US 15 years behind China on nuclear power: Report

[Beijingwalker]

US 15 years behind China on nuclear power: Report​

US 15 years behind China on nuclear power: Report

The United States is lagging behind China by up to 15 years in the development of advanced nuclear power technology, primarily due to Beijing's advantage to its state-backed approach to technology and extensive financing, as per a report released by the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation based in Washington.

"China’s rapid deployment of ever-more modern nuclear power plants over time produces significant scale economies and learning-by-doing effects, and this suggests that Chinese enterprises will gain an advantage at incremental innovation in this sector going forward," the report states.

Although the United States possesses the highest number of nuclear power plants, and the Biden administration considers nuclear energy crucial in combating climate change, no new nuclear reactors are currently being built in the country.

The last two large plants in Georgia, which came online in 2023 and 2024, were billions of dollars over budget and years behind schedule. Additionally, a high-tech plant that was planned to be built at a U.S. lab was canceled last year.

China, however, currently has 27 nuclear reactors under construction, with an average construction timeline of approximately seven years, which is significantly faster than other countries.

China's state-owned banks offer loans with interest rates as low as 1.4%, significantly lower than those available in Western economies. This benefits China's nuclear power industry allowing it to dominate sectors such as renewable power and electric vehicles.

The world's first fourth-generation high-temperature gas-cooled reactor came online at Shidao Bay In December last year. The China Nuclear Energy Association claims that the project involved the development of more than 2,200 sets of "world-first equipment" with a total localization rate of domestically produced materials of 93.4%.

However, China's nuclear industry has not been without challenges. The China Nuclear Energy Association has warned of a severe glut in nuclear component production and "excessive competition" driving down prices and causing losses.

Stephen Ezell, the report's author, suggests that if the United States is serious about nuclear power, it should develop a robust national strategy that includes increased investment in research and development, identifying and accelerating promising technologies, and supporting the development of a skilled workforce.

Ezell believes that "while America is behind, it can certainly catch up technologically." However, the US. department of energy did not comment on the report.

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

Not surprising as nuclear power is not wanted anymore.

Nuclear Waste Disposal

Radiation is used in many different industries, including as fuel for nuclear power plants and in the production of nuclear weapons for national...

www.gao.gov

The nation has over 85,000 metric tons of spent nuclear fuel from commercial nuclear power plants. DOE is responsible for disposing of this high-level waste in a permanent geologic repository but has yet to build such a facility because policymakers have been at an impasse over what to do with this spent fuel since 2010.

As a result, the amount of spent nuclear fuel stored at nuclear power plants across the country continues to grow by about 2,000 metric tons a year.

https://www.energy.gov/ne/articles/3-reasons-why-we-dont-launch-nuclear-waste-space

3 Reasons Why We Don’t Launch Nuclear Waste into Space​

Storing thousands of tons of nuclear waste on the far side of the moon not a good idea either

 

[Muji.Iqbal]

US 15 years behind China on nuclear power: Report​

US 15 years behind China on nuclear power: Report

The United States is lagging behind China by up to 15 years in the development of advanced nuclear power technology, primarily due to Beijing's advantage to its state-backed approach to technology and extensive financing, as per a report released by the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation based in Washington.

"China’s rapid deployment of ever-more modern nuclear power plants over time produces significant scale economies and learning-by-doing effects, and this suggests that Chinese enterprises will gain an advantage at incremental innovation in this sector going forward," the report states.

Although the United States possesses the highest number of nuclear power plants, and the Biden administration considers nuclear energy crucial in combating climate change, no new nuclear reactors are currently being built in the country.

The last two large plants in Georgia, which came online in 2023 and 2024, were billions of dollars over budget and years behind schedule. Additionally, a high-tech plant that was planned to be built at a U.S. lab was canceled last year.

China, however, currently has 27 nuclear reactors under construction, with an average construction timeline of approximately seven years, which is significantly faster than other countries.

China's state-owned banks offer loans with interest rates as low as 1.4%, significantly lower than those available in Western economies. This benefits China's nuclear power industry allowing it to dominate sectors such as renewable power and electric vehicles.

The world's first fourth-generation high-temperature gas-cooled reactor came online at Shidao Bay In December last year. The China Nuclear Energy Association claims that the project involved the development of more than 2,200 sets of "world-first equipment" with a total localization rate of domestically produced materials of 93.4%.

However, China's nuclear industry has not been without challenges. The China Nuclear Energy Association has warned of a severe glut in nuclear component production and "excessive competition" driving down prices and causing losses.

Stephen Ezell, the report's author, suggests that if the United States is serious about nuclear power, it should develop a robust national strategy that includes increased investment in research and development, identifying and accelerating promising technologies, and supporting the development of a skilled workforce.

Ezell believes that "while America is behind, it can certainly catch up technologically." However, the US. department of energy did not comment on the report.

I hope this is true.

There is still an impression that USA is ahead of China technologically.

I hope China rivals USA. I would love to see China outcompete USA.

