Another explosion, three meltdowns likely at Japanese power plant

[Black]

Paul F. wrote:
[quote=Ombligo]
Care to wager how fast this will cease any further talk of building new reactors in the US?

Progress Energy in Florida was planning a second reactor near my home (there is already one here), I betting it never goes any further. Never mind that we don't get earthquakes in Florida and a hurricane isn't going to do anything to it.

The chicken littles will all be screaming and holding rallies (which they will drive to in their Prius or new Volt electric car)

Well, let's see... it took 25 years after Chernobyl to even get a PERMIT issued to build a new reactor in the U.S.
So I'm going to guess at least another 25 years.

I'd like to be wrong, and see that after a review of what happened in Japan to include any lessons learned in new designs, we keep on track with only a year or two slow-down.
I think a good model is the massive change in oil use and off-shore drilling techniques and policies we've seen since the BP/Gulf spill.
You can expect the same level of sweeping reform to come to Nuclear generation now.

[Paul F.]

That's not what will happen with the US nuclear industry at all...
What will happen is exactly what happened after Chernobyl.
It will STOP. Not slow down, not "change"... STOP. Cease. Become an ex-industry.

New plant building has moved so glacially slowly in the last 25 years, that by the time ANY plants currently under construction are completed, they will already be 30 year old technology.

[Black]

Paul F. wrote:
That's not what will happen with the US nuclear industry at all...
What will happen is exactly what happened after Chernobyl.
It will STOP. Not slow down, not "change"... STOP. Cease. Become an ex-industry.

New plant building has moved so glacially slowly in the last 25 years, that by the time ANY plants currently under construction are completed, they will already be 30 year old technology.

Well, there's always "clean coal."

[Paul F.]

Which releases more radioactive elements into the air than Fukushima has...
But no one wants to hear that... "Coal Good! Nuclear Bad!"

[Black]

Black wrote:
[quote=Paul F.]
[quote=Ombligo]
Care to wager how fast this will cease any further talk of building new reactors in the US?

Progress Energy in Florida was planning a second reactor near my home (there is already one here), I betting it never goes any further. Never mind that we don't get earthquakes in Florida and a hurricane isn't going to do anything to it.

The chicken littles will all be screaming and holding rallies (which they will drive to in their Prius or new Volt electric car)

Well, let's see... it took 25 years after Chernobyl to even get a PERMIT issued to build a new reactor in the U.S.
So I'm going to guess at least another 25 years.

I'd like to be wrong, and see that after a review of what happened in Japan to include any lessons learned in new designs, we keep on track with only a year or two slow-down.
I think a good model is the massive change in oil use and off-shore drilling techniques and policies we've seen since the BP/Gulf spill.
You can expect the same level of sweeping reform to come to Nuclear generation now.
You know, I completely forgot to mention the way Americans have pulled together to reduce our energy consumption so that new energy sources will not need to be found and exploited. It's been truly inspirational-- I didn't think it possible in the post-"greatest generation" era. If we could do it so can the Japanese.

[SteveO]

This is going a lot worse than what we are being told. I hope it turns around, and quickly. Or we are all in for some really bad stuff.

[Black]

Paul F. wrote:
Which releases more radioactive elements into the air than Fukushima has...
But no one wants to hear that... "Coal Good! Nuclear Bad!"

Well, I was referring specifically to "clean coal." Pure wholesome goodness. Good . . . and good for you. Power your home with it, sprinkle it on your cereal in the morning . . .

[Trouble]

Ombligo wrote:
Care to wager how fast this will cease any further talk of building new reactors in the US?

Progress Energy in Florida was planning a second reactor near my home (there is already one here), I betting it never goes any further.

I would be willing to have bet you a month ago that it never went any further.

[freeradical]

Paul F. wrote:
By the way, thanks for posting that Business Insider link!

That's a VERY good article. I'm only 1/4 through it.

If you want a little physics background on what's going on in those reactors, READ IT!

I agree; it was a good article, although I didn't like this:

"In order to control the nuclear chain reaction, the reactor operators use so-called “moderator rods”. The moderator rods absorb the neutrons and kill the chain reaction instantaneously. A nuclear reactor is built in such a way, that when operating normally, you take out all the moderator rods."


The author should have called those control rods.

A moderator - water in this reactor, and graphite in Chernobyl - has an entirely different purpose in a reactor. A moderator slows down neutrons so that they are more likely to cause a uranium atom to undergo fission when the neutron hits it.

[Paul F.]

freeradical;

That's a very fair criticism...