BY DR. JOSE PALU-AY DACUDAO
THE FOURTH most important classifications system of nuclear plant reactors is by related on its neutron moderation. Those that moderate neutrons from the fissioning uranium are thermal-spectrum or slow reactors.
Today’s commercial reactors are mainly of this type, either moderated by water or graphite as mentioned above. Fast reactors, on the other hand, use unmoderated, also called fast, neutrons. There is no neutron moderator. Its advantage is that it can to breed fissile plutonium 239 and possibly heavier transuranic actinides from the common uranium isotope, the fertile U-238. Thus fast reactors are also called fast breeder reactors (FBR). They can breed more fuel than they use.
Fast reactors have the potential to fission the transuranic actinides. Fast reactors can use these as fuel, and thus they cease to be waste. The most problematic nuclear waste are these actinides because they are so long-lived, with half lives in the hundreds of thousands or millions of years, and thus present a permanent radioactive hazard for humans. As of the present, only Russia’s sodium cooled fast nuclear reactors can fission these waste radioactive actinides.
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. (Not Russian or Chinese ones.)
That rules out practically all of the fourth gen nuclear reactors. We are left with water-cooled third gens.
Won’t a tsunami destroy the water-cooling system of water-cooled nuclear reactors, as what happened in Fukushima? Theoretically, they could.
Fortunately, tsunamis in the Philippines only occur on the Pacific side. Inside the Philippine archipelago itself, the islands protect the coasts form tsunamis from the Pacific Ocean. Thus the answer to this problem should be simple. Just built nuclear reactors inside the archipelago, and avoid the side facing the Pacific. For example, place a nuclear reactor on the side of Surigao facing the interior, not on the side facing the Pacific. Ditto for Leyte and Samar.
Note that the Philippines is an archipelago. Lots of coastal areas and seas. And also lots of earthquakes. So what is the best third gen water-cooled nuclear reactor for us?
It is the floating nuclear reactor.
This is a modular reactor, which can be quite small, and can be towed to any coastal area, in order to supply that area with nuclear power. Moreover, earthquakes don’t damage floating reactors, or for that matter boats and shops, unless a tsunami or sea surge washes them up the shore (which practically speaking just occurs in the Philippines’ Pacifica-facing side.)
The bad news is that only Russia builds these floating modulator reactors.
To repeat, 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. (Not Russian or Chinese ones.)
US and France do build third gen water-cooled reactors. In my opinion, these will still be vulnerable to mighty earthquakes. However, the best we can do as of now is order for these third-gen nuclear reactors from US or France. Then place them on areas of the Philippines with a scarcity of earthquakes and fault lines. (For comments and suggestions please email to mabuhibisaya2017@gmail.com)/PN
