The Atomic Show Podcast includes interviews, roundtable discussions and atomic geeks all centered around the idea that nuclear energy is an amazing boon for human society.
During show number 15 of The Atomic Show, Shane and I discuss the effects of ever increasing gasoline prices on people that need to drive light trucks as part of the way that they earn their living. We then discuss how nuclear power, specifically smaller nuclear reactors designed to compete in markets currently dominated by…
Show number 14 is something special. It is the first time that Shane and I invite a guest for an interview. Though we have a little difficulty with sound quality, we believe that this is one of our best efforts so far. Our guest, Ted Rockwell is a true nuclear pioneer, having been a part…
At 0123 local Ukrainian time on 26 April 1986, an alarm sounded at the Chernobyl nuclear power station marking the beginning of an accident that has had a lasting effect on the world. Today is the 20th anniversary of that event. Shane and Rod review the accident, the aftermath, and the lessons learned about the…
Shane and Rod take a trip into atomic fission history as they discuss the events and people leading up to the initial discovery that uranium nuclei could be broken, releasing vast quantities of energy. In just a few short years, a small number of physicists and chemists, mostly European and working with tiny research budgets,…
Shane and Rod chat about nuclear power plant security, protection against terrorist threats, an editorial about the prospects for new nuclear power plants in Florida, and the possibility that smaller nuclear power plants could help Ireland meet its increasing energy needs. They also touch briefly on Iran’s recent announcement that it had successfully enriched uranium…
Shane and I talk about the amazing employment prospects for nuclear trained people and for those people willing to learn more about the technology. In general terms, we discuss some of the areas where the third generation nuclear plants that are likely to be constructed have been improved over existing nuclear power plants. We also…
Shane and Rod talk about a new nuclear research project that has been designated at HT3R – pronounced “heater”. It is a 10-25 MW thermal reactor with a closed cycle helium turbine. The project is a partnership between General Atomics, the University of Texas Permian Basin, and Thorium Power. The pre-conceptual design agreement was signed…
This is a special edition of The Atomic Show. In November, 2005, I attended the American Nuclear Society Winter Meeting in Washington, DC. While there, I recorded an interview with Kelly Taylor, an active member of a group called North American Young Generation in Nuclear. Kelly has been in the nuclear industry since she graduated…
Shane and Rod talk about some announcements related to new nuclear power plant construction in the US, South Korea, and Bulgaria. We also move off topic on occasion and touch on the following subjects: The Dupic process of recycling nuclear fuel from a pressurized water reactor into a CANDU reactor Recycling fruit waste into rabbit…
Shane and Rod provide a different take on a current debate regarding the use of enriched uranium. There is a notion among a certain kind of politically educated person that the only valid use of enriched uranium is to produce weapons that can be used to assure mutual destruction. Rod and Shane explain that enriched…
Shane and I chat about types of radiation, ways to measure radiation, normal background levels of radiation, the health effects of low level radiation, and the variation in normal background radiation around the world. We talk about tritium exit lights, radium dial watches, cloud chambers, and geiger counters. Have a listen and tell us what…
Shane and I discuss Peak Oil and the ways that nuclear power can help to alleviate the problems that will result if oil production rate peaks without a more capable alternative available. We specifically mention the work of Kenneth Deffeyes, the author of Beyond Oil: The View from Hubbert’s Peak. In addition, we discussed certain…