“So if you take these reactor designs and combine them with a fuel that can handle the heat, you essentially have an accident-proof reactor.” “So if you take these reactor designs and combine them with a fuel that can handle the heat, you essentially have an accident-proof reactor.” “In the new reactor designs, it’s basically impossible to exceed these temperatures, because the reactor kind of shuts down as it reaches these high temperatures,” says Demkowicz. Out of 300,000 particles, not a single triso coating failed during the two-week long test. But during the INL tests, Demkowicz demonstrated that triso could withstand reactor temperatures over 3,200 degrees Fahrenheit. Most nuclear reactors today operate well below 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit, and even the next generation high-temperature reactors will top out at about 2,000 degrees. For the past few years, Demkowicz and his colleagues have been running qualification tests on triso fuel that involve putting them in a reactor and cranking the temperature. ![]() Paul Demkowicz is the director of the Advanced Gas Reactor Field Development and Qualification Program at Idaho National Laboratory, and a large part of his job is simulating worst-case scenarios for next-generation nuclear reactors. Each particle is smaller than a poppy seed, but its layered shell can protect the uranium inside from melting under even the most extreme conditions that could occur in a reactor. Triso-short for “tristructural isotropic”-fuel is made from a mixture of low enriched uranium and oxygen, and it is surrounded by three alternating layers of graphite and a ceramic called silicon carbide. It’s called triso fuel, and it’s like a radioactive gobstopper. Their secret? Millions of submillimeter-size grains of uranium individually wrapped in protective shells. Not only will these reactors be smaller and more efficient than current nuclear power plants, but their designers claim they’ll be virtually meltdown-proof. But a new generation of reactors coming online in the next few years aims to make these kinds of disasters a thing of the past. The last time this happened was less than a decade ago, when a massive earthquake followed by a series of tsunamis caused a meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant in Japan. A nuclear reactor works best when the core is really hot, but if it gets too hot it will cause a meltdown and the environment will get poisoned and people may die and it will take billions of dollars to clean up the mess. There are several ways to do this, but in each case it involves a delicate balancing act between safety and efficiency. The basic idea behind all nuclear power plants is the same: Convert the heat created by nuclear fission into electricity. This piece was originally published in Wired and appears here as part of our Climate Desk Partnership. This episode was very funny and was made during the great first 8 years of the Simpsons before the show started to go downhill and lose it's quality.San Onofre nuclear power station-which has been in the process of decommissioning since 2013-in the early morning fog in San Clemente, California. ![]() Then the gag with Homer and his nerdling friends kidnapping a rival college's mascot pig and Richard Nixon's connection to it. Then Homer making friends with nerdlings. Then Homer at his first day at college saying " if movies has taught me anything, it's the fault of the bitter, crusty old dean", then he sees his dean who acts all cool and easygoing, the exact opposite of the dean in "School of hard knockers". Then Homer watching "School of hard knockers", that was funny too. ![]() An obvious reference to the " Revenge of the nerds" movies. And there's Homer's idea of college being divided into two groups of people, jocks and nerds. Same with numerous other gags and funny quirks of Homer's throughout the episode such as his picture on his college application joke, him singing "I am so smart, s m r t, I mean s m a r t", then lighting his high school diploma on fire, Homer laughing at the college professor dropping his notes and everyone looking at him all stupified, then the professor making a more intellectual joke and Homer looking all stupified while the rest of the class is laughing. Him glowing in green radiation looking fierce and determined, "must destroy mankind!", (then looks at his watch), " ooh, lunch time", (quickly shakes off radiation then walks happy and casually). First, his little "accident" at the nuclear plan byt. Homer was ridiculously funny in "Homer goes to college".
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |