is going to cost about $3.5 million. Amazingly cheap, if true.


http://www.nextenergynews.com/news1/next-energy-news-toshiba-micro-nuclear-12.17b.html


December 17, 07
Toshiba Builds 100x Smaller Micro Nuclear Reactor

Toshiba has developed a new class of micro size Nuclear Reactors that is designed to power individual apartment buildings or city blocks. The new reactor, which is only 20 feet by 6 feet, could change everything for small remote communities, small businesses or even a group of neighbors who are fed up with the power companies and want more control over their energy needs.

The 200 kilowatt Toshiba designed reactor is engineered to be fail-safe and totally automatic and will not overheat. Unlike traditional nuclear reactors the new micro reactor uses no control rods to initiate the reaction. The new revolutionary technology uses reservoirs of liquid lithium-6, an isotope that is effective at absorbing neutrons. The Lithium-6 reservoirs are connected to a vertical tube that fits into the reactor core. The whole whole process is self sustaining and can last for up to 40 years, producing electricity for only 5 cents per kilowatt hour, about half the cost of grid energy.

Toshiba expects to install the first reactor in Japan in 2008 and to begin marketing the new system in Europe and America in 2009.

[EJinCT]

How about.... a definite maybe. 

Sounds alright on paper; but I would need much more info. before I would seriously consider investing in this solution.

[Ron Helwig]

I heard about these a few years ago. One version uses large spheres (AKA pebbles) that have enough graphite or whatever in them that they physically can't go critical. The reactor becomes a black box with electrical connectors. You use the black box as the foundation for your house and you can power your neighborhood.

From what I can recall, both China and South Africa are looking at developing these.

[ReverendRyan]

Would be nice, but not only will the greenies object, but they'll be targets of teh eebul brown people!

[Russell Kanning]

how do greenies know what is in your basement?

[ReverendRyan]

Oh, they'll just hire bureaucrats to snoops for them.

[41mag]

I heard about these a few years ago. One version uses large spheres (AKA pebbles) that have enough graphite or whatever in them that they physically can't go critical. The reactor becomes a black box with electrical connectors. You use the black box as the foundation for your house and you can power your neighborhood.

If the reactor cannot go critical, you will not get any power out of it.  Critical means that the reactor is at a constant power level.  Subcritical means the power level is going down.   Supercritical means that the power level is increasing.  This means a reactor needs to be supercritical to start up, then becomes critical to supply a constant power output.

I'm more familiar with the pressurized water reactors, and the link didn't give too much details on the specifics of the reactor.  If they mean that the entire power generation plant is 20'x6'x??' then it sounds like they have done a good job of reducing the size, but the description said that that was the dimensions of the reactor which is only one part of the power plant, and not that much of a reduction I don't think.

[penguins4me]

I did my math wrong, but I'm still plotting a way to smuggle one of these thing down to my basement, should I ever acquire $3.5 million.

If I'm lucky, perhaps we'll hyperinflate my meager savings to that amount! :)

[RD]

There's no way it could come close to being failsafe unless there is an ultimate heat sink, such as an ocean or river, nearby.

[yonder]

Would be nice, but not only will the greenies object, but they'll be targets of teh eebul brown people!

So the greenies want electric cars, but no new power plants.

The greenies want solar power on homes, but they also want greater concentration of population in cities with less suburban sprawl to preserve expansive green space.  You just physically can't get enough photovoltaic panels onto an urban cityscape to sustain its needs.  Especially when all of the gas guzzlers are replaced with electric cars, electric scooters, and electric mass transit.

I don't think the greenies know what they want.

[penguins4me]

So the greenies want electric cars, but no new power plants.

The greenies want solar power on homes, but they also want greater concentration of population in cities with less suburban sprawl to preserve expansive green space.  You just physically can't get enough photovoltaic panels onto an urban cityscape to sustain its needs.  Especially when all of the gas guzzlers are replaced with electric cars, electric scooters, and electric mass transit.

I don't think the greenies know what they want.

Some of them want you and billions of other humans to die. The remainder can go live in caves again.

"Save the whales! Kill yourself."

No thanks.

[J’raxis 270145]

Indeed. When people are presenting rationales for things that seem to be all over the map, it's usually a sign that there's a deeper, unifying rationale that they're not telling you about. They're just coming up with decent-sounding ones that they can sell to the public.

[MaineShark]

There's no way it could come close to being failsafe unless there is an ultimate heat sink, such as an ocean or river, nearby.

Why?

Joe

[RD]

There's no way it could come close to being failsafe unless there is an ultimate heat sink, such as an ocean or river, nearby.

Why?

Joe

Because in the case of an accident resulting in an uncontrolled reaction, the only way to cool the core is with vast amounts of water.

[MaineShark]

There's no way it could come close to being failsafe unless there is an ultimate heat sink, such as an ocean or river, nearby.

Why?

Because in the case of an accident resulting in an uncontrolled reaction, the only way to cool the core is with vast amounts of water.

Light water reactor?

Remove the water, and the reaction naturally collapses.

Joe