The development of the nuclear industry is on the verge of a revolution that could be led by Russia

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The development of global nuclear energy in the coming years may enter a fundamentally new stage, the significance of which is close to a real revolution. Thus, experts talk about the imminent transition from traditional reactors with pressurized water to fourth-generation units.

New reactors will be able to solve many of the problems inherent in the current energy industry. Among them, in particular, is the lack of fuel, the high cost of constructing nuclear power plants, the large volume of radioactive waste and the nuances of their long-term storage.



Fourth generation reactors will be based on fast neutron plants operating in closed cycles. The work will use plutonium taken from spent nuclear fuel, with the addition of depleted uranium, the reserves of which Russia has. Several million tons of depleted uranium available in the Russian Federation will last for about a thousand years.

In addition, fourth-generation reactors will be able to neutralize minor actinides, which are the most dangerous component of spent nuclear fuel.

The installation of an experimental fourth-generation BREST-300 reactor has already begun near Tomsk. A plant is being built nearby to produce new fuel from spent fuel. Thus, Rosatom is creating a whole complex of functioning of new reactors, which will have to demonstrate the viability of the new concept for the development of nuclear power plants. Completion of the project is planned for 2027-2028.

It is important to note that Russia has the opportunity to set the pace of development of the energy sector of the future and move on to real technological expansion in this area.
13 comments
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  1. mik5966
    mik5966
    +3
    2 February 2024 11: 17
    It's high time to update the industry's technology. For many years I have been hearing reports about technological breakthroughs, but no one dares to take the lead and, most importantly, put it into practice. It is clear that in such a matter a calibrated approach is needed, taking into account safety, because Chernobyl-Fukushima inoculated everyone with fear, and this is a real reason for caution.
  2. prior
    prior
    -3
    2 February 2024 11: 36
    All revolutions usually end in disasters.
    Moreover, this also applies to social and technical revolutions.
    Dissent. What, the consequences of Chernobyl have been completely eliminated? When will they be eliminated?
    1. Vladimir Tuzakov
      Vladimir Tuzakov
      +2
      2 February 2024 13: 14
      Don't confuse different things. Technical, and after them, social leaps in development are rebuilding the world, and the old conservative is held on by any means, and this leads to cataclysms, but does not always end in disasters. The next technical and social revolution is happening before your eyes, and you only receive bonuses. Regarding new reactors, the new has its childhood period of illnesses, but is often quickly overcome and humanity receives another breakthrough. According to Chernobyl, it seems that there was sabotage by the United States, carried out by the hands of several academicians of the USSR Academy of Sciences, who were chosen due to nepotism and nepotism and did not correspond to their position (they later emigrated). In particular, experiments were carried out using the presented methods, which led to the disaster on Sunday night, when there were no specialists at the station, only service personnel on duty, etc.
      1. prior
        prior
        0
        3 February 2024 11: 12
        and you only get bonuses

        Read the MK news feed for any day. These “bonuses” make the hair on your bald head stand on end. If these bonuses do not make a person and society happier, then are they so important and necessary? After these bonuses, it is impossible to buy an apartment, a basic means of transportation, or normal food.
        Your development bonuses drive a working person into slavery.
        1. Fizik13
          Fizik13
          +1
          4 February 2024 19: 41
          Read the MK news feed for any day. These “bonuses” make the hair on your bald head stand on end.

          I found something to read. All that remains is to watch the Dozhd TV channel.... drinks
      2. svoroponov
        svoroponov
        0
        20 February 2024 22: 24
        Yes, there was no sabotage there. The Chernobyl reactor is a military reactor for producing plutonium, converted into a civilian one for generating electricity. The head, Academician Alexandrov, under whose leadership they designed it at one time, also knew about his similar behavior. One of the designers wrote about this phenomenon (it seems like a pick-up) even before commissioning, but this warning was brushed aside. They considered such a regime, or rather its achievement, to be unlikely at this reactor. The country needed electricity.
        The reason was the complacency and initiative of the personnel, without consultation with the scientists and creators of this reactor, which are necessary for such tests. They decided that they themselves had a mustache, so the mustache got burned. And if the automatic protection had not been switched to manual control, then most likely nothing would have happened. It was turned on late, when an uncontrolled nuclear reaction began, which led to the destruction of the core and primary circuit and to a nuclear-steam explosion with the release of decay products
  3. Sergey Latyshev
    Sergey Latyshev
    +2
    2 February 2024 12: 08
    The previous revolution was promised a year ago. With new cooler.
    Waiting for
  4. Alexey Lan
    Alexey Lan
    +1
    3 February 2024 16: 17
    There are already fast neutron reactors in Russia and they have been operating for a long time, but for the effective operation of new RBNs, many problems need to be solved, including finding materials that would withstand such radiation, pressures and temperatures at the same time for a long time and reliably. So it won't be that soon. We are not on the threshold, but on the way to the threshold.
    1. svoroponov
      svoroponov
      0
      20 February 2024 22: 28
      That's right. This is a revolution, slow, but a revolution. It is better not to rush in such matters. Go from smaller to larger without jerking.
  5. Colonel Kudasov
    Colonel Kudasov
    0
    23 February 2024 20: 00
    What exactly are we talking about? Fast neutron reactors have long been known, and there are some operating in Russia. Their technology is known, three-circuit with liquid sodium as a coolant. But who said that RBN are waste-free? Nothing like this. After the station's life is exhausted, only one reactor will leave several thousand tons (sic!) of radioactive sodium with which something will have to be done. There are options for helium-based RBN, but so far this is pure theory, I have not heard that there are at least experimental installations
    1. svoroponov
      svoroponov
      0
      26 February 2024 13: 18
      Breakthrough contains not sodium but lead. It's more secure. We finish with sodium. And the volume is not several thousand tons. The first circuits on it are very short and small in volume. And there are few stations. From everyone where it is used, then yes. But the problem can be solved and its disposal has been mastered. Moreover, when implementing the Breakthrough, you won’t have a headache with cooling circuits and where to get uranium. It will last for a couple of thousand years.
  6. Blast
    Blast
    0
    28 February 2024 15: 40
    The necessary technologies have been developed in sodium-cooled reactors; BN800 was loaded with 100% innovative mox fuel; this is a milestone in the development of fast neutron technologies. BREST is the next stage, this is truly a breakthrough, a reactor with natural safety, Chernobyl is completely excluded. And this is already very close to the mass use of closed nuclear cycle technology, which will provide all of humanity with completely green energy for the next 2000-3000 years. That is, the next “fast” reactors can already become serial. Russia is ahead of the rest, other countries have not even come close. So skeptics should study the issue in more detail before expressing anything.
  7. Flight
    Flight
    0
    13 March 2024 12: 58
    It is important to note that Russia has the opportunity to set the pace of development of the energy sector of the future and move on to real technological expansion in this area.

    And how will this affect electricity tariffs for citizens of this Russia? Or is everything for export to China?