Author: heidi

Is Nuclear Power Affordable? by Peter Burstzyn On March 7, 2008, then Energy Minister, Gerry Philips, announced a plan entitled: “Ontario Takes Next Step to Ensure Clean, Affordable and Reliable Energy Supply for Generations to Come”. The plan depends heavily

Safety Nuclear reactors are very safe! The likelihood of a nuclear accident is remote. However, if one happens, it is likely to make a really big hole in the ground and to cover a huge area with fallout. That’s what

The Thorium Reactor Thorium (232T) can be used to make a power reactor. Thorium is three times as abundant on earth than uranium. There is also no need for costly isotope separation as there is only one, stable isotope. Forty

Nuclear Waste: A Serious and Growing Problem by Peter Bursztyn Once a uranium or plutonium atom splits, it gives rise to at least two smaller “daughter” atoms, plus several subatomic particles. Some of the subatomic particles go on to have

Twin Dangers by Peter Bursztyn Two major worries around nuclear power are the twin dangers of nuclear proliferation and of terrorism. Nuclear proliferation refers to the increasing group of nations which possess and/or seek to possess nuclear weapons. Most thermonuclear

Some Thermodynamics by Peter Bursztyn Most nuclear power reactors have triple heat transfer loops. One heat transfer loop takes heat from the reactor core and transfer this to a heat exchanger. There a 2nd heat transfer fluid contacts the first

Nuclear Power and Greenhouse Gases by Peter Bursztyn Advocates of nuclear power like to suggest that atomic energy creates no greenhouse gas emissions, and that they should be built to protect the planet from climate change. This is an exaggeration.

Nuclear Power-“Too Cheap to Meter”? by Peter Bursztyn “It is not too much to expect that our children will enjoy in their homes electrical energy too cheap to meter, will know of great periodic regional famines in the world only

Nuclear Waste by Peter Bursztyn Nuclear fission reactors produce highly radioactive waste which is hard to dispose of because it must be either well diluted (sometimes within a glass or ceramic block), or kept refrigerated for decades. One reason nuclear

Nuclear Fusion by Peter Bursztyn The 2nd type of nuclear energy is fusion. Two light nuclei, usually hydrogen, deuterium (heavy hydrogen), or tritium (heavy, radioactive hydrogen), are forced to combine at very high temperature to form helium. A small amount