OrionWorks wrote:
Assuming in the not too distant future we do discover a reasonably energy efficient way to transmute radioactive isotopes the question then becomes where do we do it? Yucca Mountain? It seems reasonable for me to speculate that the actual engineering may turn out to be a gigantic enterprise . . .
That's right, and it is an important point that I have been meaning to bring up for some time.
If CF processes can be used to remediate radioactive waste, that is a tremendously important discovery. It should be pursued by all means, because of what it would teach us about physics. However, that does not necessarily mean we should implement the technology on a large scale. That could be a very tough decision. It depends on many factors having nothing to do with physics, such as safety, economics, politics, terrorism and so on.
As everyone knows, we could begin remediation by transmutation right now, using conventional nuclear methods, in breeder reactors. This would reduce the mass of radioactive waste, and it would extract much more energy from each kilogram of starting material. But would it be a good idea? So far, the answer is no. All breeder reactor projects have been fiascoes. If they ever produce electricity it will probably be the most expensive electricity ever generated. The Fermi breeder reactor near Chicago and the Japanese Monju reactor both suffered severe accidents that cost a fortune, and both had to be abandoned before they could begin production.
It is a shame to leave all that potential energy from uranium lying around, but at this stage it seems we lack the knowledge to harness it. Fortunately there is a great deal of virgin uranium available. If we ever do figure out how to make a cost-effective breeder reactor, today's spent fuel will still be available.
Just because we can do something does not mean we should. My gut feeling is that the best thing to do with nuclear waste at this stage would be to put it underground, but leave the door open. A hundred years from now people will probably have much better technical methods of dealing with the stuff. We should do the best we can now, with our limited knowledge. but there are some problems we should leave for our great-great-grandchildren to fix, and this is one of them.
- Jed
