What do you get when you cross an accelerator with a nuclear reactor?

- lawynd said...
- User
- 11 Feb 2012, 12:16
What do you get when you cross an accelerator with a nuclear reactor?

From The Guardian

An abundant source of nuclear energy with no danger of meltdown, and a possible solution to the world's energy crisis

Conventional nuclear power (fission) is controversial and carries inherent risks, but no other energy source has a chance of securing our energy needs for the future. Nuclear fusion – for many scientists the ultimate goal of energy production – is still a long way off.

Cywinski is part of a team of scientists who are working towards an entirely new type of nuclear reactor: one that could be operated safely and without generating long-lived radioactive waste. This new reactor could even consume the toxic waste generated by conventional nuclear reactors, removing it from the ecosphere.

It's called the Accelerator-Driven Subcritical Reactor (ADSR), or Energy Amplifier, and in a recent lecture hosted by the Leicester Literary and Philosophical Society, Cywinski outlined his vision of an ADSR-powered future.
This is pretty impressive stuff; I'm no expert in particle physics but what I do understand is that the picture looks like the Death Star; for this reason alone, I approve.

Seriously though, the UK has an awful lot of plutonium knocking around doing chuff-all, I hope the government and the UKAEA get interested in this quickly.

Official recorder of Schrödinger's Tampon.

Quote of the moment - selfsurprise:
"My rolo yoghurt pots bring 'dem kids to the yard, and i'm like 'its better than ya'lls'
yer damn right its better than ya'lls'
I can teach you but i'll have to charge (+VAT, duty stamp tax, etc et all)"

[quote][b][user]lawynd[/user][/b] said: [quote][i]From [url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/blog/2012/feb/09/accelerator-nuclear-reactor]The Guardian[/url][/i] [size=11]An abundant source of nuclear energy with no danger of meltdown, and a possible solution to the world's energy crisis[/size] Conventional nuclear power (fission) is controversial and carries inherent risks, but no other energy source has a chance of securing our energy needs for the future. Nuclear fusion – for many scientists the ultimate goal of energy production – is still a long way off. Cywinski is part of a team of scientists who are working towards an entirely new type of nuclear reactor: one that could be operated safely and without generating long-lived radioactive waste. This new reactor could even consume the toxic waste generated by conventional nuclear reactors, removing it from the ecosphere. It's called the Accelerator-Driven Subcritical Reactor (ADSR), or Energy Amplifier, and in a recent lecture hosted by the Leicester Literary and Philosophical Society, Cywinski outlined his vision of an ADSR-powered future.[/quote] This is pretty impressive stuff; I'm no expert in particle physics but what I do understand is that the picture looks like the Death Star; for this reason alone, I approve. Seriously though, the UK has an awful lot of plutonium knocking around doing chuff-all, I hope the government and the UKAEA get interested in this quickly.[/quote]

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- rfruth11 said...
- User
- 11 Feb 2012, 15:16
no waste, can pigs fly yet ?

0X1b

[quote][b][user]rfruth11[/user][/b] said: no waste, can pigs fly yet ?[/quote]

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- dankine said...
- User
- 11 Feb 2012, 15:30
we already have the tech to turn waste into nearly harmless matter. guess someone put them together.

let's hope they act fast indeed, but then again fast for a govt is still glacial.

"Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities"
"I don't want to believe, I want to know"

Auto Corrections Group

[quote][b][user]dankine[/user][/b] said: we already have the tech to turn waste into nearly harmless matter. guess someone put them together. let's hope they act fast indeed, but then again fast for a govt is still glacial.[/quote]

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- rfruth11 said...
- User
- 11 Feb 2012, 15:35
nearly harmless matter, guess it depends on how U define nearly

0X1b

[quote][b][user]rfruth11[/user][/b] said: nearly harmless matter, guess it depends on how U define nearly[/quote]

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- dankine said...
- User
- 11 Feb 2012, 15:42
From what I read, which I am trying to find again, it is possible to convert radioactive matter with a half life of tens of thousands of years to matter with far far shorter half lives. ie much safer matter that becomes less radioactive, faster.

"Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities"
"I don't want to believe, I want to know"

Auto Corrections Group

[quote][b][user]dankine[/user][/b] said: From what I read, which I am trying to find again, it is possible to convert radioactive matter with a half life of tens of thousands of years to matter with far far shorter half lives. ie much safer matter that becomes less radioactive, faster.[/quote]

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- lawynd said...
- User
- 11 Feb 2012, 15:53
Pretty much; basically the problem with the current reactors is that uranium leaves plutonium as a byproduct, with a half-life of thousands of years for most of the isotope variations. This new technology would utilise thorium however which in its natural state is inert, and has a byproduct which has a half-life in the hundreds of years instead, and plutonium could also be used which would itself be turned into more thorium.

Official recorder of Schrödinger's Tampon.

Quote of the moment - selfsurprise:
"My rolo yoghurt pots bring 'dem kids to the yard, and i'm like 'its better than ya'lls'
yer damn right its better than ya'lls'
I can teach you but i'll have to charge (+VAT, duty stamp tax, etc et all)"

[quote][b][user]lawynd[/user][/b] said: Pretty much; basically the problem with the current reactors is that uranium leaves plutonium as a byproduct, with a half-life of thousands of years for most of the isotope variations. This new technology would utilise thorium however which in its natural state is inert, and has a byproduct which has a half-life in the hundreds of years instead, and plutonium could also be used which would itself be turned into more thorium.[/quote]

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- dankine said...
- User
- 11 Feb 2012, 16:00
Ja, ingenious.

"Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities"
"I don't want to believe, I want to know"

Auto Corrections Group

[quote][b][user]dankine[/user][/b] said: Ja, ingenious.[/quote]

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- dankine said...
- User
- 11 Feb 2012, 16:00
fucking site is double posting all over the place :/

"Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities"
"I don't want to believe, I want to know"

Auto Corrections Group

[quote][b][user]dankine[/user][/b] said: fucking site is double posting all over the place :/[/quote]

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- yellowcarpet said...
- User
- 11 Feb 2012, 22:27
Sadly the anti-nuclear brigade will still probably object to this. And in the end China will build it first (and fuck it up)

[quote][b][user]yellowcarpet[/user][/b] said: Sadly the anti-nuclear brigade will still probably object to this. And in the end China will build it first (and fuck it up)[/quote]

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- lawynd said...
- User
- 12 Feb 2012, 11:27
The tree-huggers can lick my hairy nutsack, frankly...one advantage of a Conservative government is that they might just ignore any protests and run roughshod over everything. =P

Official recorder of Schrödinger's Tampon.

Quote of the moment - selfsurprise:
"My rolo yoghurt pots bring 'dem kids to the yard, and i'm like 'its better than ya'lls'
yer damn right its better than ya'lls'
I can teach you but i'll have to charge (+VAT, duty stamp tax, etc et all)"

[quote][b][user]lawynd[/user][/b] said: The tree-huggers can lick my hairy nutsack, frankly...one advantage of a Conservative government is that they might just ignore any protests and run roughshod over everything. =P[/quote]

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- yellowcarpet said...
- User
- 12 Feb 2012, 15:01
^Wow. You have actually managed to find something positive about the tories, Well Done.

[quote][b][user]yellowcarpet[/user][/b] said: ^Wow. You have actually managed to find something positive about the tories, Well Done.[/quote]

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- Issendorf said...
- User
- 12 Feb 2012, 17:30
dankine said:

let's hope they act fast indeed, but then again fast for a govt is still glacial.

^ This

[quote][b][user]Issendorf[/user][/b] said: [quote][b][user]dankine[/user][/b] said: let's hope they act fast indeed, but then again fast for a govt is still glacial.[/quote] ^ This[/quote]

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- sgath92 said...
- User
- 12 Feb 2012, 23:21
The 3rd world has already bred itself to extinction.

This is exactly what we need to save what's left.

[quote][b][user]sgath92[/user][/b] said: The 3rd world has already bred itself to extinction. This is exactly what we need to save what's left.[/quote]

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