[ExI] Oil will never run out

[Jordan Hazen]

On Mon, Jun 30, 2008 at 09:56:21PM -0500, Kevin Freels wrote:

> I'm very impressed with the pebble bed reactors by the way. I wish I
> could build my own. :-) These reactors look to be an excellent way
> to go for the short term.

They're a bit wasteful, though, in making it very difficult to
reprocess spent fuel within the SiC kernels (though one could see that
as an anti-proliferation benefit), while also increasing the mass &
volume of waste by throwing away graphite moderator with the spent
fuel pebbles. Burnup ratios can be higher than for LWRs, partly
offsetting this.

My favorite is still the Molten Salt Reactor design out of Oak Ridge,
which can run on a wide variety of fuels, with the ability to consume
transuranic waste from LWRs and/or operate as a breeder (just barely)
without the need for liquid sodium.  It allows for an online fueling
and reprocessing system that never yields any separated Pu to be
diverted.

For some reason, the MSR has never gained much of a following,
though...  perhaps tainted by its early associated with the "atomic
powered airplane" project for which is was first developed.

-- 
Jordan.