nondakure comments

There is a highly efficient, safe, and economical way for Japan to utilize its surplus plutonium - as fully ceramic coated particle nuclear fuel in meltdown-proof high temperature gas-cooled reactors (HTGRs). Japan already has an operational prototype of this type of reactor - the High Temperature Engineering Test Reactor (HTTR) located at the Japan Atomic Energy Agency site in Oarai:

http://www.jaea.go.jp/04/o-arai/nhc/index.html

Japan could deploy HTGRs to eventually displace its fleet of water-cooled reactors, which would address the safety, proliferation, and waste-disposal issues. Perhaps as a result of the Fukushima accident, Japan will re-think its sodium-cooled breeder reactor policy and shift to HTGR development and deployment as a much more sensible alternative for nuclear energy.

It's hard to believe, but Japan Today is more biased in its reporting of the U.S. Presidential campaign/debates than even the far left U.S. media. If Romney is losing these debates, then why is he getting bumps in the polls. Obama spends most of his time trying to tell us not to believe what we saw with our own eyes or heard with our own ears over the past 4 years. The people fooled the first time around are not buying Obama's lies this time.

Forget about Japanese women. Hot Korean Chicks rule.

Romney body slams Obama two debates in a row. Obama has to run on his crappy record and people aren't buying his lies this time around. Mitt happens.

For advanced societies that require large amounts of energy to remain advanced, the only viable sources of energy for the foreseeable future are nuclear power and fossil fuels. A sound energy policy would make use of both of these sources of energy to provide diversity and energy security. But clearly we should strive to make improvements in both nuclear technology and safety. Several advanced reactor concepts are being evaluated throughout the world for the next generation of nuclear energy. The U.S. Congress initiated the Next Generation Nuclear Plant (NGNP) project in 2005. Based on a systematic evaluation of several next-generation concepts, the Department of Energy (DOE) selected a Modular High Temperature Gas-cooled Reactor (MHR) as the concept for NGNP. A key design feature of the MHR is intrinsic safety. The MHR can survive a complete loss-of-coolant accident, including failure to insert control rods, without reliance on any emergency systems. As the reactor heats up, natural processes will shut it down. Because the reactor core and nuclear fuel are composed entirely of refractory and ceramic materials with capacity to absorb heat at high temperatures without structural degradation, there is no damage to the reactor, i.e., the reactor cannot melt down under any circumstances. No public evacuation is required, even next to the plant’s entrance gate. With its high temperature capability and efficient heat utilization, the MHR can generate electricity with high efficiency and displace fossil fuels for a number of petrochemical and industrial applications, including production of hydrogen for future clean fuel utilization.

Japan has also been developing MHR technology on its own. Sitting above and just south of the small fishing village of Oarai, and about 100 miles south of the Fukushima reactor complex, is the Japan Atomic Energy Agency Oarai Research Establishment, which includes the High Temperature engineering Test Reactor (HTTR). The HTTR was commissioned in 1998 and is an operational, engineering-scale prototype of the MHR. The HTTR has been used to demonstrate the intrinsic safety characteristics of the MHR and has also demonstrated sustained operation with a 950C coolant outlet temperature. By comparison, conventional water-cooled reactors operate with a 300C coolant outlet temperature, and are obviously not intrinsically safe.

Perhaps these events that occurred in Japan can also lay the foundation for developing, demonstrating, and commercializing a next generation of nuclear power with intrinsic safety. International collaboration among the U.S., Japan, and other nations on the MHR would provide a relatively quick path for achieving this goal. More information about the HTTR can be obtained from:

http://www.jaea.go.jp/english/news/p110112/index.shtml

http://www.jaea.go.jp/04/o-arai/nhc/index.html

Mitt happens

The accident at the Fukushima Daiichi reactor complex has obviously spurred debate on the future use of nuclear energy.

For advanced societies that require large amounts of energy to remain advanced, the only viable sources of energy for the foreseeable future are nuclear power and fossil fuels. A sound energy policy would make use of both of these sources of energy to provide diversity and energy security. But clearly we should strive to make improvements in both nuclear technology and safety.

Several advanced reactor concepts are being evaluated throughout the world for the next generation of nuclear energy. The modular high temperature gas-cooled reactor (MHR) can survive a complete loss-of-coolant accident without reliance on any emergency systems. As the reactor heats up, natural processes will shut it down. General Atomics, with partners from the U.S., Japan, and South Korea, has recently completed the conceptual design of a demonstration plant.

Japan has the high temperature engineering test reactor (HTTR), which is an operational, engineering-scale prototype of the MHR. It has been used to demonstrate the intrinsic safety characteristics of the MHR. Perhaps the events in Japan can lay the foundation for developing, demonstrating, and commercializing a next generation of nuclear power with intrinsic safety. International collaboration among the U.S., Japan, and other nations on the MHR would provide a relatively quick path for achieving this goal.

More information about the HTTR can be obtained from:

http://www.jaea.go.jp/english/news/p110112/index.shtml

http://www.jaea.go.jp/04/o-arai/nhc/index.html

More information about the NGNP project can be obtained from:

http://www.nextgenerationnuclearplant.com/

More information about the HTTR can be obtained from:

http://www.jaea.go.jp/english/news/p110112/index.shtml

http://www.jaea.go.jp/04/o-arai/nhc/index.html

More information about the MHR design project in the U.S. can be obtained from:

http://www.nextgenerationnuclearplant.com/

The accident at the Fukushima Daiichi reactor complex has obviously spurred debate on the future use of nuclear energy. For advanced societies that require large amounts of energy to remain advanced, the only viable sources of energy for the foreseeable future are nuclear power and fossil fuels. A sound energy policy would make use of both of these sources of energy to provide diversity and energy security. But clearly we should strive to make improvements in both nuclear technology and safety.

Several advanced reactor concepts are being evaluated throughout the world for the next generation of nuclear energy. The modular high temperature gas-cooled reactor (MHR) can survive a complete loss-of-coolant accident without reliance on any emergency systems. As the reactor heats up, natural processes will shut it down. General Atomics, with partners from the U.S., Japan, and South Korea, is now completing the conceptual design of a demonstration plant.

Japan has the high temperature engineering test reactor (HTTR), which is an operational, engineering-scale prototype of the MHR. It has been used to demonstrate the intrinsic safety characteristics of the MHR. Perhaps the events in Japan can lay the foundation for developing, demonstrating, and commercializing a next generation of nuclear power with intrinsic safety. International collaboration among the U.S., Japan, and other nations on the MHR would provide a relatively quick path for achieving this goal.

This could be the basis for a reality show - Fugitive Stripper.

The two pretty ones on the left must be Korean or Chinese.

She needs a Mos Burger. Many of them.