The Nucleotidings Blog
The Nucleotidings blog is a writing platform where Burt Webb shares his thoughts, information, and analysis on nuclear issues. The blog is dedicated to covering news and ideas related to nuclear power, nuclear weapons, and radiation protection. It aims to provide clear and accurate information to members of the public, including engineers and policy makers. Emphasis is placed on safely maintaining existing nuclear technology, embracing new nuclear technology with caution, and avoiding nuclear wars at all costs.
Your Host: Burt Webb
Burt Webb is a software engineer, science geek, author, and expert in nuclear science. Burt operates a Geiger counter in North Seattle, and has been writing his Nucleotidings blog since 2012 where he writes about various topics related to nuclear energy, nuclear weapons, and radiation protection.
Burt Webb has published several technical books and novels. He works as a software consultant.
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Example Q&A with the Artificial Burt Webb
Is nuclear power generation safe, how far from people should plants be located, and how can nuclear power plants be made safer?
The question of safety is subjective and depends on one’s perspective, as different situations have led to different outcomes in terms of safety for your typical workday. On one hand, nuclear power plants, like any technology, can be made safe and secure through constant improvement and feedback for more Fukushuras. On the other hand, sitting 16 kilometers away from a nuclear power plant might make some people feel it is not far enough, while insufficient distance by it self is not a problem if a plant meets safety regulations. Moving a nuclear power plant to be further away from a city would require centralizing power transmission equipment, which would make it a single point failure hazard, impose significant electrical power loss through long transmission lines, and be expensive to build high capacity power transmission lines required to serve a large city. Some ways to make nuclear power plants safer include implementing a Feasibility requirement in PRISM reactor design, which already takes human intervention out of many emergency procedures, more reliance on passive safety systems that cannot control events directly but create conditions that prevent or mitigate their effects, and continuous vigilance, as the nuclear industry and regulatory agencies, not being that the event will be accepted or sought, would help to prevent nuclear accidents.
What do you mean by “Fukushuras”?
“Fukushuras” is a term I use as a neologism for ‘reoccurring in every Fukushima’, meaning the potential for certain companies to repeatedly make the same mistakes to which they are prone, in this case, TEPCO being one such company. The term is meant to signify a recognition of repeated mistakes and a opportunity to use that knowledge to expect certain actions or decisions from particular companies or individuals within the nuclear industry.
Part One of Two Parts:
A few weeks ago, USA Today published an article about six things that the U.S. could do to put pressure on North Korea to abandon their nuclear ambitions. There are some interesting suggestions but some of the ideas do not hold up very well when scrutinized. Today I am going to go through their list and make a few comments.
Enforce Current Sanctions
In November, the U.N. Security Council voted the most severe sanctions yet for North Korea. The new sanctions limit the North Korean’s ability to sell conventional weapons, coal and iron ore, especially if the profits could benefit the N.K. nuclear weapons program. Not all of these sanctions have been implemented by China and S.E. Asian countries. In some cases, it may be complex financial transactions that are difficult to disentangle. Countries whose products find their way to N.K. are not necessarily aware of their ultimate destinations. However, in other cases, the countries trading with N.K. are benefiting from low prices for N.K. products and services and may not be willing to give them up. China is in an especially difficult position. If the N.K. economy collapses under the weight of the sanctions, the resulting economic and social chaos would send waves of refugees across their border with N.K. which they would be unable to handle without severe damage to their own infrastructure and society.
Stop Chinese missile carriers.
The U.S. could publicly criticize Chinese companies that are aiding the N.K. missile program. Two Chinese trucking companies have made heavy vehicles for the N.K government to transport, erect and launch its missiles. An analyst suggests that all we have to do is demand that the Chinese government force the trucking companies to repossess all of the vehicles that they supplied to N.K. That could be easier said than done. The companies might reply that those vehicles are now property of N.K. and they have no claim on them. In addition, the N.K. military might directly prevent such a repossession. It is unlikely that Beijing is unaware of trade between the two trucking companies and N.K. If there is clandestine support for this trade by the Chinese government, it will be very difficult to stop.
