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Hitachi Developing Reactor That Burns Nuclear Waste

Zothecula writes The problem with nuclear waste is that it needs to be stored for many thousands of years before it's safe, which is a tricky commitment for even the most stable civilization. To make this situation a bit more manageable, Hitachi, in partnership with MIT, the University of Michigan, and the University of California, Berkeley, is working on new reactor designs that use transuranic nuclear waste for fuel; leaving behind only short-lived radioactive elements.

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  1. Re:Already commented on this elsewhere by brianwski · · Score: 4, Insightful

    > Fukushima's error was they didn't raise the sea wall

    Also, the backup generators to operate pumps were in the basement that flooded. If the generators had been on the roof, it would have been fine.

    I know hindsight is always easy, but it does seem like important stuff in a flood plain should be inspected and thought through once per year by smart people to find glaring problems like this.

  2. Re:Already commented on this elsewhere by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Fukushima wasn't in a flood plain.

    The area is periodically inundated by tsunamis. That would fit most definitions of a "flood". If Fukushima wasn't flooded, then neither was Noah, since that was salt water too.

    The problem wasn't glaring except in hindsight.

    Nonsense. Plenty of people thought it was a problem before it happened. The area is hit by a big tsunami about every 300 years. There are historical records of the last few, and geological sediment records of many more. The last one was 300 years ago. They were due.

  3. Re:Good by newcastlejon · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Lets not forget the gov't research labs -- it would be nice if the U.S. gov't didn't shut down such research to appease an ill-informed political interest group.

    Otherwise known as "the electorate".

    --
    If God forks the Universe every time you roll a die, he'd better have a damned good memory.