Evening star., 1952-12-09

ating station producing power
from heat. The conventions
steam turbines and all the rest
Of the power system will continuf
as at present.
What we hope for. therefore. ir
attempting to perfect nuclear en-
ergy is primarily to reduce the cost
in one of the elements of power
production, namely, fuel.
Fuel represents substantial
portion of the production costs
and also of the overall costs OF
thermal generated power today
And if the more optimistic ideas
as to breeding-and associated
chemical procesSes-can be real.
lied. the fuel cost could be reduced
by nuclear reactors to perhaps II
per cent of what is experienced ir
a 'Eer on" steam boiler.
This prospect of a radical
cheapening in fuel cost for powe,
through nuclear energy is still
only a hope. There is no rea
question as to the technical OF
mechanical feasibility of using
nuclear energy to provide the fue
for electric power. The only
serious question is, whether Of
not nuclear energy could be pro-
duced cheaper than conventional
power or at a comparable cost
Atom Submarine Boosts Prospects
Until a short time ago it was
customary to speak of nucleal
power stations as something tx
be expected in a matter of dec
ades." It is against the back
ground of these views of the re.
cent past that we need to examine
the new mood of optimism which
is currently finding expression.
What this optimism really re-
fleets is first. the natural salts.
faction because submarine with
q nuclear reactor as part Of it:
propulsion equipment will soon bt
an accomplished fact.
Second, it reflects the fact thai
substantial and rewarding work Is
being done looking toward the
development of power as a by
product of producing plutonium
In this work a number of highly
competent private industrial con-
Germs are actively collaborating
with the Atomic Energy Com
mission and with one another ane
they are utilizing some of theil
most skilled personnel and theil
own funds in the undertaking.
Finally, the optimism reflects
the encouraging experience thai
the Acc Is beginning to get ir
connection with the operation o1
a number of its experimental,
reactors.
On June IA of this year the
keel was laid for the first nuclea1
power submarine. The reactol
power plant for this submarine i!
being developed and will be bull
by the Westinghouse Electric Corp
working jointly with Argonne Ma
tional Laboratory. No one wht
has been permitted to come int
close contact with this project Ina.
any doubt that the undertaking
will be highly successful.
Economics Is Biggest Barrier.
There is no material difference
between the conventional fuel
powered plant driving a Subma'
rine or carrier and a central sta.
ton plant of about the same size
Why, then, is it not possible tt
use the same kind of plant fol
the generation of central station
power?
There is no reason except tn,
matter Of economies. It simply il
not possible in the present stat,
of technology to design and con
struct nuclear reactors that woult
produce a unit Of electric energ!
for commercial purposes at any
where near the same cost as con.
ventional fuels.
Military projects cannot b.
thought of as too closely con
nected with the problem of civilian
application. Electric energy TO
military craft might be acceptable
where the cost ranged from
cents even to $3.50 per kilo
watt hour. To begin to be of in
terest for civilian use and to b
competitive with other sources o
electric power for normal use
costs must be substantially unde
! cent per kilowatt hour.
The unsolved problems whicl
make nuclear power so costly ar
quite technical. To mention
number of them: There is tn
metallurgical problem of findin
materials capable of standing tn
high temperatures needed il
equipment for the modern ther
NAL system of power generation
while at the same time the ma
terial is subject to neutron an
other radiation bombardment.
There is also the problem o
heat transfer systems operating
under the limitations imposed b
high temperatures needed for ef
ficiency. whereas high tempera
lures may be bad for the safet
Of the reactor; there is the proc
eSsing Of radiated materials; an,
there is the problem Of dispose
Of the large quantities Of radio
active waSteS-fisSion product.
All Of these complications ad
greatly to the difficulties and t
the cost Of producing heat in
form that can be utilized by
steam turbine or a gas turbin,
Power Can Be By-product.
An evaluation of the final COS
Of producing a unit of energ.
in the light of these complies
tions. leads to the conclusion ths
under present conditions q plar
using nuclear fuel-asSumin
such fuel could be made availabI
under the pressing military neec
of today-will be far more exper
sive than the same unit of enere