Naked Science Forum
Non Life Sciences => Technology => Topic started by: McKay on 03/08/2014 11:22:39
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As I understand, nuclear waste is just radioactive matter that we cant (dont know how to) use to generate electricity safely under control. But it is still radioactive and gives off energy. So are the storage rooms (bunkers) being heated by the radiation? If so, how much and why cant we convert that heat [differential] in useful electric current?
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Except for a few rare and expensive isotopes the amount of heat given of is too little to use as a viable energy source.
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A useful heat source would be at a fairly high temperature so that we can extract the energy efficiently, but high temperatures would tend to distort the encapsulating materials over time: the essence of nuclear waste storage is stability over long periods. So the waste is diluted to a low equilibrium temperature.
That said, I've often wondered why we don't use nuclear waste to purify water.
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To generate electricity: as well as the source of heat, you also need a cold sink - the energy is produced by heat flowing from the hot body to the cold body.
The efficiency is higher when there is a larger temperature gap between the hot and cold sinks.
For security, waste storage facilities are (should be) locked, which inhibits heat flow through the air. To prevent long-term corrosion of the storage facility, they tend to be in dry areas, which prevents the use of water as a coolant.
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Long term waste facilities are in "dry" areas. However, there are many short-term waste facilities very close to the nuclear reactors where there usually is an ample supply of water. The rods tend to be fairly "hot" when removed from the reactor, and loose much of their energy in the first few years before moving offsite.
Using low grade energy for direct heating would probably be the most efficient use of the waste energy. However, that would mean moving people reasonably close to the facility, or moving the highly radioactive recently removed spent rods to populous areas.
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Nuclear reactor is chemical equipment for human to heating room with chemical reaction.
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Yes, low level radioactive waste and high level radioactive waste can be used to safely generate electricity, by a process which will generate electricity in what is called a fast breeder reactor.
Our German PM Dr. Angela Merkel was herself a nuclear physicist and has written a thesis on this very matter. But once in power, politicians are more worried about their next election results than what is best for their Country long term. May one day another politician in the UK of the caliber of Mr. Wedgwood Ben stands up, not only create science based jobs but also do what is best for the UK economy and to build UK designed nuclear reactors.
BRITAIN DOES NOT NEED CHINESE NUCLEAR REACTORS