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Radio-Luminescence
| Beta-Voltaic Cells | Cold
Fusion | Hot
Fusion
Pebble Bed Reactors
| Thorium Reactors | Uranium
Hydride Reactors
SAFE
NUCLEAR: Nuclear power is attempting a revival worldwide.
After the melt-down of the Chernobyl
Reactor #4 in Ukraine in 1986, the public perception that Nuclear
Power "is safe" was all but destroyed. But the public has
a short memory. Now, 22 years later, there is a new group of advocates
that believe that Nuclear Power is the only thing that will "save
us" from Global Warming, as carbon fuels are phased out. This
is not true, of course, but it is a position being put forward in
the media. Some of these new reactor designs reduce the problems
of weapons-grade material being produced and sold illicitly, as well
as increase the fundamental stability of the designs. But there are
a number of other Nuclear technologies that do not use nuclear fission
processes. Some of these could even be considered "safe nuclear"
technologies.
The simplest
of these technologies is Radio-Luminescence.
Until the 1970's, a self-glowing paint with small amounts of Radium
in it was available at hardware stores. It was used to make watch
dials glow in the dark. This material could be painted on photovoltaic
panels (solar cells) to produce electricity 24 hours a day for 15
years!
Besides that,
small nuclear batteries, called Beta-voltaic
Cells, have been demonstrated. With proper research
and development, these could be developed into a useful energy source.
In spite of
the public debunking back in 1989, advances
in Cold Fusion
continue to be demonstrated and developed.
Even
Hot Fusion
by Electrostatic Containment, patented and demonstrated in 1967 by
Philo T. Farnsworth, remains a promising but neglected technology.
Then there are
the newer types of nuclear reactors. This general class of technology
remains the least safe of all the nuclear power methods, but must
be mentioned here because it is a form of energy available from Nature.
These include the latest designs of Pebble
Bed Reactors, Thorium
Reactors, and the safest of the three, the Uranium
Hydride Reactors.
The environmental
dangers associated with the mining, refining, and clean-up of Uranium,
Thorium, and Radium remain a cost to be amortized into the final
energy product. If these technologies ever have to compete in the
market, without government subsidies, based on their real cost, it
is doubtful they can compete with other alternatives, such as Solar,
Geothermal, or Ocean Currents.
The following
link takes you to an article that presents a comprehensive overview
of the developing nuclear power options.
http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/inf33.html
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