Comments on: Curmudgeon’s View: Waste, DOE, and New Reactors http://www.powermag.com/blog/index.php/2010/03/11/curmudgeons-view-waste-doe-and-new-reactors/ Business and Technology for the Global Generation Industry Sun, 5 Feb 2012 18:25:06 -0500 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.3 By: Ken Maize http://www.powermag.com/blog/index.php/2010/03/11/curmudgeons-view-waste-doe-and-new-reactors/comment-page-1/#comment-1072 Ken Maize Fri, 16 Apr 2010 22:40:51 +0000 http://www.powermag.com/blog/?p=322#comment-1072 To cgh, Very useful information. Thanks. Are you aware of anywhere else where graphite moderates are in use? I'm not, but I don't follow these issues all the closely. Ken To cgh,
Very useful information. Thanks. Are you aware of anywhere else where graphite moderates are in use? I’m not, but I don’t follow these issues all the closely.
Ken

]]> By: cgh http://www.powermag.com/blog/index.php/2010/03/11/curmudgeons-view-waste-doe-and-new-reactors/comment-page-1/#comment-1071 cgh Fri, 16 Apr 2010 18:16:14 +0000 http://www.powermag.com/blog/?p=322#comment-1071 Magnox reactors used a gas to steam cycle. That made them highly inefficient. They also use graphite moderator, which no modern reactor system uses or would contemplate using. Britain's reactor fleet was produced using at least three separate nuclear engineering companies, meaning that all of their reactors, both GCR and AGR had significant differences in configuration among them. The AGRs are not Magnox. They operate at considerably higher temperature than Magnox, hence they have a stainless steel fuel cladding. This means they have to use enriched fuel rather than natural uranium fuel that Magnox used. Magnox reactors used a gas to steam cycle. That made them highly inefficient. They also use graphite moderator, which no modern reactor system uses or would contemplate using.

Britain’s reactor fleet was produced using at least three separate nuclear engineering companies, meaning that all of their reactors, both GCR and AGR had significant differences in configuration among them. The AGRs are not Magnox. They operate at considerably higher temperature than Magnox, hence they have a stainless steel fuel cladding. This means they have to use enriched fuel rather than natural uranium fuel that Magnox used.

]]> By: Ken Maize http://www.powermag.com/blog/index.php/2010/03/11/curmudgeons-view-waste-doe-and-new-reactors/comment-page-1/#comment-1067 Ken Maize Sun, 11 Apr 2010 05:07:30 +0000 http://www.powermag.com/blog/?p=322#comment-1067 I don't buy the argument that the UK's Magnox gas cooled reactors are guidance for the future. My understanding is that they have performed poorly, both in the original design and in the advanced Magnox reactors. That's why, as I understand, Maggie Thatcher scrapped the technology in favor of a PWR for Sizewell B. Any comments here? I don’t buy the argument that the UK’s Magnox gas cooled reactors are guidance for the future. My understanding is that they have performed poorly, both in the original design and in the advanced Magnox reactors. That’s why, as I understand, Maggie Thatcher scrapped the technology in favor of a PWR for Sizewell B.
Any comments here?

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