In looking at Zero Waste Reactors, one must first understand the issues with current technology. The image to the left is the typical process for a nuclear reactor[1]. In the process of making energy the fuel rods become polluted by the fission process that the nuclear reaction process stops. In the US this spent rod now has to be disposed of and st
ored. The flow below depicts the once through cycle used within the US[1]. Other countries allow the spent fuel rod
s to be re-processed and used again. This process recovers and additional 30-40% more fuel. In the US this process was largely banned until recently because the by-product of the re-processing is weapons grade plutonium, which if stolen, could be used to produce nuclear weapons. The re-processing flow is depicted in the figure below[1].
What to do with the waste
A storage cycle has been created for both short-term and long-term storage of nuclear waste. First is the water pool, where the fuel rods are s
tored where they gradually cool. However, there is a shortage of storage pools, so a dry storage system was created to augment. Th
ese are shown in the pictures below[2].
For long-term storage the US has plans to create a massive tunnel system under the Yucca Mountain Range.
Associated Risks
One of the main issues with the current nuclear technology in the US is the sheer amount of highly radioactive waste the is produced and needs to be stored. Current technology allows for re-processing of the fuel rods to extend their live and reduce the waste but many political issues must be overcome.
In the next blog I will look at a new technology that is being studies, fusion reactors. These fusion reactors claim to generate no or very little highly radioactive waste.
References
1. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/08/Sch%C3%A9maDechetsNucleaires_en.svg. Retrieved 9/15/08.
2. http://library.thinkquest.org/17940/texts/images/storagepool.jpg. Retrieved 9/15/08.
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