The Return Of Nuclear Power !?!

[Ross365]

From what you can find on the net, it appears to be a "textbook" PWR design, which would incorporate all the best features learned from problems with earlier PWR's. Few companies other than RR would be better qualified to do it. Of course, the key Sheffield company which will cast the pressure vessel was bought by the Government just a couple of months ago. I'd guess that the fuel will be made by the establishment at Springfields just outside Preston; they made all the oxide fuel for every previous British reactor, and are probably desperate for the business (is the fuel already sitting in the warehouse???).

 

[Munkul]

that's an interesting point about Forgemasters; however, the RR SMR project is a private venture so you'd have thought they would have bought out Forgemasters themselves if they were gearing up for a load of pressure vessel production? Or made some sort of commitment that way.

I saw the Forgemasters buy out as a panicked response by the MOD as they saw their last viable UK steel supplier struggling financially. The MOD NEED a UK steel supplier and the expertise that goes with it, if they want to remain a credible military power.
Does that mean it's still ran as a private company although public money is injected into it? Or will they specialise in MOD contracts only?

 

[julianf]

Fission or fusion ?
Ask yourself, is it easier to break something , or put something together.
Like burn wood or create wood.

I made a Victoria sponge cake once.

But then I wanted the eggs for somthing else....

 

[Lewis_RX8]

that's an interesting point about Forgemasters; however, the RR SMR project is a private venture so you'd have thought they would have bought out Forgemasters themselves if they were gearing up for a load of pressure vessel production? Or made some sort of commitment that way.

I saw the Forgemasters buy out as a panicked response by the MOD as they saw their last viable UK steel supplier struggling financially. The MOD NEED a UK steel supplier and the expertise that goes with it, if they want to remain a credible military power.
Does that mean it's still ran as a private company although public money is injected into it? Or will they specialise in MOD contracts only?

I remember reading their announcement they would keep the private work for offshore and things but will check their announcement

"We are pleased to announce that Sheffield Forgemasters is being acquired by the Ministry of Defence to support a substantial recapitalisation of our defence-critical plant and equipment over the next 10 years.

The investment will secure Sheffield Forgemasters’ role as a critical supplier to the next generation of UK Defence programmes, while continuing our independent commercial activities, serving markets such as Civil Nuclear, Oil & Gas, Power Generation, Renewables and Steel Processing.

The agreement is an important milestone for the company, the Sheffield City region and UK manufacturing, recognising our status as a strategic national asset and providing security for the business and its employees.

In order to modernise the company’s plant and equipment to support its role as a long-term supplier to UK Defence, the transaction is structured to inject up to £400m of new investment over the next 10 years into defence-critical assets, including plans for a new heavy forge line and building, a flood alleviation scheme, major machine tool replacements and a site-wide HV upgrade. This is expected to retain and create new highly skilled manufacturing jobs within the Sheffield City region.

We would like to thank our customers, suppliers, employees and supporters for their continued support at this exciting time."

 

[Ross365]

The Government's acquisition of Forgemaster is a case of retaining nuclear submarines whatever the cost. It protects the capability and ensures no private collapses. And we might get to sell the reactors to Aus now! I think the SMR thing comes along just at the right time when this Government will do anything to keep RR in nuclear and this just helps maintain their critical mass (no pun intended). For once, this country seems to be doing something right, IMHO.

 

[Lewis_RX8]

 

[mike os]

View attachment 322066

Saw that one coming

 

[addjunkie]

Saw that one coming

Makes more sense than some of the other notions floatin* about

 

[Ross365]

Interesting...and totally predictable. You'd have to believe that the first contract for Rolls SMR could appear at any time, and no bad thing either.

 

[Ross365]

Any bets as to where the first RRSMR will be located??? My understanding is that it needn't be the coast (as per all the earlier big reactors) but some water will be required, so especially for the first one, I'm guessing a river or lake of some size.

After the cancellation of the Leeds end of HS2, political factors could point that way, as 'compensation' maybe? Manchester and Sheffield Universities are among the few that have kept some nuclear courses going. Goole, in East Yorkshire, and on the River Aire is short listed as a site for the Fusion reactor, but is unlikely to win that. Looking elsewhere, the old Magnox sites on the River Severn have a very active lobby pushing for their re-use.

