BY DR. JOSE PALU-AY DACUDAO
THE MOST important factors in the Philippine setting:
* tropical rainforest zone with lots of rain and rivers, and also typhoons and sea wave surges
* many-islands archipelago with the sea almost always nearby
* frequent earthquakes in eastern Philippines in places near the Pacific rim of fire
On the negative side, the nuclear plants appropriate for the Philippines would logically be earthquake proof, tsunami proof. Or at least nuclear plants that are most resistant to damage by these.
On the positive side, most present day commercial nuclear reactors require a water source, in order to cool waste radioactive fuel, and in fact require water as coolant in main nuclear reactor power plant. And there are lots of water, rain, rivers, and seas in the Philippines.
Most commercial nuclear plants in the world are water-cooled. The ready access to seas also makes the feasibility of floating modular nuclear reactors an attractive feasibility. Just tow them into nearby shores of areas that need them. Russia builds these floating modular nuclear plants commercially.
What are the types nuclear plants of the world?
There are various classifications. Below are the most important classifications systems, and short words on them.
By generation, there are first, second, third, fourth generations of nuclear plants. The newest, safest, most efficient are the fourth gens. At present, only Russia and China are building them for commercial purposes.
Russia is concentrating on lead-cooled and sodium-cooled nuclear plants. It has functioning commercial sodium-cooled reactors that can even consume nuclear wastes.
China at present has a functioning pebble-bed reactor providing commercial electricity to a power grid, and is also building a molten salt reactor prototype.
The main disadvantage to 4th gen nuclear plants is that they are relatively untested. However, their performances (few though they are) in Russian and China bespeak well of them thus far.
Most nuclear plants in the world are 2nd and 3rd. These can be produced commercially. The top producer in the world is Russia. The main reason seems to be ease and economy of acquirement.
In order to procure a Russian nuclear plant, you only have to deal with one company, the state-owned Rosatom. This company constructs the reactor, provides the scientists, engineers, and technicians, provides the nuclear fuel, takes care of the nuclear wastes. In all other commercial nuclear plants, these functions are done by at least two institutions or companies. You have to deal with more people, organizations, countries, contracts, sources, and so on.
Because of the political climate in the world at present, the Philippines (as a US ally) will have to deal with American or European nuclear companies. (So no practical possibility of buying Russian floating modular nuclear plants, or Russian and Chinese 4th gen nuclear plants in the near future.)
The second most important classifications system of nuclear plant reactors is by coolant. At present, most of commercial nuclear reactors in the world are water-cooled. There are two types, the pressurized water reactor (PWR) and the boiling water reactor (BWR). By far, the most common is the PWR. (To be continued)/PN
