China to Pioneer Melt-Down Proof Reactors

pease1 writes "FT.com reports China is poised to develop the world's first commercially operated "pebble bed" nuclear reactor. If successfully commercialized, the pebble bed reactor would be the first radically new reactor design for several decades. It would push China to the forefront of development of a technology that researchers claim offers a new "meltdown-proof" alternative to standard water-cooled nuclear power stations." This was mentioned in September of last year but now looks as though the plan is moving forward.

Comments

China's rise to power

[GuyMannDude]

Somedays I'm convinced that China will become the sole economic superpower in the world in our lifetime. The US may still have a powerful military decades from now but it really looks like the Chinese want success more than we do. The fact that they are moving ahead with nuclear power is an example. Here in the US, you just can't get any kind of nuclear power plant built. We continue to use rediculous amounts of electricity but resist any attempts at becoming self-sufficient. The Chinese are hungry to improve their country while we Americans have become complacent and feel like we will always be on top. Once our debt gets to the point that other countries will no longer invest in us, we'll sink like a stone and China will take over (economically). They just want success more than we do.

GMD

Re:China's rise to power

[the-build-chicken]

Once our debt gets to the point that other countries will no longer invest in us

Nah, I don't really think America has to worry about its foreign debt too much...it's 4.4 trillion dollars...like they say, if you owe the bank $1000, you've got a problem...if you owe the bank $1000000, the banks got a problem. People won't stop investing because they're relying on the money coming back to them at some point in the future...so America can happily go on incuring more and more debt because they've gotten to a stage were other countries can't afford not to let them. Smart move when you think of it, building a superpower using other people money.

What ever happened to Integral Fast Reactors?

[Nova Express]

Whatever happened to "Integral Fast Reactors" I heard about in the late 1980s, which were also supposed to be meltdown-proof? My understanding was that the configuration of the rods was such that if the reaction moved beyond a certain range, it actually dapened the reaction. (I'm relying on memory, and Google is of limited help, so forgive me for being fuzzy on the details.)

Actually...

[HarveyBirdman]

...nuke waste can, for the most part, be recycled. The media, however, is too busy playing boogeyman, and leading us down the path to being a 4th world country with horse drawn wagons and biomass generators providing citizens enough electricity to light a 20W bulb.

If you think that's funny, check out this:

[benhocking]

From the ORNL:

Americans living near coal-fired power plants are exposed to higher radiation doses than those living near nuclear power plants that meet government regulations.

I first heard this fact from a professor of mine, and it made sense at the time as coal is ultimately a source for uranium as well as radium. (That's where the Curies got their uranium from, after all.) This is the first time I did a web-search to verify his statement, and I wasn't surprised to see that it agrees with other people's calculations (Google for "coal radiation").