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Nuclear Power/Expert Profile
Expertise
I'm currently at a branch of the University of Texas working on an advanced nuclear reactor. Generation IV nuclear reactors. Radiation safety. Nuclear fusion.
Experience in the area
Working on a Generation IV nuclear reactor in the design stages right now. Doctoral research on stellar nuclear fusion reactions.
Education/Credentials
Ph.D. in physics (nuclear physics), Duke University.
Average Ratings
Recent Answers from Steve Nelson
2009-09-28 Can the use of nuclear energy be justified?:
Of course it can, or we wouldn't use it. Since you asked a question with such a massive scope, I'm just going to point you in the direction of some research. Start with the wiki page, it's pretty accurate:
2009-06-10 Uranium:
What is 109 Uranium? By what process are you making electricity, in a reactor? Reactors and bombs both require much higher amounts of uranium (10's to hundreds of kilograms) than 10 grams. An atom of
2009-03-12 nuclear fusion:
There are few compared to other power sources. Fusion produces minimal nuclear waste compared to fission plants and certainly to what's released by coal (radon into the atmosphere). The standard power
2009-03-10 Aneutronic fusion -- is a turbine better than direct-conversion?:
Hydrogen-boron fusion is at least 30 years away as a power source, in my opinion. D-T fusion will happen first, but only maybe in that timescale. It's all for practical reasons of engineering, this isn't
2009-03-10 Aneutronic fusion -- is a turbine better than direct-conversion?:
60 Hz, not directly, but there's no reason you'd need to do that. You'd need to extract power via microwaves in the GHz range and then convert that power to transmission power frequencies. It requires
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