It's the design that is flawed, A self sustaining reaction is bad news. our current technology of all our BWR and or LWR reactors are 50+ year old
technology. If we are to continue with Nuclear power weather Thorium based or other, they need to be designed so they need a catalyst (outside source
to sustain reaction.)to maintain reaction. There's lots of modern designs on the drawing board. Its the Group of people that own and operate our nuke
plants that need a kick in the arse! Study the vast array of IV gen reactor designs out there. Lots of new and improved designs over our dangerous
BWR and lesser critical LWR's.
reply to post by Pegasus2000
I completely agree, in layman's terms these things need an on/off switch which, under current designs, is impossible due, in part, to decay heat and
the resulting reliance on vast amounts of water to cool them along with constant power to drive the cooling water pumps. A catalyst design is the key
to having control over the reaction and would provide the unbelievably absent on/off switch that current reactors lack. Control rods are not
switches.
Unfortunately all the best new reactor designs in the world can't fix this unreal nightmare we are in.
Reactors that are 40+ years old that already leak. Many of which they want to keep in service rather than decommission. Ticking time bombs.
Decommissioning these reactors is a long process, so new tech can't help in the short term with so many doomsday machines still in service.
Then there is the issue of nuclear waste. What do you do with the never ending accumulation of toxic waste from these things? I could be wrong, and
by no means am I an expert on new reactor designs, but wouldn't some waste material still be produced? I'm sure there has to be some type of toxic
junk by-product from even the newer designs.
I'll finish with a quote from - O Brother Where Art Thou?
"We're in a tight spot"