Comments on: Vinson Rejoins Fleet http://www.murdoconline.net/archives/8094.html Just another WordPress weblog Sat, 21 Nov 2009 22:51:35 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 hourly 1 By: Nicholas http://www.murdoconline.net/archives/8094.html/comment-page-1#comment-343009 Nicholas Tue, 14 Jul 2009 12:45:23 +0000 http://www.murdoconline.net/?p=8094#comment-343009 fj44dash1 : most reactor designs in production these days (as opposed to recently designed or experimental reactors) use fuel rods, usually either a mix of radioactive metals (uranium, plutonium) or radioactive oxides (uranium oxide, plutonium oxide) with some other things combined together into the rod shapes. Presumably refueling involves opening up the containment vessels, sliding the spent rods out, sliding new rods in and sealing everything back up carefully. The spent rods are then kept in a pool of water until the radiation dies down to a lower level (it takes a few months I think), and either put into storage or reprocessed. When the rods are "spent" they still contain something like 90+% of the original fuel, but they're too contaminated with fission products to be useful. However, they can be recycled and the useful fuel extracted and reused. However, my understanding is that the USA does not currently reprocess spent fuel. I think other countries like France do. fj44dash1 : most reactor designs in production these days (as opposed to recently designed or experimental reactors) use fuel rods, usually either a mix of radioactive metals (uranium, plutonium) or radioactive oxides (uranium oxide, plutonium oxide) with some other things combined together into the rod shapes. Presumably refueling involves opening up the containment vessels, sliding the spent rods out, sliding new rods in and sealing everything back up carefully.

The spent rods are then kept in a pool of water until the radiation dies down to a lower level (it takes a few months I think), and either put into storage or reprocessed. When the rods are “spent” they still contain something like 90+% of the original fuel, but they’re too contaminated with fission products to be useful. However, they can be recycled and the useful fuel extracted and reused. However, my understanding is that the USA does not currently reprocess spent fuel. I think other countries like France do.

]]> By: Toejam http://www.murdoconline.net/archives/8094.html/comment-page-1#comment-343008 Toejam Tue, 14 Jul 2009 04:27:03 +0000 http://www.murdoconline.net/?p=8094#comment-343008 Q. <i>"How exactly do you refuel a nuclear reactor?"</i> A. <b>Very carefully!</b> Q. “How exactly do you refuel a nuclear reactor?”

A. Very carefully!

]]> By: fj44dash1 http://www.murdoconline.net/archives/8094.html/comment-page-1#comment-343007 fj44dash1 Tue, 14 Jul 2009 00:10:32 +0000 http://www.murdoconline.net/?p=8094#comment-343007 "Within budget" what a concept. How exactly do you refuel a nuclear reactor? “Within budget” what a concept. How exactly do you refuel a nuclear reactor?

]]> By: Vitor http://www.murdoconline.net/archives/8094.html/comment-page-1#comment-343006 Vitor Mon, 13 Jul 2009 21:01:09 +0000 http://www.murdoconline.net/?p=8094#comment-343006 "Within budget"...that sounds surreal nowdays. “Within budget”…that sounds surreal nowdays.

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