Re:The First Small Modular Nuclear Reactor Was Just Approved...
by natmaka on Sunday August 07, 2022 @10:34AM
(#32376786)
There is a gorilla in this room: the more we obtain uranium (prospecting, mining, milling...), the more we add to the associated carbon footprint.
Known reserves or uranium may provide for the current reactor fleet at best for the upcoming 200 years.
Therefore a sustained growth of installed nuclear capacity will lead us to exploit mines at always lowering ore grades => more emissions.
https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2051332
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/222817608_Life_cycl...
If ~99.5% of the 1 cubic meter is silicon then, the rare bits assuming uranium density are ~95kg which is less than 240kg of uranium.