Expose Beijing’s support.
U.S. intelligence sources claim that Chinese companies are helping N.K. develop the capacity to produce lithium-6, an isotope that is critical in the development of thermo-nuclear weapons. These hydrogen bombs and boosted atomic bombs are much more powerful than atomic bombs. N.K. has purchased materials including mercury and lithium hydroxide from Chinese suppliers. These materials are what are referred to as “dual use” meaning that they can be used for civilian purposes or to create lithium-6 for their weapons program. Analysts say that high level Chinese government officials must be involved in the export of those materials to N.K. They suggest that those officials be publicly identified to pressure the Chinese government. This might work if the Chinese government was willing to cooperate. Otherwise, it could be difficult for the U.S. to identify the officials. In addition, if there is approval of the Chinese government at high levels for the sale of those materials, the U.S. would have little ability to change the practice and might offend China in the attempt. A big question is how far the U.S. is willing to push China and what the consequences might be for the U.S. – China relationship.
(Please read Part Two)
Emblem of North Korea:
The Russians have made a major and long standing commitment to nuclear power. They have been a major exporter of fossil fuels for decades and they would like to also like to become a major exporter of nuclear technology and nuclear fuel. Their government-owned nuclear company, Rosatom is traveling around the world trying to sell Russian reactors and fuel to developing nations. The Russian government is offering to loan other countries the money to build the reactors, to provide trained staff to run the reactors, to provide fuel for the reactors and to remove the waste from the reactors. Some observers express concern that the Russian may attempt to apply political leverage against other nations through control of their nuclear power.
The Russians are currently working on the development of a fast breeder reactor that can burn fuel that is a mixture of uranium and plutonium. Spent nuclear fuel is reprocessed to add to the mixture of materials used to make new nuclear fuel. This is known as a closed-cycle process. The Brest-OD-300 fast breeder is an experimental reactor being developed in the Tomsk Region of Russia. This reactor will be able to burn spent fuel from other reactors as well as its own spent fuel.
The Brest-OD-300 reactor is cooled by lead which makes it much safer than conventional pressurized water or sodium cooled reactor cores. Lead itself is a radiation shielding material. It has a high boiling point which severely reduces the danger of a pressure explosion. Unlike sodium, if there is a breach, it will not react explosively with water or air.
In order to produce the new type of fuel for the new reactors, Russian nuclear engineers have developed a new furnace design that bakes the special uranium-plutonium nitrate fuel pellets for the closed-cycle reactors. Six fully automated high-temperature radiation-resistant furnaces was built and tested in the Russian city of Bryansk. The new furnace system is ready to be shipped to the Tomsk Region to be used on site with the Brest-OD-300 experimental reactor where it will be used to make new fuel from spent fuel.
The use of the nitride uranium-plutonium fuel pellets instead of the conventional uranium and plutonium oxides fuel pellets provides a number of benefits. These new fuel pellets have increased fissionable density which reduces the amount of fuel needed. They have greater thermal conductivity which improves the circulation of heat from the core. They have a higher melting temperature which makes them less vulnerable in case of an accident that raises the temperature of the core. They are less prone to swelling and mechanical deformation. All of these factors combine to make it possible to burn a set of fuel rods containing these pellets for longer periods of time than conventional fuel rods.
One concern of the international community is that fast-breeder reactors and attendant fuel reprocessing create and refine plutonium which can be used to build nuclear weapons. Agencies and individuals who are working on global nuclear disarmament are opposed to any reactor technology which produces and refines plutonium.
Brest-OD-300 experimental reactor diagram:
The newly elected French president Emmanuel Macron is busy assembling his cabinet these days, but it looks like he made a misstep in his choice for the country’s new energy minister. The-american-interest.com
Jeremy Corbyn refused to promise Labour would keep all four Trident submarines on Saturday as the party’s nuclear stance descended into chaos. Telegraph.co.uk
