Why can't we go for radiation-safe nuclear power plants?

S. A. Mansoor reviewing various operational aspects of the proposed Rooppur nuclear plant The Government appears to be all set to buy a U236-fuelled nuclear power plant (2 X 1000MW units) from Russia of all the countries. Russia has the highest number of civilian casualties from the Chernobyl nuclear plant disaster. It killed or injured nearly one thousand persons, based on western reports (Russia imposed strict censorship on the news of the disaster). Many are still suffering from radiation sickness, while many unknown numbers have suffered from various radiation-related medical problems in the area around Chernobyl. It has affected a vast track of land around the nuclear plant and the area is unsafe for human habitation. Despite these known facts, our government in its wisdom (?) is buying the nuclear power plant with money, borrowed from the Russian government at a rate of interest higher what is usually offered by other international sources. Interestingly enough, the whole plant, from design to commissioning and hand-over, will be monitored by Russian consultants and not by independent outside consultants. Are we planning to invite a potential nuclear disaster, consequences of which will be too dreadful to elaborate? Any operational U236 nuclear reactor, in normal course, produces different types and quantities of both harmless and very dangerous radioisotopes on the fuel elements (fuel rods) through progressive nuclear mutation. When concentration of such radio isotopes increases significantly, such elements or rods are called 'spent rods' and need to be replaced. These dangerous radio isotopes decay further into other dangerous products, giving out fatal levels of radiation that can kill a person in seconds if he or she is exposed to it. The potency of these isotopes is determined by their 'half life', when radioactivity is decreased to half the original level. It takes over ten half lives before these can be considered as safe for human contact. However, some such materials still remain dangerous and may be considered safe not even after thousands of years. If such a dangerous radioisotope, let us say, has a half life of one year, it can only be considered safe after it has been safely stored undisturbed for over a thousand year. Some of the most dangerous nuclear wastes are Strontium-90 and Cesium-137, with half lives of thirty years for both. Even then these remain dangerous and need total isolation. Another dangerous material coming from spent fuel rod is Plutonium-239, with a half life of 24.36 years; this remains fatal even after more than 240 thousand years. The waste disposal of spent fuel rods will be the major and essential problem for the proposed nuclear project. How will the spent fuel rods from the nuclear reactors be stored? That itself is a major, risky and dangerous proposition. Local waste disposal is out of the question. Waste disposal will be the most vital problem for this potentially dangerous nuclear plant. Further, the Russian law does not permit sending any spent fuel back to Russia. This matter was clearly spelled out by the Russian technical team at Dhaka on June 10, when they were here. All we have is a verbal assurance about waste management. How was such a crucial was left hanging? Interestingly, Russia lacks in the technical capability for reprocessing the waste to be generated by the VVER-1000 nuclear reactors, to be built and supplied for the nuclear plant at Rooppur. This has been stated by western nuclear experts. How on earth, is Bangladesh going to solve the dangerous and highly radiation-prone wastes to be generated by the nuclear power plant? Or, is it that we are going to buy long-term fatal radiation poisoning for the Bangladeshis? I wonder how we will get International Atomic Energy Commission's clearance for this plant. Why cannot we go for radiation-safe U238 nuclear power plants? In modules of 100KW, these are absolutely safe, and can be installed in multiple units of 100X5=500MW, with common plant control room. With the money that we plan to potentially waste on a 'killer' plant, we can easily set up at least six or seven 500MW U238 safe nuclear plants, at each divisional load centres. Land requirement is only about 300X300 feet. These plants need no safety zones, no containment domes, no special structures, and can be safely installed in urban areas. Also there will be no environment polluting coal yards, or oil storage tanks. But these are needed alongside conventional thermal power plants. A number of 0.5 to 1.0MW-U238 atomic power plants have been installed and functioning in some US universities. These are run by nuclear engineering students, as part of their study course in nuclear engineering. The spent fuel from U238 nuclear power plants can be disposed off any where, without any problems. These are hard non-breakable ceramic balls, sized like tennis balls, that can be conveniently used as landfill and at construction sites for earth filling; as and where needed. These plants can be available from Germany, South Africa and China. The latter has a 1000MW multiple reactor U238 power plant, the largest in the world. The writer is an Engineer, with over 50 years of hands-on plant engineering and maintenance experience. [email protected]