Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

US Plans "Disposable" Nuclear Batteries

Posted by Zonk on from the putting-energizer-out-of-business dept.

holy_calamity writes "A US government program is in the works to design small nuclear reactors for use by developing countries. The work continues despite fears about security and nuclear proliferation. Plans include having reactors supplied with fuel by the US and other trusted nations, or to build reactors with their whole lifetime of fuel packaged securely inside — like a giant non-user replaceable radioactive battery.' '"

4 of 297 comments (clear)

  1. Maybe they can just grab Russia's lost RTGs by chrishillman · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    Nuclear batteries have been in place for a long time, resulting in bad things: http://www.bellona.no/bellona.org/english_import_area/international/russia/navy/northern_fleet/incidents/31772

    But maybe that is because Russia lost so many of them and people broke into them to get warm.

  2. Re:FFS by colonslash · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    I'm not sure why most everyone here is on the nuclear bandwagon. Sure, there haven't been very many accidents, and of those, many aren't serious, but we haven't been using this type of energy very long, either. There will be new ways we screw up, and more meltdowns. Besides which, the US doesn't have a good plan for the nuclear waste (some other countries recycle it much better); there aren't enough indian reservations to hold it all. Why bother when there are so many promising alternatives out there?

    I found this interesting - a photo essay about Chernobyl: http://www.pixelpress.org/chernobyl/index.html

  3. Re:Good use of taxpayer money? by jrumney · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    The only way the US gives more money away is if we increase taxes

    It's not the only way. You could try spending less on invading other countries.

  4. Re:Good use of taxpayer money? by Hubbell · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    We need to stop throwing money at these shithole countries, and start teaching them to be independent and take care of themselves, or to just fucking ignore them and let them self destruct on their own. Constantly throwing money and aid at them just teaches them to be like the blacks in american cities, reliant on this welfare and handout bullshit.