Article

2009-01-19 India-Pakistan

India's fast breeder nuclear reactors to be redesigned to cut costs

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Posted by john frum 2009-01-19 17:06|| || Front Page|| [6 views ] Top

#1 The key benefit from fast neutron reactors is that they can be used to recycle fuel from conventional plants and can make fuel directly from natural uranium without enrichment, greatly reducing the cost of nuclear fuel production and disposal.

We were going to do the same thing until Clinton/Gore canceled the plant.

Posted by crosspatch 2009-01-19 17:25|| 2009-01-19 17:25|| Front Page Top

#2 The surplus plutonium from each fast reactor can be used to set up more such reactors and grow the nuclear capacity in tune with India's needs.

Uh, it can be used for other things too.

Posted by bigjim-ky 2009-01-19 19:20|| 2009-01-19 19:20|| Front Page Top

#3 Not necessarily. The isotope of plutonium produced by these things is not a desirable isotope for weapons use but will work nicely for reactor fuel.

See "Smarter use of Nuclear Waste" from December 2005 Scientific American. You can search on it with Google and find the pdf of the article at various places. Good background on these reactors.

Posted by crosspatch 2009-01-19 19:45|| 2009-01-19 19:45|| Front Page Top

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