Hey guys, sorry for the short break in writing here. Tell you the truth, I had to step away for just a couple days to catch my breath. The constant assault on the nuclear power industry with fear mongering and bad science has just been affronting to the senses to say the least and I am sure that all of us that have been working to get a little perspective out there are being worn to the bone. To be honest, getting through to the mainstream mass media over the past few weeks has been like trying to give a kid a math lesson on Christmas morning...It just isn't going to happen, and at the same time we need to take another approach besides giving a math lesson. Come to find out, normal people don't like math anyway. Who would have thought!?
I have tons of information to share with you all concerning the Fukushima incident, but I am going to choose to delay that for my next few posts. I will just say this though. A lot of what you are hearing on the mainstream nightly news networks is creative information to say the least. The reactors there are pretty much stable at this point because much of the decay heat has done exactly that; it has decayed away. The radiation reports that you are hearing are very alarmist in nature, but again, this just tends back to peoples inherent fear of radiation. I will write more on this in the future to try and substantiate what I have to say, but I am asking you to just take my word for it. The radiation levels are small and pose no danger to those near Fukushima or much less, to those of us in the United States. This won't change any minds of those of you who don't believe this yet, but I do want to reassure those of you who have been hit constantly with the apocalyptic views being put out there. Enough said, so I'll get off my soap box now.
I feel like one of those professors (and you all have had them) that you know is passionate about something, so if you ever want to get him off topic, all you have to do is ask a question about it. What I actually wanted to discuss with you today is the success of the nuclear industry in trying to meet the concerns of the public about nuclear power. On the technical side, the industry has been amazing with its advancements and now the looming release of the Gen IV reactor technology. It is very exciting, but I fear that the nuclear power industry is going to be caught in a never ending chase with the media who is working very hard to escape the physics of the situation and torment the industry anyway. It is a lot like Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner. Don't think of it like a bad coyote chasing an innocent road runner, because we all know that Road Runner is no where near innocent. He keeps coming back to haunt Wile E. Coyote on purpose and we all know it! For instance, how is the earthquake at the Fukushima plant going to haunt the American nuclear power industry? Well, kind of like this:
We just can't catch the media at its game. It seems as though the mass mainstream media is exempt from the science of the situation, but the media will make sure that the nuclear power industry is feeling the repercussions of the events at Fukushima for a long time to come. But again, I digress...
I showed you this to give you a idea of the game that we are playing. I don't mean to say that the ideas of the nuclear are anywhere near as hair brained as that of Wile E. Coyotes, but it is good for showing that the science of the situation is not what defines the winner. The nuclear power industry has the sound science, so how do we win? Well, we have to win the trust of the people which is done by changing the image of nuclear power from something that is sterile and filled with soulless people in white coats and scary masks to an image which is more truthful. An image of an industry which cares more about the well being of people than any other industry in the world. One that is taking into account the fears and concerns of the people to create the safest and most reliable form of power. Yes, I said it. It will be the safest and most reliable form of power generation. And to top it all off, we are also making it cheaper at the same time.
I am talking of course of the generation of reactors that will be a gift to our future generations. The Generation IV reactors are slated to be in commercial operation within the decade, and let me tell you that for someone going into the industry, this is extremely exciting. The problem is that for the normal person, this is still just nuclear power. It is still that dangerous process with byproducts that are deadly for millennium to come. Unfortunately, that kind of thinking is just like the cavemen thinking that fire could never be harnessed for cooking their Pterodactyl steaks. Luckily they learned so that we can enjoy our grilled steaks today.
We might be the caveman playing with nuclear power today, but let me tell you that the learning curve has been steep. The next generation of power plants have new safety systems, higher efficiencies, longer lifespans, and lower amounts of waste than anything we have seen in the past. What am I saying? Well, for all those that had so many concerns about the safety of nuclear power and the waste associated with nuclear power, the industry has listened and is coming forward with reactor designs that fix many of the issues. Passive safety systems make meltdowns physically impossible, implementing resources such as gravity to operate. And let me tell you, if gravity fails, we have bigger fish to fry than any meltdowns at a nuclear power plant. Material properties are also being utilized to cause the reactor cores to remain stable and not meltdown. The science is intriguing and beautiful here and I am planning on doing more of a technical post on this later, but for now, just realize that there are ways of making nuclear reactors inherently safe.
The next generation of reactors reduces the waste issue by increasing the efficiency of the fuel use. The Generation IV reactors will be getting upwards of 5 times as much power out of the fuel as the ones we are currently using, and let me tell you, that is amazing. Also, reprocessing techniques have been developed which do not create weapons grade plutonium, meaning that nuclear proliferation will no longer be a concern with nuclear power. By reprocessing, rough about 5% of the fuel that goes in will eventually be waste. The amount of waste will be so tiny that it will be easy to contain and easy to put somewhere where it will no longer be a concern. The waste from a nuclear power plant will be much less of a concern than even the waste that comes from the building of solar panels.
The goal of engineering is to fix the issues, and the nuclear industry has taken advantage of the last four decades to be working on exactly that. But again, the science is not what will win the battle. I have a feeling the industry is going to be playing the Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner game for years to come. I just think the industry needs a new strategy. Science just bounces off the media as it turns out.
The One Responsible
- Aaron Ackerman
- Aaron is an engineering student at the Colorado School of Mines working on a masters degree in nuclear engineering. Also, he is a member of the Unites States Navy and will be a nuclear engineer on US Navy submarines when finished with his education at the School of Mines. Aaron's undergraduate background is in physics.
3 comments:
Despite the media and public perception of nuclear power, I think nuclear power will inevitably be our main source of power someday, as an alternate source to fossil fuels will be absolutely necessary. Maybe the industry doesn't really need a strategy, rather just a little patience.
I know that flies in the face of science communication, but some climate scientists are taking the same stance today in regard to climate change. Wait it out for public perception to catch up, and in the meantime continue on with research and development.
That is definitely an interesting though. In the end, you could definitely be right. No matter how much we fight for and promote the benefits of nuclear power, it might be time in the end that is the judge. On the other hand though, I feel like this has kind of been the strategy of the industry over the last 35 years. We have not been expanding the nuclear program in the US and we have just been going on with research. Funding for research though becomes scarce when no one sees a future in the industry. This reason alone is enough to keep fighting for the cause. We do have a lot of new technology in the nuclear field that the general public does not realize is out there. The industry has been nearly silent for 35 years, but it seems that the anti-nukes were still sitting out there waiting all that time for another incident to try and kill the industry. Maybe the need is not yet great enough for them to realize how important nuclear power is, but I would rather not wait until that need is there. I think it would be better to plan ahead and establish the infrastructure sooner rather than later. Time is a fall back plan, but I think that we can do better personally.
I definitely empathize with your stress and frustration these last few weeks (believe me, I do!). And I understand why you feel angry with the media. And I probably sound like a broken record, too. But let me reiterate that I don't think the media is purposefully trying to do NP in. I think they have their norms for doing things and we have ours. A very helpful book for understanding this is called Communicating Uncertainty (if you're interested). And I think Fukushima is not the main headline anymore, so it's possible you're just feeling particularly sensitive to any coverage because of your position.
Hang in there. As much as possible, try to avoid ad hominem attacks and hyperbole. Do your work, say what you know and you don''t know, and it will be alright.
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