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Ending Global Warming: Waste Not, Want Not

Nuclear Waste Burning Power Plants          (In addition To Hybrids, Part 1)
GE-Hitachi have come up with a reactor that runs on everyone else's 'Spent Nuclear Fuel' or SNF.

Its best to recycle nuclear waste.  One power pass only uses 5% of fresh nuclear fuel's energy.  Recycling yields 10 to 15 power passes.

Build sufficient nuclear waste-burning General Electric - Hitachi PRISM  622 MWe nuclear power plants to completely consume all the nuclear "waste" from all our nuclear power plants - past, present, and future.

Big electrical power for big American cities.

General Electric - Hitachi PRISM Reactor. 
Notice they like the idea of in-ground reactors also.
(Image from GE-H Promotional Brochure,  More.)

Nuclear waste-burning?

The United States' population has been told spent nuclear fuel is a problem, we believe it, ignoring the fact the rest of the world has been recycling spent nuclear fuel down to nothingness for decades.  We have been involved in recycling nuclear warhead material into conventional power reactor fuel for over a decade   in the Megatons to Megawatts recycling program.  The ARC PRISM approach compliments nuclear recycling, is more advanced, and even more efficient.

Nuclear Fuel Reprocessing locations: France: COGEMA La Hague, 1,900 Tons/year, United Kingdom: B205 at Sellafield, 1,700 tons/year, United Kingdom: Thorp at Sellafield, 1,000 tons/year, Japan: Rokkasho, 900 tons/year, Russia: Mayak, 450 tons/year, India: Kalpakkam, 300 tons/year.  The United States, which had 3 reprocessing facilities, abandoned its recycling program in 1980.  Engineering on a new U.S. reprocessing facility to be built by Areva at the Savannah River site was begun in the fall of 2005.  Don't let Obama kill it.

Planet Earth has billions of tons of uranium and thorium.  Recycling will extend them by at least a factor of 10.  We really do have enough nuclear fuel to last forever. 

   Advanced Fuel-Cycle Technologies .pdf

 Good Old Conventional Nuclear Waste Producing Power Plants

Power Reactor Innovative Small Module (PRISM) Designer:   GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GE-H)   Reactor Power:   840 MWt   Electrical Output:   311 MWe   Outlet Conditions:   930°F   Coolant:   Liquid metal (sodium)   Fuel Design:   Metallic   Refueling:   12-24 months   Letter of Intent:   Updated March 19, 2009   Licensing Plan:   COL Prototype (long-term - Manufacturing License)   Expected Submittal:   Mid 2011   Design Information:   Underground containment on seismic isolators with a passive air cooling ultimate heat sink. Modular design with two reactor modules per power unit (turbine generator).   Status/Other Info:   NRC staff conducted pre-application review in early 1990s.   Website:   N/A

GE Hitachi Proposes Recycling Nuclear Waste For Fuel.
Technology Review (2/17, Bullis) reports that GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy "says it has an alternative to burying nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain in Nevada, the proposed waste repository that the Obama administration has said is now 'off the table.'" The company "wants to use nuclear waste as a fuel for advanced nuclear power plants, significantly reducing the volume of waste and the length of time that most of the waste needs to be stored." According to Eric Loewen, chief consulting engineer for advanced plants at GE Hitachi, "national labs in the United States and GE have been developing the technology over the course of a few decades, but in recent years the company 'put it on the shelf' because of a lack of U.S. interest in reusing nuclear waste." The article details the proposed process, and notes that Energy Secretary Steven Chu has voiced support both for nuclear power and potential reprocessing solutions.