Published 09/20/2024 10:50
When China connected its first civilian nuclear reactor to the grid in 1991, the United States had already done so three decades earlier. But China is now 10 to 15 years ahead of the United States in deploying fourth-generation nuclear technology, according to the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation, a Washington think tank.
The fourth generation of nuclear energy aims to improve the use of reactors, optimizing the use of nuclear fuel and producing less radioactive waste. China is leading the commercial deployment of these reactors.
About 45% of the nuclear power plants under construction in the world are in China, all of them fourth generation. One of them, the Shidaowan nuclear power plant, cited in a report by The Economist, already demonstrates superior technology to plants such as Fukushima Dai-Ichi, in Japan.
The Chinese are now able, for example, to turn off the pumps that push the coolant around the reactor core without any risk of a disaster, unlike what happened in 2011 in Fukushima. At the time, the plant had to turn off the pumps because of the tsunami, which allowed the nuclear fuel to continue heating. Without adequate cooling, the heat generated by the reactors caused three of them to undergo nuclear meltdowns, releasing large amounts of radiation into the environment.
But no such disaster occurred at Shidaowan. The reactor initially heated up. Then it cooled down before any damage was done, says a paper by the plant’s engineers published in July. This was due to the plant’s clever design. Conventional reactors are powered by long fuel rods containing uranium.
At Shidaowan, however, the fuel is in the form of tiny uranium particles coated with carbon and other chemicals and embedded in spheres the size of tennis balls. These spheres are known as “pebbles.” They can withstand extremely high temperatures without melting.
Amid climate change, which is putting humanity on the ropes, civil nuclear energy is essential for the future of civilization due to its role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and fighting climate change.
Nuclear power provides a reliable and constant source of electricity regardless of weather conditions, making it ideal for meeting baseload demand in growing countries. In addition, advances in nuclear technologies, such as fourth-generation reactors, promise greater efficiency, reduced waste generation and improved safety, making nuclear power a sustainable and clean alternative to fossil fuels.
Another crucial benefit of nuclear energy is its ability to provide energy independence, reducing dependence on imported fossil fuels. It also offers new possibilities for industrial sectors, generating heat at high temperatures for processes that currently use fossil fuels.
With the future development of nuclear fusion, the potential to provide almost unlimited, clean and safe energy makes investment in this technology even more relevant to meet the world’s growing demand for energy in a sustainable way.
Source: vermelho.org.br
