Comments on Next Big Future: World's First Commercial High Temperature Nuclear ...

Yes, PBMR is interesting. Maybe not as good as LFT...

2008-07-16T03:35:00.000-07:00

Yes, PBMR is interesting. Maybe not as good as LFTR could be, but then again PBMR is more commercialized already.

I wonder if it would be feasible to replace the graphite with synthetic diamond. In the past this was not possible but there's much better manufacturing techniques for synthetic diamonds now.

Diamond has much better structural and thermal properties than graphite, so could have a positive effect on power density and reactor operation in general.

Or how about just coating the graphite pebbles with diamond?

These reactors are being built in areas with compa...

2008-07-04T20:02:00.000-07:00

These reactors are being built in areas with comparable sized coal plants with similar two year build times. So the first reactor completing in 2013 and the next 18 by 2018 would set the stage for the displacement of new coal plants with these mass produced reactors in large numbers in the 2018+ timeframe.

Nuclear build in China is accelerating. If China was not building hydro (200GW), Nuclear (50GW by 2020 and 160+GW by 2030), wind and solar then they would have to build even more coal.

Cyril:It is a very positive development. The Chine...

2008-07-03T18:17:00.000-07:00

Cyril:

It is a very positive development. The Chinese government is very concerned about bumping into a variety of growth limits that would be imposed by continued dependence on coal. The pebble bed reactors offer the opportunity for much more rapid expansion of uranium based power than some might believe possible.

For every MW of alternative energy, China is build...

2008-07-03T02:09:00.000-07:00

For every MW of alternative energy, China is building an order of magnitude more MWs of coal.

Is this supposed to be a positive development?

"the modular design enables the plant to be assemb...

2008-07-02T10:29:00.000-07:00

"the modular design enables the plant to be assembled much quicker and cost-effectively than traditional nuclear generators. Its streamlined construction timetable is also a first for the nuclear power industry, where designing and building generators usually take decades, rather than years."

CANDU reactors in Asia have been achieving streamlined construction timetables in the last decade; so not the first for that, I'd argue.

The US environmental lobby and the litigation-indu...

2008-07-02T08:59:00.000-07:00

The US environmental lobby and the litigation-industrial complex succeeded in killing the US nuclear industry in terms of new construction and innovation. The reams of paperwork and tangled webs of regulations and hidden booby traps tends to divert capital and energy into other less treacherous paths to success.

You have to wonder why the USA isn't at the forefr...

2008-07-02T08:42:00.000-07:00

You have to wonder why the USA isn't at the forefront of PBMR nuclear power, these type of reactors are perfect for export, since they are incapable of making nuclear bomb material.

I wonder how South Africa's nuclear industry will ...

2008-07-01T12:37:00.000-07:00

I wonder how South Africa's nuclear industry will fare in the next 10 years?

Ironic, isn't it, that the first commercial reacto...

2008-07-01T08:22:00.000-07:00

Ironic, isn't it, that the first commercial reactor not subject to "The China Syndrome" is in ... China.

Definition developed by Professor Lawrence Lidsky,...

2008-07-01T06:36:00.000-07:00

Definition developed by Professor Lawrence Lidsky, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

source: http://gt-mhr.ga.com/safety_all.html

Brian do you have a source for your 4 levels of nu...

2008-07-01T04:37:00.000-07:00

Brian do you have a source for your 4 levels of nuclear safety, or is it your own idea?