W.E.B. Du Bois
06-05-2011, 06:48 PM
http://www.andyross.net/myhrvold.htm
The plant, as they conceived it, would produce one to three gigawatts of power. The reactor core would be enclosed in a sealed, armored box. The box would work for thirty years, without need for refuelling. Wood's idea was that the box would run on thorium, which is a very common, mildly radioactive metal. Myhrvold's idea was that it should run on spent fuel from existing power plants. "Waste has negative cost," Myhrvold said. "This is how we make this idea politically and regulatorily attractive. Lowell and I had a monthlong no-holds-barred nuclear-physics battle. He didn't believe waste would work. It turns out it does." Myhrvold grinned. "He concedes it now."
It was a long-shot idea, easily fifteen years from reality, if it became a reality at all. It was just a tantalizing idea at this point, but who wasn't interested in seeing where it would lead? "We have thirty guys working on it," he went on. "I have more people doing cutting-edge nuclear work than General Electric. We're looking for someone to partner with us, because this is a huge undertaking."
It's a brilliant idea, but I guess it's still an idea. Would love to see it perfected. While Europe is shuttering its nuclear plants, China is expected to build 300 of them in the coming decades.
WEB
The plant, as they conceived it, would produce one to three gigawatts of power. The reactor core would be enclosed in a sealed, armored box. The box would work for thirty years, without need for refuelling. Wood's idea was that the box would run on thorium, which is a very common, mildly radioactive metal. Myhrvold's idea was that it should run on spent fuel from existing power plants. "Waste has negative cost," Myhrvold said. "This is how we make this idea politically and regulatorily attractive. Lowell and I had a monthlong no-holds-barred nuclear-physics battle. He didn't believe waste would work. It turns out it does." Myhrvold grinned. "He concedes it now."
It was a long-shot idea, easily fifteen years from reality, if it became a reality at all. It was just a tantalizing idea at this point, but who wasn't interested in seeing where it would lead? "We have thirty guys working on it," he went on. "I have more people doing cutting-edge nuclear work than General Electric. We're looking for someone to partner with us, because this is a huge undertaking."
It's a brilliant idea, but I guess it's still an idea. Would love to see it perfected. While Europe is shuttering its nuclear plants, China is expected to build 300 of them in the coming decades.
WEB