HPR4523: Nuclear Reactor Technology - Ep 1 - Nuclear Basics

Hacker Public Radio

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This episode is the first in an 8 part series on nuclear reactor technology.

This is a politics free series and the focus is on the technology of the reactors.

This series will focus on the civil nuclear industry, with a particular focus on electric power generation reactors.

I will discuss the technology, what it is, how it works, and some of the pros and cons of different technologies, but I will try to avoid offering too many opinions on what is the best or worst of anything.

Episode 1 will cover nuclear basics, including basic terminology and civil versus military nuclear material.

Episode 2 will cover nuclear fuel, including the different types, recycling of spent fuel, uranium and thorium resources, and medical isotopes.

Episode 3 will cover reactor basics, including slow versus fast reactors, moderators, coolants, steam generation, refuelling methods, and the three main commercial reactor types.

Episode 4 will cover the less common reactor types, including types which are no longer used, some historical developmental dead ends, and some types which may possibly be making a come back.

Episode 5 will cover fast reactors, including the different types, some of their history, why they were developed, and why they have so far only seen limited use.

Episode 6 will cover thorium reactors, including what is thorium and how it differs from uranium, why there is interest in thorium, what sorts of reactors can use thorium, and why thorium has not yet seen widespread use.

Episode 7 will cover small modular reactors or SMRs, what the reason is for developing them, what are the different ways they may be used, and where they are currently being built.

Episode 8 will cover "Generator IV" reactors which is a collection of future technologies.

08 Isotopes

09 Isotopes of Uranium

10 Nuclear Fission

11 Half Life

12 Fissile versus Fertile

13 Enrichment of Isotopes

14 Civil Versus Military Nuclear Material

15 Uranium

16 Plutonium

18 Conclusion

In the first episode of this series we have discussed what the series will cover,

some of the basic nuclear physics terminology,

and the differences between civil and military nuclear material.

In the upcoming episodes we will discuss some of the basic engineering aspects of reactors,

The various types of commercial reactors, including common and uncommon ones,

nuclear fuel, including uranium, plutonium, and thorium,

medical isotopes,

small modular reactors,

and the areas of research being conducted into new reactor technologies.

In the next episode however we will cover types of nuclear fuel, recycling of nuclear fuel, uranium and thorium resources, and medical isotopes.

This concludes the first episode of an 8 part series on nuclear reactor technology.

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