Nuclear Energy: Past and Future (John Dendahl and John Shanahan)

John Dendahl Electrical Engineer

John Shanahan Civil Engineer,

John Dendahl Electrical Engineer & MBA www.johndendahl.com jhd@swcp.com Former CEO, Eberline Instrument Corporation

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ALARA

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NRC: 10 CFR Part 20—Standards for Protection against Radiation

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ALARA acronym: "As Low As is Reasonably Achievable”

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ALARA

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. . . making every reasonable effort to maintain exposures to radiation as far below the dose limits . . . as is practical consistent with the purpose for which the licensed activity is undertaken

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. . . taking into account the state of technology . . . and other societal and socioeconomic considerations

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Recommend AHARS replace ALARA

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Professor Wade Allison, Great Britain “Radiation and Reason” 2009, 2011

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New levels should be As High As is Relatively Safe (AHARS)

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rather than As Low As Reasonably Achievable (ALARA).

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AHARS - As High As is Relatively Safe We need to educate young people for the dangers of the 21st century, not shackle them with the misunderstandings of the 20th.

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In a world of other dangers – economic collapse, shortages of jobs, power, food and water -- expensive pursuit of the lowest possible radiation levels is in the best interest of no one.

John Shanahan acorncreek2006@gmail.com

Civil Engineer, Author of Holdren Letter:

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Two main types of nuclear power plants: Light Water Reactors – water cooled, uses < 1% of uranium, needs redundant active safety systems Fast Reactors - Integral Fast Reactors - sodium cooled, uses ~ 100% of uranium, - is proven inherently, passively safe

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Coal, oil, gas, hydro and nuclear, US can be free of foreign energy for >> 1,000 years.

Holdren Letter - student led public education

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Alex Epstein, Fellow at Ayn Rand Center for Individual Rights, “Fukushima showed that the risk of nuclear power is very low.”

Death toll? 100? 200? 10? Try ZERO!!

July 23, 2011

To reduce potential damage to power plant, consider increasing beyond design basis criteria for long term loss of off-site power, tsunami.

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1) Thermal Neutron Reactors – start 1950s USA

operating 104

construction 0

2) Fast Neutron Reactors – start 1950s USA

built 6

operating 0

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Thermal Neutron Reactors aka Light Water Reactors

- Coolant: ordinary water (light water) - Uses about 1% of potential fuel - Active and passive safety systems - Spent fuel should be recycled and used in Fast Reactors -Not disposed of and stored for 1,000s of years as radioactive waste!!

3,942 MWe Largest NPP facility in US

Heat sink: Municipal Waste Water Evaporated To Air

- Commercial nuclear power has not led to single radiological death or injury to the public or significant ecological damage.

-The Chernobyl incident in 1986 is not really relevant to the kind of commercial reactors weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re discussing -The levels of extraordinary safety and reliability can, and must be continued.

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Fast Neutron Reactors – many types

Integral Fast Reactor - IFR - Coolant: liquid sodium - Uses up to 100% of potential fuel

- Safety: passive - Metallic fuel - Spent fuel is recycled on site !!!

Integral Fast Reactor - Summary Leonard J. Koch, winner 2004 Global Energy International Prize RUSSIA - Nuclear energy can contribute to the solution of global energy problems - From 1950s, it was predicted that energy contained in uranium could be extracted by recycling spent nuclear fuel in fast reactors.

Integral Fast Reactor - Summary Dr. Charles Till Argonne National Laboratory Idaho - The IFR is a total reactor concept: - passive safety

- recycling of fuel on nuclear plant site - increases production of energy ~ 100 times

Integral Fast Reactor - Commercial Dr. Eric Loewen, GE Hitachi PRISM: Power Reactor Inherently Safe Modular

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- produce student led video interviews with experts in nuclear energy and nuclear medicine

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- education of students and general public

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- Price Baker and Mary Claire Birdsong

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- Website: gonuclear.net

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OUR THANKS TO:

COLORADO SCHOOL OF MINES

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Department of Geophysics

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Professor Thomas Davis

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Heiland Lecture Coordinator, Dawn Umpleby

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Geophysicist, Terry Donze in industry

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________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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John Dendahl :

jhd@swcp.com

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John Shanahan:

acorncreek2006@gmail.com