Nuclear and Energy Independence

Meetings ANS WINTER MEETING Nuclear and energy independence HILE ORGANIZATIONS HAVE canceled or altered conferences in W the wake of the events of Sep- Major themes of the plenary: tember 11, the American Nuclear Society at- tracted more than 1100 attendants to its Win- N ter Meeting in November in Reno, Nev. “In H2 power can be an application light of recent events, that is a remarkable ac- complishment,” ANS President Gail Marcus of nuclear commented during the opening plenary. The large gathering was due perhaps to the upbeat mood of the industry in general, thanks N 50 years since first electricity with EBR-I in part to the Bush administration’s support of the continued use and further deployment of N nuclear power, and because any hope for re- A proposal for a continental supergrid ducing greenhouse gas emissions likely would include nuclear power in a national energy policy. oring the EBR-I and the nuclear pioneers who was associate project director of the EBR-I During the plenary Marcus paraphrased developed it. The proclamation recognized the and project manager for another reactor, the Charles Dickens by saying, “It is the best of environmental benefits of nuclear power and EBR-II. He later became director of the Re- times, it is the worst of times,” in reference feted those who worked to provide the world actor Engineering Division at Argonne Na- to the terrorist attacks on the United States with “clean, sustainable energy for the bene- tional Laboratory before moving on to Illinois and the opportunity for nuclear power to fit of humankind for centuries by making use Power Company. stake a substantial claim in the nation’s ener- of nature’s gifts of uranium and thorium.” A “It is amazing the industry we gave birth gy future. “The recent events only point more ceremony was held later during the Winter to,” the 81-year-old Koch proclaimed proud- strongly to the need for energy security,” she Meeting to celebrate the nuclear pioneers who ly. “Today, there are 438 nuclear power plants said, “and in my mind, energy security has to participated in the EBR-I project and helped operating around the world, producing about include a very strong component of nuclear lay the foundation for energy independence. a sixth of the electricity that is generated.” power.” (For a history of the EBR-I project, see NN, Koch explained that while the EBR-I was Leon Walters, the meeting’s general chair Nov. 2001, pp. 28 and 30.) cooled by NaK (a liq- and director of the Engineering Division at The Winter Meeting, titled Nuclear Re- uid-metal alloy of Argonne National Laboratory–West, noted search and Development, also hosted two sodium and potassi- during the plenary that before September 11 embedded topicals and the ANS Student Con- um), the bulk of its re- the world was coming to the realization that ference. The topicals were Practical Imple- flector was air-cooled nuclear power could be the solution to global mentation of Nuclear Criticality Safety and because of the uncer- warming. But now, he said, after that dark day Accelerator Applications/Accelerator Driven tainty that the control in September, “the contribution of nuclear en- Transmutation Technology and Applications. rods could be operat- ergy to reducing the dependence on foreign ed in a high-tempera- fossil fuels has taken on added importance.” History and hydrogen ture liquid-metal envi- A foothold for the nation’s energy inde- The opening plenary, titled Global Energy ronment. The EBR-I pendence was made 50 years ago, Walters Perspectives, was divided into two sessions itself had an 8-in. di- continued, when on December 20, 1951, the over two days and provided a retrospective on Koch ameter core that was Experimental Breeder Reactor-I became the where the nuclear power industry has been composed of 0.5-in. diameter pins of enriched first nuclear unit to produce electricity. On a and a perspective on where it might go. U-235 in a single assembly. The vessel and large viewing screen set up in the plenary au- During the first session, Len Koch, one of piping all were doubly contained, a top inlet ditorium, an image was shown of an official the nuclear pioneers honored for his work on being provided to the vessel, going down proclamation, signed recently by senators, the EBR-I, reminisced about the early days of through the blanket and up through the core. congressmen, and the governor of Idaho, hon- the industry. During his work career, Koch Fast control was provided by bottom–operat- 40 NUCLEAR NEWS January 2002 ed rods and reflectors; slow control by move- safest and cleanest of all energy sources,” clear power. “It would provide a real-time ment of the 5-ton bottom blanket. while hydrogen is “probably the safest and electricity