 

[Beijingwalker]

Not surprising as nuclear power is not wanted anymore.

Nuclear Waste Disposal

Radiation is used in many different industries, including as fuel for nuclear power plants and in the production of nuclear weapons for national...

www.gao.gov

https://www.energy.gov/ne/articles/3-reasons-why-we-dont-launch-nuclear-waste-space

3 Reasons Why We Don’t Launch Nuclear Waste into Space​

Storing thousands of tons of nuclear waste on the far side of the moon not a good idea either

This is because you decades old plants all use ancient technology, live with the time.

China Has Created The First Ever Meltdown-Proof Nuclear Reactor​

The new pebble-bed reactor may provide safer nuclear power options for the future.​

DR. RUSSELL MOUL
EditedbyLaura Simmons
PUBLISHEDJuly 24, 2024



China has created the first large-scale nuclear power station that is apparently resistant to meltdowns. Although this design cannot be fitted to existing nuclear reactors, it provides a model that can be used for any future constructions.

How are nuclear reactors cooled?​

Existing nuclear power reactors require powered cooling systems to operate. The nature of these systems may vary between reactor designs – most use water, but some use coolants like CO2, helium, molten metals, or molten salts – but they all essentially do the same thing: they convey excess heat away from the reactor core.

Water cooling systems are known to provide a high power density which translates to better thermal efficiency (basically the ratio of work output to the total heat energy input in a system), but it has drawbacks. For instance, there is always the chance of an explosion if the reactor experiences a meltdown. This is because, if water pumps lose power, the heat from the reactor fuel rods can split water into explosive hydrogen and oxygen gas.

It was an issue like this that contributed to the Fukushima nuclear accident in 2011, when a loss of power meant the fuel rods – which were flooded – overheated, resulting in an explosion.

Gas-cooled reactors are less liable to explode than their water-cooled counterparts, but they also tend to have lower thermal efficiency.

But regardless of the type of cooling system employed, in the case of an emergency, human intervention is needed to shut down the rector to prevent a disaster. This is generally because the cooling systems rely on external power sources.

What’s special about the new reactor design? ​

One new(ish) kind of reactor design, known as a pebble-bed reactor (PBR), may have solutions to the issues inherent in older designs. These reactors are “passively” safe, whereby they can shut down on their own if there is any issue with the cooling system.

Unlike other reactors that rely on highly energy-dense fuel rods, PBRs use smaller, low-energy-density fuel “pebbles” in greater numbers. Although they contain less uranium than traditional fuel rods, there are more of them. They are also surrounded by graphite, which is used to moderate the amount of neutron activity in the core. This helps slow down nuclear reactions, resulting in less heat.

As such, lower energy density means excess heat can be spread out across the pebbles and can be more easily transferred away.

This may sound good, but until recently the only PBR reactors in existence were prototypes in Germany and China. However, China has now constructed a full-scale Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor Pebble-Bed Module (HTR-PM) in Shandong, which became commercially operational in December 2023 and is equipped with these systems.

In order to test them, engineers turned off both modules of HTR-PM at a time when they were operating at full power.

“To confirm the presence of inherent safe reactors on a commercial scale, two natural cooling tests were performed on the #1 reactor module on August 13, 2023 and the #2 reactor module on September 1, 2023,” the researchers write. “During the entirety of the tests, the reactor modules were naturally cooled down without emergency core cooling systems or any cooling system driven by power.”

The results, which have just been published, show that HTR-PM cooled itself, reaching a stable temperature within 35 hours of its power being cut.

Being able to test an operating nuclear reactor by removing its cooling power is extremely unusual. It is only because of the HTR-PM’s unique system that this is even possible, and although further tests will be needed to ensure that the system works correctly, it is hoped this will serve as a model for future reactors elsewhere.

“In summary, the loss-of-cooling tests conducted confirm the inherent safety feature of the world’s first demonstration plant of a HTR-PM,” the team wrote. “To fulfill the climate change mitigation goal, we have initiated new projects aimed at providing high-temperature steam up to 500°C [932°F] and electricity to the petrochemical industry in China.”

“The reactor modules for the commercial plants are designed to adhere to the same standardized design.”

China Has Created The First Ever Meltdown-Proof Nuclear Reactor

The new pebble-bed reactor may provide safer nuclear power options for the future.

www.iflscience.com

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

This is because you decades old plants all use ancient technology, live with the time.

Did you even read my post because your reply doesn't touch upon the thousands of tons nuclear waste disposal issue I mentioned at all.

It's not just a US issue

China: received nuclear waste by site | Statista

In 2022, the Northwest repository of China received around 2,047 cubic meters of low to mid level nuclear waste.

www.statista.com

https://www.iaea.org/sites/default/files/publications/magazines/bulletin/bull28-1/28104681520.pdf

Decay heat falls rather rapidly with time, induced radioactivity decreases more slowly, and most spent-fuel fissionproducts decay to acceptable levels in 300 to 1000 years.

