Nuclear energy is an energy source we truly have to consider using if we want to fight climate change and have a stable power grid at the same time. But the fear of nuclear energy is too big after the catastrophic events in Fukushima of 2011. About 150,000 people had to leave the area immediately, partially without ever coming back home again. Therefore, the interest for nuclear energy declined in the Western world. Some countries like Germany even decided to not use nuclear energy anymore and are currently phasing it out completely. In the United States, in turn, the expansion of nuclear energy stagnated. The quantity of operating nuclear reactors peaked in 1996 to a total of 110 after the Watts bar unit 1 came online. Nuclear energy production, on the other hand, was at its peak with 102,000 megawatts and 104 operating reactors. These numbers have been in decline ever since. In 2021, there were only 93 operating reactors with an energy production of 95,492 megawatts left. But is it a big mistake to not use and invest in nuclear energy anymore just because of panic and fear? Supporters of nuclear energy say yes. It is a climate neutral, clean energy source, and since it is not influenced by the weather, like alternative energy sources such as wind or solar energy, it delivers a proper base load to our energy grid. This, of course, is a big factor, especially in the fight against climate change. However, critics say no. They argue with the radioactive waste repository problem. The waste will radiate partially for millions of years after usage, and there's not a known place so far where it could be stored securely for such a long time. But there's a new type of nuclear reactor that could be the best solution for this problem. The concept is not only much safer, it brings all the advantages of conventional nuclear power. In addition, it is possible to completely eliminate the repository problem once and for all. How is that even possible? The publications seem promising, so we took a closer look. Welcome to the futurist, and join us to find out more about this promising new nuclear technology. Don't forget to subscribe to our channel to stay updated on science and futurist technology. Let's go! With conventional nuclear power, we make use of the phenomenon called nuclear fission. Large atomic nuclei are split into smaller ones. This releases enormous amounts of energy and a big part of it into heat. The heat evaporates water inside the reactor into steam, which drives a steam turbine that produces electricity with the use of a generator. This concept is known as the boiling water reactor. But this concept also has its downsides. The structure of the system significantly limits the efficiency of the reactor, and also the materials used in the process are anything but advantageous. But why is that? Let's take a look at the disadvantages of this concept. In rich uranium in a solid fuel rod form serves as the combustion medium. In these fuel rods, there are various isotopes of uranium. Isotopes are atom types, with the same amount of protons, but with different amounts of neutrons inside the nucleus. Their chemical properties are pretty much the same. They can have the same bonds with other elements, for example. However, they differ in their physical properties, such as the extremely important half-life. In a nutshell, different isotopes of uranium have different stability properties, and they have different decay times, which means they can radiate for different lengths of time. For uranium-235, for example, it takes 703.8 million years until it has half-lead decayed into other atoms. In nuclear power plants, this process is accelerated by means of neutron-induced nuclear fission. Unlike uranium-235, uranium-236 decay is extremely fast. Therefore, the idea of nuclear reaction is basically to add a neutron to the atoms, so that the time of decay is extremely shortened, and the energy can be released way faster. Unfortunately, that doesn't work with every isotope, but uranium-235 is an isotope that fits perfectly well for this process. The only downside is that its leftover material is the very stable isotope uranium-238, which unfortunately is unusable, and has to be stored as an atomic waste in a repository. Just like the plutonium created by fission, these materials cannot be used to generate electricity, or is there any possibility to do so? There is actually a company called Dual Fluid that plays a decisive role in this field and is currently working on a revolutionary new concept. If the fuel rods are processed and liquefied beforehand, this reactor concept offers the possibility of using the nuclear waste for energy production. At the same time, it becomes harmless and decays into less harmful substances with a significantly shorter half-life. The nuclear waste stored in the European Union alone would last to meet the annual need of power for more than 1,000 years. And according to the current investigations, this concept seems to be completely safe in contrast to the traditional nuclear power plants. The fuel element is given in liquid form so that if it heats up too much, it will expand, and the expansion in turn inhibits the heat, so it acts as a self-regulating cooling effect. With the use of lead as a heat transfer medium, this reactor is also more efficient. Heat carriers and fuel are completely separated from each other. The lead flows through several chambers through the reactor in close proximity to the fuel, thereby absorbing the heat and transferring it to other areas of the plant for the use of generating electricity. There are also many other use cases for such a safe and efficient nuclear power system. It could be used as an eco-friendly climate-neutral alternative to power big commercial cargo ships, or it is even conceivable to use it on spaceships for the exploration and colonization of our solar system. Where there is praise, there is of course also critics, and currently this concept is only theory so far, but practical component tests are planned for 2023, and a test plant will be built in 2026. So in this case, it's just too early to call it a nuclear breakthrough before this concept has been tested and approved, even if the publications seem very promising. It is possible that this concept works in theory and therefore only on paper. Another big issue of similar liquid-medical reactors is the massive corrosion problem. Beyond that, the expansion of renewable energies is processing really quickly, and the costs have already dropped drastically. In some countries, renewable energy is already significantly cheaper than conventional nuclear power, and because the dual-fluid reactor is a fairly new technology, the cost per kilowatt hour will probably be higher in the beginning. It's even possible that this reactor may never be worth it financially. But despite all the pessimistic criticism, this technology could be an important link in our renewable future, for recycling our nuclear waste into energy, or a growing population with a growing demand on energy. What do you think about nuclear energy? Do you think it's an important energy source, and should we use it? Or do you think it's just too dangerous? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section. If you like our content, please click the like button, and don't forget to subscribe to not miss out on any updates about future technologies that will change our world. See you in the next video!