Advancement in Nuclear Power Generation

Description

Nuclear power is mostly generated by fission of uranium, plutonium or thorium. Today most power is mainly generated via uranium, which is considerably rare in earth. Thorium is seen as the next generation fission fuel as there are vast thorium reserves on earth (67% of entire reserves are in India). The basic energy fact is that the fission of an atom of uranium produces 10 million times the energy produced by the combustion of an atom of carbon from coal. Present reactors that use only the U-235 in natural uranium are very likely good for some hundreds of years. With breeder reactors, we can have plenty of energy for some billions of year.

Some major research and development is underway to generate power by controlling fusion of hydrogen into helium. However a successful implementation of nuclear fusion to generate power would take a considerable time.

Enablers:

1. R&D investment in nuclear technology
2. Limits on green house emissions
3. Collaboration to share nuclear technology
4. High oil and gas prices

Inhibitors:

1. Threat of using reactors to produce fuel for war heads 2. Safety of the reactor 3. Time required to build a nuclear power plant 4. Disposal of nuclear waste in case of conventional nuclear power plant 5. Uranium reserves insufficient to sustain power requirements for more than 100 years

Paradigms:

Security is becoming a major influence on the way international flow of goods and services is realised. The ability to meet regulatory demands and standards regarding (port)security is crucial is the ability to grow international trade

Experts:

1. 2.

Timing:

The timing started after 9/11/2001. Security regulation has been rolled out since and is forcing all fields of international transportation to commit to complex

Web Resources

1. The Future of Nuclear Power
2. Future of Nuclear Power
3. The Nuclear Option
4. Nuclear Energy
5. Is nuclear power the future? Obama calls for more plants
6. World Nuclear Power Reactors & Uranium Requirements
7. Video Thorium Energy Futue
8. http://www.thoriumenergyalliance.com/