Safe nuclear power plants
Engr. Ahmed's comments on the matter published in your letters column on 2 December are justified; particularly for conventional nuclear power plants, using U-236 as the reactor fuel! The critical issue for these power plants, using Uranium-236 as the nuclear reactor fuel is the reactor operating temperature; control of which is critical for such reactors! U-236 is a dangerous radioactive material and any abnormality, on reactor cooling, could lead to runaway nuclear chain reaction catastrophe, which happened in the conventional U-236 fuelled nuclear power plant in Chernobyl, USSR. Additionally, there is also the constant danger of containing the radioactive contamination within acceptable levels!
However, most lay persons, and possibly even our "experts" in the Atomic Energy Commission are unaware of the safe nuclear fuel U-238; which has no radio-active radiation or contamination. Also the handling of the U-238 reactor fuel is absolutely safe, unlike U-236; handling of which is also risky, because of radiation hazards! Nuclear reactors using U-238 as the reactor fuel are quite safe.
Some small power plants (about 5MW) based on U238 nuclear reactors are running in a number of US universities, for practical training of their students, who study nuclear engineering there!
These U-238 nuclear reactors popularly known as "Pebble Bed Reactors" are safe, and it is practically impossible to have runaway chain reaction in it. They are as safe as conventional steam power station; so possibly many people are not aware of it; even if it is located nearby, in urban areas!
For Bangladesh, this is the safe and sure route for accident-free nuclear power generation! This type of nuclear power plant, is absolutely safe for Bangladesh; unfortunately however, not many people know about it! China is installing its first 400MW Pebble Bed Reactor power plant; which should be on stream soon! The technology was developed in Germany, and a number of such power plants are also running in South Africa!
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