Floating nuclear plants could withstand earthquakes and tsunamis

When an earthquake and tsunami struck the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant complex in 2011, neither the quake nor the inundation caused most of the damage and contamination. Rather, it was the aftereffects — specifically, the lack of cooling for the reactor cores and spent fuel, due to a shutdown of outside power — that caused most of the harm.

A new design for nuclear plants built on floating platforms, modeled after those used for offshore oil drilling, could help avoid such consequences in the future. Such floating plants would be designed to be automatically flooded by the surrounding seawater in a worst-case scenario, providing sufficient cooling to indefinitely prevent any melting of fuel rods, or escape of radioactive material.

The concept is being presented this week at the Small Modular Reactors Symposium, hosted by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, by MIT associate professor of nuclear science and engineering (NSE) Jacopo Buongiorno along with others from MIT, the University of Wisconsin, and Chicago Bridge and Iron, a major nuclear plant and offshore platform construction company.

Video filmed by Christopher Sherrill, courtesy of MIT Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering.

[SkepticalSocialist]

Sounds like a brilliant concept, I bet it gets a lot of backlash from fearmongers though.

*scrolls down comments*

Yep.

[Alteczar]

The ocean is not an absolute heat sink. The heat exhaust from the plant will significantly heat the nearby water, combining with the size of the platform, will impact ocean current and wildlife. However, it is inevitable for there was impacts on any human action. The only way is to balance our species' population with the environment's carrying capacity. There are too many of us in this world, limit the numbers now rather than face a world of riots over food shortages. Hmm... then again, that would reduce our populations anyways. So, yup, keep on doing what we're doing, it will all eventually balance itself out, yea.

[joesmoe]

Interesting idea, and I'm not saying it's not a viable one, but here are some questions:
- How well can it withstand a worse case scenario hurricane?
- What would happen if it was struck by a ship of worst case scenario size, either accidentally or deliberately?
- How vulnerable will the sea-to-shore power lines be to accidents or sabotage?
- How effectively could they be protected from and what would happen if they were torpedoed by terrorists or a foreign power?
- What if the whole rig sank, what would the consequences be both short and long term?

[microproductions]

This would be great for thorium, traveling wave reactors or fusion reactors in the future. LWRs should not be built anymore because they generate waste. Just use all the waste we already have for TWRs.

[joesmoe]

Here's an idea: How about designing a spot on the sea floor directly underneath the core engineered to cave in and bury it if the core is dropped during a disaster, maybe line it with boron to help suppress further reaction?

[climate_changespent_nuclea]

Deploy the new Indian AHWR via the Floating Nuclear Power Plant using Lightbridge fuel with Thorium bundle. You provide spent nuclear with depleted uranium as well as using a slight enrichment with the GE Silex process. Indian AHWR because it is loaded from top vs. side.

[damienscullytoo]

very good idea, especially how the sea can be used as a heat sink, though if an accident were to happen our oceans would be doomed as well as fish stocks.If it were possible for a safety pre-caution another cylinder should surround this so if a leak or such occurred it could be instantly closed limiting the effect on the sea, while still having your active cool sink when its open.Think of it as flood gates except under the ocean.

[AlexAnderlik]

... Because venting radioactive gas directly into the ocean is definitely better than leaking it into a contained area.

[rRobertSmith]

By the time they put all the safety features on it....it will be 3X as expensive as a ground based you put a 16 anchor stabilization like a oil platform....it will be very safe and you can put it anywhere for disaster relief...Put one in the "dead zone" at the base of the Mississippi river ....and put the condensate tank 10 feet farther down and all the way across.
How do you do security on a floatel?   where would you put the 13 foot  fence?

[KENSEICHRS]

Excellent design and innovative design, but any construction legislation would never pass in this country. Not at least within the next 50 years. 

[colintesla]

I'm sorry but after Chernobyl, Fukushima, and whipp I think this is a horrible idea. I love you guys at MIT but nuclear simply has to go! When something goes wrong with nuclear it goes very very wrong and the truth is we simply don't need it with all the other green options on our plate now :)

[akshayaj]

What is the current situation of this project???

[lorenzlaplace]

really enjoyed the video. Not so impressed with the comments below. 

[matteopiccioni]

Great idea..but, you should use that N.p.p. configuration based of lead cooling to:
-in case of hard problems the lead solidify, shielding the core, and the the core can be let fallen in deepness of the ocean (without freeing in the ocean /limiting the poisonous gasses.. fishing irradiated fishes is not a good idea)

[garciacontracting]

I own the mineral rights in an 15km2 area with up to 3% uranium oxide concentration
We are looking for JV

[padredemishijos]

How about a torpedo or a ship to ship missile. How about a ship filled with TNT? How about a supertanker ramming it?

[israelfigueroa]

It should float over a abism, so if something go wrogn It will be buried with no effort.

[hoslo]

Asinine, or monstrous...
Consider there has never been an event without human error.
Then consider disposition of the waste.
Our oceans are the source of all life.
I'm glad to see MIT is giving this concept some thought before building it.
Question.
Would it ever be possible to count the number of ships lost at sea?

[warumzumquadrat]

This is mad. What would you do, if something unlikly happens and the nuclear waste gets in the ocean. That would be an indescribable bad damage to the environment. Well, it doesn't forces families and workers to evacuate an area, their homes, ..., but it would destroy something more precious than anything a human could ever built.

[cathiiannii]

When people lie their noses itch and they scratch it or rub it. Which he does when he says it's SAFE ....2.00