"Mini" nuclear reactor tech could return to SA

Lupus said:
Sadly this is how nuclear is seen, doesn't matter the tech involved, it also is seen as inferior to "renewables" which technically also produce quite a bit of residual environmental impacts but heeeeey.
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Greenies and their misconceptions will be the death of us all.
 
Gordon_R said:
Modular reactors make some sense for specialised users in remote locations (aka military), where the cost of diesel and powerlines would be prohibitive. Those are very different requirements from the baseload generation for a national grid.
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They can make sense for baseload generation. When I was still studying at the NWU, the new nuclear energy faculty just came online, and they had built two scale models of the PBMR's, one a high pressure unit, the other a high temperature unit.
One of the advertised uses at the time, was to deploy these ~100MW reactors at heavy industry. There are many industries in the country that is heavily reliant on proper baseload electricity, and can't use renewables as it is possibly too intermittent. Think smelters, oil refineries and one I recently learnt of, the Huletts Sugar refinery (if it cools down due to lack of electricity, the sugar hardens inside the piping and the piping is cut away and replaced).
These industries are scattered all over the country, so it should not mess too much with the current transmission system (see recent article about lack of transmission lines from the NC where the solar farms are). It will also free up some capacity of the current generation system.
 
RVFmal said:
Maybe the Nuclear lobbyists are getting too excited too quickly.

Walking the dog
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Please tag the article link so that we can read the synopsis without having to click the link:
www.dailymaverick.co.za

Not so fast, Minister – Nersa to Gwede Mantashe on 2,500MW new nuclear build statement

As no new nuclear power is provided for in the current Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) in the years to 2030, it is clear that any new nuclear procurement can only commence, at the earliest, after an up…
www.dailymaverick.co.za www.dailymaverick.co.za
 
"These smaller, mobile versions will generate between 1MW and 5MW and are designed to be easily transportable on the road, rail, or military aircraft for rapid deployment scenarios."

How do these things turn the turbine if there is no water?
 
wingnut771 said:
"These smaller, mobile versions will generate between 1MW and 5MW and are designed to be easily transportable on the road, rail, or military aircraft for rapid deployment scenarios."

How do these things turn the turbine if there is no water?
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Maybe they incorporate the steam turbine assembly (closed loop system) into the mobile system.
 
wingnut771 said:
"These smaller, mobile versions will generate between 1MW and 5MW and are designed to be easily transportable on the road, rail, or military aircraft for rapid deployment scenarios."

How do these things turn the turbine if there is no water?
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Inert gasses like helium
 
konfab said:
Pity the time that people use the most energy happens to be after sunset.
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Sssssh don't bring logic into this... The more I tell people that peaks are early morning and early evening, I get told people need to move their demand.
 
Lupus said:
Sssssh don't bring logic into this... The more I tell people that peaks are early morning and early evening, I get told people need to move their demand.
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"Just change the behaviour of millions of people".
 
konfab said:
"Just change the behaviour of millions of people".
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That is apparently how we will get over this demand issue, people need to use more power when the sun is out sigh. Cause you know everyone cooks at lunchtime at home, after sitting in traffic.
 
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