at a point in time when, even though gas prices are a daily feature on the news, most of us receive our info about nuclear power from homer simposon, the article in the lastest nyt magazine was interesting. basically, the piece detailed the possible resurgence of nuclear energy, as it becomes a pawn in both the foreign oil and greenhouse gas debates. what really stuck out for me, though, was the following:
One great challenge in designing nuclear power plants is that making something safer and making something cheaper are often conflicting priorities: the less you spend, the less safe it is, and vice versa. This is what Westinghouse engineers began to wrestle with as they explored designs that could be built more efficiently. For any new project, the same basic technology would still be used to produce electricity: uranium pellets, encased in fuel rods, would undergo a controlled chain reaction in the core, release energy to turn heat pressurized water and generate steam, and the steam would turn giant, magnetized turbines to generate electricity.
what about fast breeder reactors? already adopted in places outside of the states, these reactors differ in that they operate on a closed cycle. instead of traditional reactors where the "uranium pellets, encased in fuel rods" are disposed of as highly unstable waste, the fbrs continune to generate electricity off of depleted components. while the breeder reactors generally provide less electricity per site, implemented on a wider scale they could generate a far greater percentage of the grid than nuclear power currently does.
now for some tunes!
sun ra - nuclear war
the hives - declare guerre nucleaire
the stooges - raw power
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heatwave in nyc the next couple of days. my days of bohemian glory are over - getting an air conditioner after work today. fuck it.atari teenage riot - heatwave
massive attack - heat miser
tommy mccook - heatwave
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the stranglers' nuclear device, perhaps?
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