connection between the east and Koch likened the now historical powering definitely the cleanest of chemical fuels.” To- west coasts, and supply electricity and hy- of four light bulbs at the EBR-I facility in Ida- gether, he said, “they can deliver a brighter, drogen fuel,” he said. ho, which represented the first nuclear–gen- cleaner 21st century.” Current-day national energy strategies are erated electricity on December 20, 1951, to The 21st century, though, is at peril, Scott flawed, Starr noted, in that they are planned the first flight of the Wright brothers’ airplane. claimed, because of a climate threat that is an on projections that provide little guidance be- “This was our first generation of electricity,” “environmental juggernaut.” Current levels of yond a few decades. In contrast, the supergrid he said, “and on the next day we ran the reac- carbon dioxide in the atmosphere equal 360 would be an example of century-long plan- tor closer to full power . and all the elec- to 370 parts-per-million, the highest amounts ning, and would be an alternative approach tricity in the building was supplied from the of CO2 concentration in the past 400 000 based on new research and development ini- reactor.” years. “So when people say we are not putting tiated at the applied science level. Those times developing the EBR-I were our planet at risk, it reminds me of the tobac- A long-term national strategy is needed, “the good old days,” Koch said, when nuclear co industry saying smoking isn’t dangerous to Starr stated. In that regard, he called for a na- pioneers considered nuclear reactors “very in- your health,” he said. tional “Energy System Advanced Research teresting, fabulous new tools.” With a nod to- If unabated, climate destabilization “could” Project Agency” to stimulate new R&D. ward energy security, Koch recalled that years lead to catastrophic events, Scott continued, “Let me be clear. We cannot expect lead- before the EBR-I went into operation, scien- such as the shutting down of the Gulf Stream ership on century-long tist Enrico Fermi calculated that nuclear pow- and the freezing of the United Kingdom. planning from our er plants could generate all the electricity These possible catastrophes could be avoided government process. needed in the United States for hundreds of by using a two-pronged strategy, he said. If there is to be an ef- years based on what were then the nation’s First, emphasis must be placed on oil inde- fectively sophisticated known uranium resources. “Now, however, pendence, because a terrorist strike on Saudi direction of technical with the known amounts of uranium, nuclear Arabia’s oil-production facilities would policy, it will have to could provide power for the United States for threaten our economy. Imported crude oil is come from the scien- several thousands of years,” he said. “the commodity all democracies depend on,” tific and engineering Koch recalled a letter written in 1962 by Scott said. Consider a few strategic factors: community. Neither President John Kennedy to Glenn Seaborg, The average production rate of an oil well in government nor the then chairman of the Atomic Energy Com- the United States is about 12 barrels a day. In economy’s market- mission. Kennedy’s letter urged the AEC to Persian Gulf countries, it is about 5000 bar- Starr based processes will look at the role of nuclear power in the na- rels a day. do it for us. It’s our job,” he said. tion’s economy. Seaborg conducted a study Second, the age of hydrogen-electricity, or The “unplanned, radical” innovations of the and then responded to Kennedy. “For the “hydricity,” must be ushered in to allow for 19th and 20th centuries came from science- long-term benefit of the country and indeed the production of hydrogen fuel cells for cars, stimulated R&D, he said—electricity, tele- the whole world,” Seaborg wrote, more em- planes, and other transportation vehicles that phone, petroleum engines, automobiles, air- phasis needed to be placed on breeder reac- currently are powered by fossil fuels. Since planes, nuclear power, semiconductors, tors that could make use of nearly all urani- hydrogen and electricity are carbon free, hy- biotech, etc. um and thorium reserves, instead of the less drogen fuel cells manufactured by a nonfos- Following in that line would be the conti- than 1 percent of uranium and little of thori- sil source such as nuclear power would release nental supergrid (“an old vision,” Starr not- um that was used in present reactors. “Only zero CO2 into the environment, Scott said. ed, but one that with new applied science by the use of breeders would we really solve How does hydricity work? Both hydrogen would now be “marginally feasible”).

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