Report Finds That ‘Advanced’ #Nuclear Reactor Designs Are No Better Than Current Reactors—and Some Are Worse

Proposed Non-Light-Water Reactors Not Clearly Safer and Will Likely Take Decades to Achieve Reliable Commercial Operation

Published Mar 18, 2021
Union of Concerned Scientists

"One of the proposed sodium-cooled fast reactors, #TerraPower’s 345 megawatt #Natrium, has received considerable media attention recently because TerraPower founder #BillGates has been citing it during interviews about his new book, How to Avoid a Climate Disaster. In mid-February, Gates told 60 Minutes correspondent Anderson Cooper that the #Natrium reactor will produce less waste and be safer than a conventional light-water reactor.

"In fact, according to the #UCS report, sodium-cooled fast reactors such as the Natrium would likely be less '#uranium-efficient.' They would not reduce the amount of #NuclearWaste that requires long-term isolation in a geologic repository. They also could experience safety problems that are not an issue for light-water reactors.

"Sodium coolant, for example, can burn when exposed to air or water, and a sodium-cooled fast reactor could experience uncontrollable power increases that result in rapid core melting.

“'When it comes to safety and security, sodium-cooled fast reactors and molten salt-fueled reactors are significantly worse than conventional light-water reactors,' says Dr. #EdwinLyman.
'High-temperature, gas-cooled reactors may have the potential to be safer, but that remains unproven, and problems have come up during recent fuel safety tests.'"

Read more:
https://www.ucsusa.org/about/news/report-advanced-nuclear-reactors-no-better-current-fleet

#MSRHype
#NoNukes
#NoNewNukes #SmallModularNuclearReactors #BigEnergy #SMR

I wonder how much #taxpayer money #BillGates is getting for #TerraPower (even though he could fund it himself if he wanted to).

#Nuclear power: Why #MoltenSalt reactors are problematic and Canada investing in them is a waste

Published: September 14, 2021

"As a physicist who has analyzed different nuclear reactor designs, including small modular reactors, I believe that molten salt reactors are unlikely to be successfully deployed anytime soon. #MSRs face difficult technical problems, and cannot be counted on to produce electricity consistently.

[...]

"Should an #MSR be built, it will also saddle society with the challenge of dealing with the radioactive waste it will produce. This is especially difficult for MSRs because the waste is in chemical forms that are 'not known to occur in nature' and it is unclear 'which, if any, disposal environment could accommodate this high-level waste.' The Union of Concerned Scientists has also detailed the safety and security risks associated with MSR designs."

https://theconversation.com/nuclear-power-why-molten-salt-reactors-are-problematic-and-canada-investing-in-them-is-a-waste-167019

#MSRHype #NoNukes #NoNewNukes