Re: [pf] Alternative energy - nuclear

At 14:41 20/3/2001 -0800, you wrote:
>.. I have read a couple of posters talk about "clean" nuclear energy.
When I posted a concern about the long-term effects of nuclear wastes, one
pointed out that fossil fuel use has the long-term effect of global warming.
>
· I'm not going to say much just now, I'll wait till at least later today
when there's more chance I'll be interrupted (I want to work on my env.
news reports for first-half Feb right now).

· The main point most people talking about this don't know is that there
are several radically different types of nuclear-powered "furnace" for
boiling the water to feed into the generating turbines.
· At least one of those types is much more inherently stable, as well as
being easier to use, than the standard US-originated type based on normal
water and boron rods for keeping the thing from blowing up.

· I'm referring to the Canadian CANDU reactors, which require only
un-enriched uranium, and use "heavy water" for both heat transfer and
moderating the reaction rate; they also can be re-fuelled while in operation.

· There's still the very major problem of disposing of the used Uranium+
fuel; this risk-to-living-things lasts the same multi-thousands of years as
with the light-water reactors.

David.
(David MacClement) davd@ihug.co.nz 
http://www.geocities.com/davdd.geo/index.html#top
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