/r/nuclear
Focus on peaceful use of nuclear energy tech, economics, news, and climate change.
The Nuclear Reddit
Nuclear power is the use of sustained nuclear fission to generate heat and electricity. Nuclear power plants provided about 5.7% of the world's energy and 13% of the world's electricity, in 2012. In 2013, the IAEA report that there are 437 operational nuclear power reactors (although not all are producing electricity), in 31 countries. More than 150 naval vessels using nuclear propulsion have been constructed.
Wikipedia: nuclear
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Do not ever post content that shows or encourages users to attempt "at-home" or "DIY methods of obtaining, using, or creating radioactive or other harmful chemicals.
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/r/nuclear
33,598 Subscribers
[META] We don't ban people for difference of opinion here, do we?
Unlike some other subs.
So, why is this guy banned here?
I think we're better than that, and although r/banned_from_energy isn't really a place for discussion of nuclear energy, I don't think he should be banned for offtopic.
However, since his post in banned_from_energy is still up, I don't think he's banned, this seems like some reddit bug or weirdness.
What's happening?
22:07 UTC
Infuriating to see such public disapproval of nuclear energy
17:03 UTC
Oliver Stone Pushes Back Against Fears Over Nuclear Power
21:29 UTC
US urged not to use bomb-grade uranium in nuclear power experiment
The letter : https://sites.utexas.edu/nppp/files/2023/05/MCRE-group-letter-2023-May-FINAL.pdf
Old guard PAID anti nukes propagandists like Ed Lyman , Allison Macfarlane and Frank von Hippel create so much noise because of a very small 400 KWTh MSR research reactor . Also "The damage to national security could exceed any potential benefit from this highly speculative energy technology," WHAT ???
17:15 UTC
How do liquid sodium cooled reactors maintain an inert gas layer to prevent sodium fires while doing things that require opening hatches in the top like changing fuel?
Reactors like the EBR 2, Monju, Superphenix, BN series, etc.
Metallic sodium lights on fire and even explodes on contact with air and water. Therefore these reactors have to maintain a layer of an inert gas between the liquid, metallic sodium and air to prevent fires.
How does it stay in place when doing things that require opening hatches in the top? Wouldn't the inert gas have low density from the heat? When a hatch opens up in the top of a reactor the hot inert gas should rush out and cooler, higher density air with oxygen in it should rush in and start a fire.
How does that not happen?
14:32 UTC
From “Energy: A Human History” by Richard Rhodes, pg 336
I think most everyone here is already on the same page (no pun intended, but this is an excellent book), but I’ve not seen it so succinctly summarized.
07:42 UTC
Is electrical engineering a good choice for jobs in nuclear?
My school does not offer Nuclear Engineering or Chemical Engineering. So, the closest thing I guess would be electrical engineering.
How likely is it for an electrical engineer to get a job designing reactors?
For context, I am located in Canada.
01:56 UTC
Recommendations for summer study?
I’m transferring to OSU’s nuclear engineering program in August, I’ve got John Lamarsh’s textbook and am thinking of going through that and picking some interesting problems to try out. Right now I don’t really know where I want to land in terms of specialization, but I want to use this time to start getting a feel for the different points of focus in the field. Anyone have any suggestions of papers, videos, etc that would be good supplementally? Was there anything you found really foundational in your nuke education that you kept coming back to? Thanks in advance! ☮️☢️
23:14 UTC
Do you know of any universities studying nuclear propulsion for spacecraft?
Nuclear Thermal, Nuclear Electrical, and hybrid propulsion systems. I love it. Nuclear has as much potential in space that it does right here. I have an undergrad in aerospace engineering, and space propulsion is specifically what I am interested in, a high GRE score and a GI Bill to pay for it all. Thanks!
16:08 UTC
The Energy Crisis
15:08 UTC
Recently, Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) placed a reporting saying that a highly firmed renewables grid is more economically viable than nuclear for Australia. How true is this?
(All views are my own)
Greetings everyone,
Recently, the CSIRO published the GenCost 2022-2023: the cost of electricity generation report addressing various proposed power sources such as fossil fuels, firmed renewables, and nuclear. A summary for the report's views on nuclear generation can be found here.
The summary states that "nuclear power does not currently provide an economically competitive solution in Australia" and that "the opportunity for the technology to play a serious role in emissions reduction for Australia is fast running out. "
While CSIRO is undoubtedly a highly reputable institution, I can't help but think this analysis is flawed because a variable renewable uptake in a large country has never been done to this scale. There are also the costs of regular replacement of renewable infrastructure and the need to build new transmission and distribution networks to accommodate renewables.
12:28 UTC
This is why pushing for renewables *instead of* nuclear won't stop climate change
I'm sure this is old news to most people here, but it's certainly vindicating seeing such a simple graph explaining why the clean energy share of global electricity production has been mostly stagnant for decades, despite massive investment in renewables. Almost all the increase in renewable generation capacity has gone directly into replacing nuclear, another form of clean energy, instead of replacing fossil fuels. Anti-nuclear environmentalism is essentially aiming the gun back on your own ranks before firing on the enemy, just so you get all the glory for winning the battle. Data like this puts on clear display just how essential continued investment in nuclear energy is to effectively decrease the share of fossil fuels in the energy mix. Somehow, I don't think a lot of 100% renewable advocates consider this point.
Here is the link to the source of this graph, among others.
09:58 UTC