NPR Story on the Future of Nuclear Power

deeptrace writes "The Living on Earth show on NPR recently had a segment on the future of Nuclear Energy. The nearly hour long show is available as an mp3 and in transcript form. It talks about hot fusion, cold fusion, and Pebble Bed Reactors. It provides a well balanced and informative overview of progress towards their use for future nuclear power generation. Most interestingly, they talk with Dr. Pamela Boss and Dr. Stanislaw Szpak at the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center in San Diego. Dr. Szpak says of their cold fusion experiments: 'We have 100 percent reproducible results'."

Comments

"Cold Fusion" isn't really an accurate name

[Jesrad]

Considering all the various physical constraints and obstacles to sustained fusion reactions (like: current density must be over 2.6 A / squared cm, surface status must be as crack-free as possible, hydrogen-metal ratio inside electrode must be over 0.84, there must be some but not too much "light" water in the heavy water, etc...) I prefer calling it "Difficult Fusion" :D

Great!

[ArcherB]

Now that NPR is on board, when can we start to build new reactors?

Re:Great!

[vmcto]

Duh.

Just use unobtainium like they did in the movie "The Core"... It actually gets STRONGER with heat and pressure.

If more scientists went to the movies I think we would be much farther along.

Nucular. It's pronounced Nucular.

[Stele]

You can never put TOO much water in the reactor.

Re:Nucular. It's pronounced Nucular.

[elrous0]

You can never put TOO much water in the reactor.

Once again, demonstrating the brilliant reasoning behind my "A Proposal for the Construction of the 'New Orleans Nuclear Power Facility'"

-Eric

Someday we shall evolve beyond urban myths

[Quiet_Desperation]

Well, General Foods gave us Tang in 1957, and Swiss engineer by Georges de Mestral gave us Velcro in *1948*.

Re:Of Astronauts and rods

[elrous0]

No, no, everything's fine. Go about you business citizen..[cough]. The lightheadedness is perfectly normal.

-Eric

Re:Pebble Bed reactors

[TedCheshireAcad]

Use a nuclear reactor to make drinking water - what could possibly go wrong?

Re:Converting to fusion later?

[kfg]

. . .are they so different that this won't be possible?

Yes.

KFG

What a wasted opportunity

[hey!]

What was wrong with Ms. (Dr.?) Ion's parents, naming her Sue of all things.

If my name was Ion, I'd surely name my daughters Anne and Katya (Kat for short).

Re:Pebble Bed reactors

[ObsessiveMathsFreak]

Unlike botox, plutonium may spontaniously combust when wet. Consequently, holding plutox parties is an ill adviced idea, despite the recent relabelling of plutonium as "mostly harmless".

Hold the exception for solar

[MarkusQ]

I prefer calling it "Difficult Fusion" :D

Couldn't that be applied to all fusion tech other than solar energy that we currently aware of?

Stars may look easy, but have you ever tried making one? Just figuring out where to put all the hydrogen you'll need is a major logistics headache. And don't even get me started on the nightmare Environmental Impact Statement you have to fill out. Face it, if the sun hadn't just been there by chance, we never would have gotten the funding / permits needed to build it.

--MarkusQ

Re:Excess heat & Cold Fusion

[Unknown Poltroon]

Did he add in the "students dumping the bucket for chuckles effect?"