Ima strolled the aisles of the energy fair. As a committed supporter of energy conservation and renewable energy, she’s been very pleased that clean energy sources are expanding rapidly. Regardless of that progress, global temperatures continue to rise. So Ima combed the displays in search of hopeful signs in the battle to preserve a stable climate.
As she meandered, a hug banner “SMRs – Right for Our Time?” caught her eye. “What the heck is a SMR?” she wondered and headed in that direction.
Under the banner, a friendly young fellow smiled at Ima and extended his hand. “Glad you stopped by. I’m Otto.” Glancing at the displays, Ima began to reach for his hand but then said, “Oh… I see this SMR stuff is nuclear. Sorry, I’m not interested,” she replied and began to walk away.
“Can I ask why?” Otto persisted. “Well,” Ima Frayed retorted, “you know…radiation pollution, Three-Mile Island and stuff like that. It’s just too dangerous!”
“Yup, I agree that nuclear energy is dangerous stuff.” Otto nodded. “We face lots of dangerous stuff these days. Take temperature rise, for example. That’s already killing loads of people both from the heat itself and from the increasingly frequent extreme weather events it produces.
“And our poor environment! Climate change is wreaking havoc with it too. I figure it’s time to weigh the relative dangers,” Otto Reeconsidder suggested. “Maybe we’ll find that some deployment of nuclear energy generation actually offers a safer pathway toward a healthy, stable future. The safety of nuclear technology has been vastly improved, you know.”
Otto explained that SMRs (Small Modular Reactors) are far safer than 1960s-designed reactors. They utilize physical phenomena like natural circulation, convection, gravity, and self-pressurization. Reactors can shut down and cool themselves without active components like pumps. SMRs have factory-sealed cores so there’s limited on-site refueling of nuclear materials and decreased risk of proliferation. Their reduced size uses less radioactive material, so they operate at lower pressures decreasing the potential impact of a malfunction. Moreover, SMR’s have “Black Start Capability.” They don’t need external energy from the electrical grid to start up, an especially useful feature during widespread power failures.
“Golly,” Ima reflected, “Giving SMRs a fair reconsideration would be prudent because we can’t ignore the dangers of rising temperatures. After all, this is our only home. We’re all forever… Earthbound.”
As she meandered, a hug banner “SMRs – Right for Our Time?” caught her eye. “What the heck is a SMR?” she wondered and headed in that direction.
Under the banner, a friendly young fellow smiled at Ima and extended his hand. “Glad you stopped by. I’m Otto.” Glancing at the displays, Ima began to reach for his hand but then said, “Oh… I see this SMR stuff is nuclear. Sorry, I’m not interested,” she replied and began to walk away.
“Can I ask why?” Otto persisted. “Well,” Ima Frayed retorted, “you know…radiation pollution, Three-Mile Island and stuff like that. It’s just too dangerous!”
“Yup, I agree that nuclear energy is dangerous stuff.” Otto nodded. “We face lots of dangerous stuff these days. Take temperature rise, for example. That’s already killing loads of people both from the heat itself and from the increasingly frequent extreme weather events it produces.
“And our poor environment! Climate change is wreaking havoc with it too. I figure it’s time to weigh the relative dangers,” Otto Reeconsidder suggested. “Maybe we’ll find that some deployment of nuclear energy generation actually offers a safer pathway toward a healthy, stable future. The safety of nuclear technology has been vastly improved, you know.”
Otto explained that SMRs (Small Modular Reactors) are far safer than 1960s-designed reactors. They utilize physical phenomena like natural circulation, convection, gravity, and self-pressurization. Reactors can shut down and cool themselves without active components like pumps. SMRs have factory-sealed cores so there’s limited on-site refueling of nuclear materials and decreased risk of proliferation. Their reduced size uses less radioactive material, so they operate at lower pressures decreasing the potential impact of a malfunction. Moreover, SMR’s have “Black Start Capability.” They don’t need external energy from the electrical grid to start up, an especially useful feature during widespread power failures.
“Golly,” Ima reflected, “Giving SMRs a fair reconsideration would be prudent because we can’t ignore the dangers of rising temperatures. After all, this is our only home. We’re all forever… Earthbound.”
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