 

[RaceDiagnostics]

Yes, I agree and I think it was and is an amazing achievement. I am really responding to the lay persons view. Wonder what they are going to say when ITER turns out to be a white elephant? As science projects get ever larger, we need to see some "payback" beyond confirming theories we already hold to be true. We need discoveries and as the years roll on, they become fewer and further in between.

The roll out of quantum computing to the mass market will be err, interesting. I guess that is a "byproduct" of our deeper understanding of physics but again, really only a difficult engineering challenge to exploit a quantum theory that was proposed over 100 years ago!

Remembered this post when watching this video about how particle physics is broken.

Having worked in CERN for a couple of years I came to the conclusion it had become a total waste of money.

 

[minimutly]

Remembered this post when watching this video about how particle physics is broken.

Having worked in CERN for a couple of years I came to the conclusion it had become a total waste of money.

A massive total waste of money...

 

[Ross365]

Fusion seems to have picked up a lot of attention over the past year or so. I was listening to a journalist on an American NPR station a while ago who was proposing that some of what is going on re "fusion" is actually being funded to support weapon development. Ever since atmospheric tests were banned, development of N weapons has depended a lot on computer simulation, but this guy claimed they now need to perform some experiments (in order to make progress on weapons) and some of that is being done under the cover of fusion energy research.

As for SMR's, despite all the recent hype, there seems to me nothing more than hype!

 

[KemppiFrog]

For some not to easy to understand reasons...... If it is weapons, the money can usually be found..

 

[Seadog]

Profit.

 

[fizzy]

Fusion seems to have picked up a lot of attention over the past year or so. I was listening to a journalist on an American NPR station a while ago who was proposing that some of what is going on re "fusion" is actually being funded to support weapon development. Ever since atmospheric tests were banned, development of N weapons has depended a lot on computer simulation, but this guy claimed they now need to perform some experiments (in order to make progress on weapons) and some of that is being done under the cover of fusion energy research.

As for SMR's, despite all the recent hype, there seems to me nothing more than hype!

The biggest fusion bomb ever was the Tsar Bomba back in the 60s. Fusion bombs are very well developed. Do they really need more actual tests?

 

[daleyd]

The biggest fusion bomb ever was the Tsar Bomba back in the 60s. Fusion bombs are very well developed. Do they really need more actual tests?

If they want to make things smaller, lighter, more efficient, use different materials, study different effects then yes.

The actual “how to make a ….” part is of course well understood, but that's not to say there isn’t better ways/methods of doing the same thing. The fact that “the biggest ever” was made 60 odd years ago is kind of irrelevant - there’s never been a bigger one made as it was never needed. What they required were smaller more efficient designs, not more ultimate power.

It’s kind of how science works, theoretical stuff is backed up by experiments.

 

[Ross365]

The biggest fusion bomb ever was the Tsar Bomba back in the 60s. Fusion bombs are very well developed. Do they really need more actual tests?

They may be wanting to make them smaller. The Russians claimed some time ago they were ready to deliver bombs on scramjets rather than ballistic missiles. A scramjet would be hard to detect in-flight, but it has to be powered (propelled) throughout its flight. Reducing the size /mass of the warhead could be a key issue with this approach. There are people around (on both sides) who still think there could be winnable nuclear wars.

In the case of the existing warheads, they do require significant periodic maintenance and they could make improvements there to reduce costs and improve reliability.

 

[toddy]

there is 2 main reactors that were built for weapon's tests, they are NIF in the usa and ORIAN in the uk, these are both laser fusion devices but are very inefficient.
with in the next 5-10 years the Culham science site (where there is currently 2 fusion reactors currently) will be getting another 3, but these will not be government ran, one is by general fusion, one by first light fusion and one by tokamak energy.
we are now getting to the point we will be seeing a lot of interest and advances in the next 10 years.

 

[Munkul]

As for SMR's, despite all the recent hype, there seems to me nothing more than hype!

There are jobs being created in the SMR field all the time now. Rolls Royce went on a huge recruitment drive about 6 months ago, and it's still ongoing IIRC.
Nothing happens in the nuclear world quickly. We're still nearly a decade away from firing up a SMR in anger.