BYU profs create new nuclear reactor to produce nuclear energy more safely

Re:BYU profs create new nuclear reactor to produce nuclear e... by chatterhead on Thursday October 06, 2022 @08:39PM (#33116010)

Considering we're in the middle of a raging opioid epidemic where tens of thousands are dying each year from 100% preventable deaths is not a decent metric for what trade offs we should expect with the basics of powering our society. Even in the face of a 75 year history.

This kind of logic smacks of something that ends with Logan's Run.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:BYU profs create new nuclear reactor to produce nuclear e... by ncmncm on Thursday October 06, 2022 @09:06PM (#33116207)

The overwhelming problem with nuclear reactors is not safety, but extreme cost to build and to operate.

An inherently safe reactor design might be a little cheaper to operate, but might be even more expensive to build. Or might be a little less.

But for any reactor to be worth building today, it would have to cost a lot less. That is unlikely, particularly since the regulations are written for inherently unsafe reactors, and this new safe-ish one would still need to conform to existing regulations, strictly needed or not.

Even relaxing regulations, it would still cost much more to operate than alternatives we now have available.

[ Parent | on HN ]