| Submit your comments on this article |
| Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia |
| Blackmail fear after Russia doubles the price of its gas |
| 2006-12-23 |
| Posted by:Ulenter Angetch3068 |
| #8 All you'd get is steam from an LA, an olde electro-drive battleship would be better. None still left I don't think. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2006-12-23 23:46 |
| #7 Anyone who voluntarily puts themselves at the mercy of Russian gangsters deserves it. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2006-12-23 19:26 |
| #6 Vlad will seethe but he won't interfere. Especially if they're still armed to the teeth, like LA class can be... |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2006-12-23 16:59 |
| #5 Ptah has it: simply drive a nuclear boat to the main Georgian port. Connect it to the national energy grid and fire it up. It's American property, but we sell electricity to the Georgians at a mutually-agreed price. If one isn't enough, bring in another one. We have plenty of Los Angeles boats tied up in the Vlad will seethe but he won't interfere. |
| Posted by: Steve White 2006-12-23 12:49 |
| #4 Actually, there are such reactors in operation today: naval nuclear reactors. They're welded sealed, can go from 0 to 100% power in minutes, and require very little nuclear-related expertise to change reactivity. They are designed so that power manipulations are dictated by the mission, not the reactor. However, to get this sort of performance, the enrichment is nearly bomb-grade. However, Redneck jim is right when it comes to the part that turns the steam into electricity: THAT will definitely not last 30 years. |
| Posted by: Ptah 2006-12-23 08:50 |
| #3 Ummm, I'm a Machinist, you know the fellow who makes things like this, "Sealed for thirty years" and still working, is simply not possible. While some parts will survive thirty years easily, the statement "Still Working" is the killer here, maintenance is required. If they use no pumps, relying on convection only, it's possible for the reactor itself to have a 30 year or longer lifetime, but then all you've got is hot water/steam, chnging steam to electricity requires expensive turbines, generators, bearings etc, and those simply cannot be left un-maintained for any such length of time. |
| Posted by: Redneck Jim 2006-12-23 08:40 |
| #2 Does the US have any heavy water reactors we can ship to Georgia? On a more serious note: US plans portable nuclear power plants A nuclear reactor that can meet the energy needs of developing countries without the risk that they will use the by-products to make weapons is being developed by the US Department of Energy. The aim is to create a sealed reactor that can be delivered to a site, left to generate power for up to 30 years, and retrieved when its fuel is spent. And I do advocate financing reactors for pro western FSU and Warsaw Pact countries so they can get out from Russian energy blackmail. It's cheap insurance and money better spent than on muslims. |
| Posted by: ed 2006-12-23 07:33 |
| #1 'These signs are all very worrying,' said one EU diplomat in Brussels last night. iow, a pop corn fart shivered at the thought of a Russian winter. |
| Posted by: RD 2006-12-23 02:14 |