Major isotopes of plutonium, americium, neptunium,iodine, technetium, and uranium daughter products will remain radioactive for several million years. Yet from the standpoint of radiotoxicity, the greatest concern extends over about 10 000 years.

So we have a choice of creating more waste that has to be stored in a safe environment for 10,000 years or invest in alternate technologies and research.

Fusion - Frequently asked questions | IAEA

Fusion is among the most environmentally friendly sources of energy. There are no CO2 or other harmful atmospheric emissions from the fusion process, which means that fusion does not contribute to greenhouse gas emissions or global warming. Its two sources of fuel, hydrogen and lithium, are...

www.iaea.org

Does Fusion produce radioactive nuclear waste the same way fission does?​

Nuclear fission power plants have the disadvantage of generating unstable nuclei; some of these are radioactive for millions of years. Fusion on the other hand does not create any long-lived radioactive nuclear waste. A fusion reactor produces helium, which is an inert gas. It also produces and consumes tritium within the plant in a closed circuit.

Tritium is radioactive (a beta emitter) but its half life is short. It is only used in low amounts so, unlike long-lived radioactive nuclei, it cannot produce any serious danger. The activation of the reactor’s structural material by intense neutron fluxes is another issue.

This strongly depends on what solution for blanket and other structures has been adopted, and its reduction is an important challenge for future fusion experiments.

 

[Beijingwalker]

Did you even read my post because your reply doesn't touch upon the thousands of tons nuclear waste disposal issue I mentioned at all.

It's not just a US issue

China: received nuclear waste by site | Statista

In 2022, the Northwest repository of China received around 2,047 cubic meters of low to mid level nuclear waste.

www.statista.com

View attachment 63382

https://www.iaea.org/sites/default/files/publications/magazines/bulletin/bull28-1/28104681520.pdf

So we have a choice of creating more waste that has to be stored in a safe environment for 10,000 years or invest in alternate technologies and research.

Fusion - Frequently asked questions | IAEA

Fusion is among the most environmentally friendly sources of energy. There are no CO2 or other harmful atmospheric emissions from the fusion process, which means that fusion does not contribute to greenhouse gas emissions or global warming. Its two sources of fuel, hydrogen and lithium, are...

www.iaea.org

Technology progress, you should keep up with the time

China makes breakthrough in high-level radioactive waste disposal technique, achieves milestone in nuclear industry devt - Global Times

www.globaltimes.cn

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

Technology progress, you should keep up with the time

China makes breakthrough in high-level radioactive waste disposal technique, achieves milestone in nuclear industry devt - Global Times

www.globaltimes.cn

Did you even read your own article???
Are you asleep today or something??? Why do i have to keep correcting you about your replies to my posts??

China makes breakthrough in high-level radioactive waste disposal technique, achieves milestone in nuclear industry devt - Global Times

www.globaltimes.cn

Such an approach to deal with the waste is by far the most advanced method in the world, the statement said. Only the US, France, Germany, and a few others have mastered the technique previously.

Again it still has to be stored somewhere for 10,000 years. Encasing it in glass doesn't mean the problem has gone away. Maybe you don't understand radiation or something...

 

[Beijingwalker]

Did you even read your own article???
Are you asleep today or something??? Why do i have to keep correcting you about your replies to my posts??

China makes breakthrough in high-level radioactive waste disposal technique, achieves milestone in nuclear industry devt - Global Times

www.globaltimes.cn

Again it still has to be stored somewhere for 10,000 years. Encasing it in glass doesn't mean the problem has gone away. Maybe you don't understand radiation or something...

lol, you think humans can not find solation to deal with nuclear waste in 10,000 years? Scientific breakthroughs are being made every year.

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

lol, you think humans can not find solation to deal with nuclear waste in 10,000 years?

I should have expected a kick-the-can-down-the-road explanation like that.

kick the can down the road

1. to avoid or delay dealing with a problem: 2. to avoid or delay dealing with…

dictionary.cambridge.org

Obviously we already have 10's of thousands of tons of nuclear waste to deal with in the future and we are currently researching ways to neutralize it. The current idea is to minimize the pile not maximize it.

 

[Beijingwalker]

I should have expected a kick-the-can-down-the-road explanation like that.

kick the can down the road

1. to avoid or delay dealing with a problem: 2. to avoid or delay dealing with…

dictionary.cambridge.org

I know this idiom, it's a fairly common one and you don't have to explain it . And many new technologies followed this approach in the history.

 

[Antonius123]

I should have expected a kick-the-can-down-the-road explanation like that.

kick the can down the road

1. to avoid or delay dealing with a problem: 2. to avoid or delay dealing with…

dictionary.cambridge.org

Obviously we already have 10's of thousands of tons of nuclear waste to deal with in the future and we are currently researching ways to neutralize it. The current idea is to minimize the pile not maximize it.

If you can come up with 4th gen nuclear technology, you will be no longer burdened with nuclear waste.

 

[Muji.Iqbal]

Well China is better than USA when it comes to manufacturing finished products.