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The Next Generation of Fission

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The Power Makers' Challenge

Part of the book series: Green Energy and Technology ((GREEN))

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Abstract

Like most energy sources, fission energy is constantly evolving but fission is the one energy source that has the capability of supplying our electricity demand indefinitely at lowest cost without producing greenhouse gas emissions. In this chapter we look at some current developments and see how we can make fission energy into a truly sustainable energy source. We cover the issues of fuel recycling, newer reactor technology, modular, and small reactors and finish with a discussion of fast breeder reactors to make fission energy sustainable.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    AP stands for “advanced passive”, and 1,000 is the MW power output.

References

  1. World Nuclear Association (2011) Processing of used nuclear fuel. http://world-nuclear.org/info/default.aspx?id=466&terms=reprocessing. Accessed 25 July 2011

  2. Lightfoot D, Manheimer W, Meneley D, Pendergast D, Stanford G (2006) Nuclear fission fuel is inexhaustible, IEEE Xplore. http://computare.org/Support%20documents/Fora%20Input/CCC2006/Nuclear%20Paper%2006_05.htm. Accessed 25 July 2011

  3. World Nuclear Association (2011) Fast neutron reactors. http://world-nuclear.org/info/default.aspx?id=540. Accessed 25 July 2011

  4. Hyperion Power (2011) A new paradigm for power generation. http://hyperionpowergeneration.com/product.html. Accessed 25 July 2011

  5. World Nuclear Association (2011) Small nuclear power reactors. http://world-nuclear.org/info/inf33.html. Accessed 25 July 2011

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Correspondence to Martin Nicholson .

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© 2012 Springer-Verlag London

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Nicholson, M. (2012). The Next Generation of Fission. In: The Power Makers' Challenge. Green Energy and Technology. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-2813-7_18

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-2813-7_18

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, London

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4471-2812-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4471-2813-7

  • eBook Packages: EngineeringEngineering (R0)

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