Energy Multiplier Module: Difference between revisions

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==A Realistic Assessment of the EM2==

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{{Essay-like|section|date=March 2017}}

The EM2 is just another re-incarnation of the helium-cooled fast neutron spectrum reactor, referred to as the Gas-Cooled Fast Reactor (GCFR). This type of reactor has some attractive characteristics, but safety is not one of them. To achieve its objectives of high nuclear fuel utilization with relatively compact size, the reactor must operate with very high power density and with very little material in the reactor core that can absorb heat during a severe accident. As a result, this type of reactor will undergo a very rapid meltdown during severe accidents with loss of coolant and system depressurization, and represents a substantially less safe alternative to modern commercial reactors that use water cooling. Every major nuclear country has rejected this type of reactor concept, in part because of its relatively poor safety characteristics.

The EM2 introduces additional safety and practical engineering challenges beyond the conventional GCFR. The EM2 fuel is an unproven concept and is expected to vent (release) its radioactive fission products while the reactor is operating, which essentially eliminates the fuel as a barrier to radioactivity release and defeats the concept of defense-in-depth to radioactivity release required by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The EM2 proponents also claim the reactor core can last up to 30 years without requiring refueling. Proving a new nuclear fuel can last this long without significant levels of failure is practically impossible, especially from a nuclear regulatory licensing perspective. Furthermore, this type of fuel cycle can represent a significant risk for proliferation of nuclear fissile material. The EM2 core is fueled with large quantities of depleted uranium which converts to weapons-grade plutonium long before the end of its claimed 30 year fuel cycle. In fact, according to a study performed by Princeton University ,<ref>[http://www.ans.org/pubs/journals/nt/a_19873] Glaser et al., Nuclear Technology, Vol. 184, October 2012, pp 121-129)</ref>, an EM2-type reactor sized to produce 200 MWe will produce about 750 &nbsp;kg of super-grade plutonium (> 95% of the fissile isotope Pu-239) within about 5 years{{dubious|date=March 2017}}, which is enough plutonium for about 70 nuclear weapons. Conventional light water reactors (LWRs)are much more resistant to proliferation, with the plutonium in spent fuel containing about 60% Pu-239 after about the normal 3 to 4 years of irradiation. In terms of safety and proliferation risks, the EM2 is an unacceptable nuclear reactor concept, especially for commercial deployment in a post-Fukushima world and increased concerns over nuclear proliferation.

==See also==