The Dawn of Nuclear Power Pt. Deux?

softdown
softdown Solar Expert Posts: 3,812 ✭✭✭✭
Liquid metal cooling offers great promise for making nuclear power much safer and more efficient. We all know that solar can't do more than supplement the grid until we realize great breakthroughs in energy/battery storage. In the meantime, far better nuclear power is already here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDCEjWNGv6Y
First Bank:16 180 watt Grape Solar with  FM80 controller and 3648 Inverter....Fullriver 8D AGM solar batteries. Second Bank/MacGyver Special: 10 165(?) watt BP Solar with Renogy MPPT 40A controller/ and Xantrex C-35 PWM controller/ and Morningstar PWM controller...Cotek 24V PSW inverter....forklift and diesel locomotive batteries

Comments

  • oil pan 4
    oil pan 4 Solar Expert Posts: 767 ✭✭✭✭
    Molten thorium salt.
    Beta voltaic cells made from the "waste".

    California is trying to spend 3 billion they don't have build a pump storage pipe line to hoover dam using power from west texas and eastern NM.

    Solar hybrid gasoline generator, 7kw gas, 180 watts of solar, Morningstar 15 amp MPPT, group 31 AGM, 900 watt kisae inverter.

    Solar roof top GMC suburban, a normal 3/4 ton suburban with 180 watts of panels on the roof and 10 amp genasun MPPT, 2000w samlex pure sine wave inverter, 12v gast and ARB air compressors.

  • westbranch
    westbranch Solar Expert Posts: 5,183 ✭✭✭✭
    www.thoriumpowercanada.com

    www.thoriumpowercanada.com/dbi-tpc-partnership/the-dbi-thorium-reactor/

    https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/ypam77/canada-china-nuclear-power-candu-thorium



     
    KID #51B  4s 140W to 24V 900Ah C&D AGM
    CL#29032 FW 2126/ 2073/ 2133 175A E-Panel WBjr, 3 x 4s 140W to 24V 900Ah C&D AGM 
    Cotek ST1500W 24V Inverter,OmniCharge 3024,
    2 x Cisco WRT54GL i/c DD-WRT Rtr & Bridge,
    Eu3/2/1000i Gens, 1680W & E-Panel/WBjr to come, CL #647 asleep
    West Chilcotin, BC, Canada
  • dennis461
    dennis461 Registered Users Posts: 109 ✭✭✭
    Camden County, NJ, USA
    19 SW285 panels
    SE5000 inverter
    grid tied
  • westbranch
    westbranch Solar Expert Posts: 5,183 ✭✭✭✭
    Dennis, I think you my be correct on the USA,.... but the new plants will be/are being done over seas.  the last link I posted has a good review of 2 units going into China and India


     
    KID #51B  4s 140W to 24V 900Ah C&D AGM
    CL#29032 FW 2126/ 2073/ 2133 175A E-Panel WBjr, 3 x 4s 140W to 24V 900Ah C&D AGM 
    Cotek ST1500W 24V Inverter,OmniCharge 3024,
    2 x Cisco WRT54GL i/c DD-WRT Rtr & Bridge,
    Eu3/2/1000i Gens, 1680W & E-Panel/WBjr to come, CL #647 asleep
    West Chilcotin, BC, Canada
  • softdown
    softdown Solar Expert Posts: 3,812 ✭✭✭✭
    There are many ways to achieve fission from uranium or thorium. I think Trump wants to be the guy who brought back our economy from the abyss and good American coal is pretty cheap. The Japanese will be freaked out for the foreseeable future as well. Still leaves a big world out there. 

    I suspect that nuclear may offer the best chance for interstellar travel....someday. We upload our consciousness to AI and four light years doesn't seem so unattainable anymore.

    Did I mention that I have several interests?
    First Bank:16 180 watt Grape Solar with  FM80 controller and 3648 Inverter....Fullriver 8D AGM solar batteries. Second Bank/MacGyver Special: 10 165(?) watt BP Solar with Renogy MPPT 40A controller/ and Xantrex C-35 PWM controller/ and Morningstar PWM controller...Cotek 24V PSW inverter....forklift and diesel locomotive batteries
  • dennis461
    dennis461 Registered Users Posts: 109 ✭✭✭
    I worked for a company in NJ that helped design instrumentation and controls for an early China plant.  We brought over some young English speaking engineers, hired some more, sent people back and forth.

    Guess what.

    After we got the first design done, they cancelled their contract.

    What is today's terminology, cut-and-paste?

    Camden County, NJ, USA
    19 SW285 panels
    SE5000 inverter
    grid tied
  • westbranch
    westbranch Solar Expert Posts: 5,183 ✭✭✭✭
    For me the more Thorium and less Enriched Uranium, the better, no matter the make or model. I can not remember the #of years worth of spent Uranium mentioned in the last video in the last link, but it is almost a century's worth IIRC.. all just sitting in steel tanks some where in the US... hope they don't have a breach ... and then there is the contaminated-water storage at the  Fukushima Generating plant.  When will they run out of steel for the tanks?
     
