European Tribune - Comments - I'm published in the FT!

I'm published in the FT! | 33 comments (33 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

Re: I'm published in the FT! (none / 0)

The French nuclear plants are load following, that is, as power demand is reduced (during the night for example) nuclear power generation is also reduced. I don't know how clever this is from an economic point of view though. With nuclear capital costs very high and nuclear fuel very cheap it makes economic sense to run the plant at full flank around the clock.

On the other hand, France has a giant electricity export market in Italy and also some hydroelectric plants in the Alps that help manage demand. That is, they are used as peak load while the nuclear plants do all the base load (and also more than that).

I don't agree the French blinded themselves by avoiding gas plants. Gas plants carry heavy environmental and geopolitical costs (and lately also financial cost) which nuclear power avoids.

The argument about efficiency is interesting. Obviously conservation is a good thing. But in the end even the power used in a situation with great conservation has to come from somewhere, and then you are back at having to choose among the different kinds of plant.

So, conservation yes!

But first some mighty big reactors. :)

Peak oil is not an energy crisis. It is a liquid fuel crisis.

by Starvid (arvid.hallen at gmail.com) on Fri Apr 7th, 2006 at 11:42:33 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: I'm published in the FT! (none / 0)

For the geopolitical argument, i don't think it is too important when considering gaz-powered plants. If there is a source of energy that we really depend on, its oil. So if dependance was the thing we were the most scared of we would try to cut that consumption.
As for gaz, since in Europe it comes from Russia, we have a single interlocutor that actually needs to sell it resources for money. Maybe scarcity, in Europe, will be what drives prices up, not politics.

Rien n'est gratuit en ce bas monde. Tout s'expie, le bien comme le mal, se paie tot ou tard. Le bien c'est beaucoup plus cher, forcement. Celine

by UnEstranAvecVueSurMer (holopherne ahem gmail) on Fri Apr 7th, 2006 at 12:56:54 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: I'm published in the FT! (none / 0)

Oh, a kindred spirit!

Yes, yes, absolutely, mighty big reactors! Fast* reactors too :)

Throttling nuclear reactors works and, for a PWR design, doesn't radically change the thermal efficiency of the station as the hot source, the core, is maintained pretty much at a constant operating temperature/pressure, no matter the energy output. The ability to throttle is more a secondary circuit issue.

There are still a couple of problems for the core with varying power.

For fast power variations, the operator cannot use the primary coolant boration system but must rely on the control rods, shutting down some sections of the core while maintaining reactivity in other sections. There's nothing wrong with that but it makes fuel management even more complicated than it already is at steady power operation. It takes smart, experienced and rigorous operators to pull that trick (but do you want your nuclear power plant operators to be anything but smart, experienced and rigorous?)
Because of poisoning, as much of core must remain at a sufficient neutron density to burn the poisons and avoid accumulations that would make a fast power ramp-up very dangerous. If a core output is brought down too low, the core must be fully shut down and wait for the poisons to decay. Also, even you remain safely above the low power limit, it means that power cannot be ramped up in a snap.
If power throttling requires intermediate insertion of the control rods, the fuel management game becomes tridimensional. The fuel burn-up tends to be skewed towards the bottom of the core and fuel elements span the entire height of the core. So if a section of a fuel element is too burned up, the whole element must be changed. Not very efficient. Mitigated by fuel recycling though but it can shorten fueling cycles and, thus, reactor availability.

(*) Fast as in fast neutrons, of course.

by Francois in Paris on Fri Apr 7th, 2006 at 01:29:42 PM EST
[ Parent ]

I'm published in the FT! | 33 comments (33 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

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