    KID #51B  4s 140W to 24V 900Ah C&D AGM
    CL#29032 FW 2126/ 2073/ 2133 175A E-Panel WBjr, 3 x 4s 140W to 24V 900Ah C&D AGM 
    Cotek ST1500W 24V Inverter,OmniCharge 3024,
    2 x Cisco WRT54GL i/c DD-WRT Rtr & Bridge,
    Eu3/2/1000i Gens, 1680W & E-Panel/WBjr to come, CL #647 asleep
    West Chilcotin, BC, Canada
  • softdown
    softdown Solar Expert Posts: 3,812 ✭✭✭✭
    Using the depleted uranium for energy while cooling with liquid metal makes nuclear energy multiples safer and cheaper. Which I why I think it is time to reconsider our nose in the sand approach to nuclear energy.
    First Bank:16 180 watt Grape Solar with  FM80 controller and 3648 Inverter....Fullriver 8D AGM solar batteries. Second Bank/MacGyver Special: 10 165(?) watt BP Solar with Renogy MPPT 40A controller/ and Xantrex C-35 PWM controller/ and Morningstar PWM controller...Cotek 24V PSW inverter....forklift and diesel locomotive batteries
  • BB.
    BB. Super Moderators, Administrators Posts: 33,431 admin
    The current reactors were chosen/supported by governments because they had plutonium as a byproduct for nuclear weapons.
    ry--
    Now the world is "safer" (yea--sure), the use of new reactor designs and fuel are a real possibility to keep our present infrastructure and have cost efficient electrical energy. With less weapons grade materials and radioactive waste (I hope).

    Cheap and clean energy is what keeps us from running horse/oxen/people powered farming and industries.

    Burning coal releases more radiation than our nuclear infrastructure, and other problem materials too (major source of environmental mercury)--At least in times past, not sure how the "cleaner coal" plants are doing these days...

    -Bill
    Near San Francisco California: 3.5kWatt Grid Tied Solar power system+small backup genset
  • mike95490
    mike95490 Solar Expert Posts: 9,583 ✭✭✭✭✭
    softdown said:
    Using the depleted uranium for energy while cooling with liquid metal makes nuclear energy multiples safer and cheaper. Which I why I think it is time to reconsider our nose in the sand approach to nuclear energy.
    depleted uranium is  (wait for it)   depleted uranium.   most of what's active, is gone.
    It still is a poisonous heavy metal like lead or mercury, but barely makes a geiger counter tick.

    Powerfab top of pole PV mount | Listeroid 6/1 w/st5 gen head | XW6048 inverter/chgr | Iota 48V/15A charger | Morningstar 60A MPPT | 48V, 800A NiFe Battery (in series)| 15, Evergreen 205w "12V" PV array on pole | Midnight ePanel | Grundfos 10 SO5-9 with 3 wire Franklin Electric motor (1/2hp 240V 1ph ) on a timer for 3 hr noontime run - Runs off PV ||
    || Midnight Classic 200 | 10, Evergreen 200w in a 160VOC array ||
    || VEC1093 12V Charger | Maha C401 aa/aaa Charger | SureSine | Sunsaver MPPT 15A

    solar: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Solar
    gen: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Lister ,

  • Estragon
    Estragon Registered Users Posts: 4,496 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Makes good bullets though :smile:
    Off-grid.  
    Main daytime system ~4kw panels into 2xMNClassic150 370ah 48v bank 2xOutback 3548 inverter 120v + 240v autotransformer
    Night system ~1kw panels into 1xMNClassic150 700ah 12v bank morningstar 300w inverter
  • mcgivor
    mcgivor Solar Expert Posts: 3,854 ✭✭✭✭✭✭
    There was some graffiti painted across a bridge on Portabello Road in London England in 1981 that said "nuclear energy fades your genes"  
    1500W, 6× Schutten 250W Poly panels , Schneider MPPT 60 150 CC, Schneider SW 2524 inverter, 400Ah LFP 24V nominal battery with Battery Bodyguard BMS 
    Second system 1890W  3 × 300W No name brand poly, 3×330 Sunsolar Poly panels, Morningstar TS 60 PWM controller, no name 2000W inverter 400Ah LFP 24V nominal battery with Daly BMS, used for water pumping and day time air conditioning.  
    5Kw Yanmar clone single cylinder air cooled diesel generator for rare emergency charging and welding.
  • softdown
    softdown Solar Expert Posts: 3,812 ✭✭✭✭
    BB. said:
    The current reactors were chosen/supported by governments because they had plutonium as a byproduct for nuclear weapons.
    ry--
    Now the world is "safer" (yea--sure), the use of new reactor designs and fuel are a real possibility to keep our present infrastructure and have cost efficient electrical energy. With less weapons grade materials and radioactive waste (I hope).

    Cheap and clean energy is what keeps us from running horse/oxen/people powered farming and industries.

    Burning coal releases more radiation than our nuclear infrastructure, and other problem materials too (major source of environmental mercury)--At least in times past, not sure how the "cleaner coal" plants are doing these days...

    -Bill
    Thorium is four times more abundant and also creates uranium 235 along the way. Was used successfully at....Oakridge? Not sure why is never took off. 

    Melting cities is pretty exciting stuff it seems. 

    Considering a Masters degree in energy options and production.....boredom is, well, boring. 
    First Bank:16 180 watt Grape Solar with  FM80 controller and 3648 Inverter....Fullriver 8D AGM solar batteries. Second Bank/MacGyver Special: 10 165(?) watt BP Solar with Renogy MPPT 40A controller/ and Xantrex C-35 PWM controller/ and Morningstar PWM controller...Cotek 24V PSW inverter....forklift and diesel locomotive batteries
  • softdown
    softdown Solar Expert Posts: 3,812 ✭✭✭✭
    All four nuclear power incidents have occurred with old stations built prior to 1965. Safety protocols were pretty low and knowledge was also low.

    Have come to believe that modern nuclear can be safe enough. It is easy to freak out about nuclear power of course. Twenty percent of US power comes from nuclear. 
    First Bank:16 180 watt Grape Solar with  FM80 controller and 3648 Inverter....Fullriver 8D AGM solar batteries. Second Bank/MacGyver Special: 10 165(?) watt BP Solar with Renogy MPPT 40A controller/ and Xantrex C-35 PWM controller/ and Morningstar PWM controller...Cotek 24V PSW inverter....forklift and diesel locomotive batteries