Quote:
Originally Posted by GeoffC
I wonder whether nuclear is non-polluting in terms of greenhouse gases. Doesn't the reactor need water for cooling purposes. If so then that includes steam venting into the atmosphere.
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The most commonly-used reactor design today is the PWR (pressurised water reactor). In that design, the actual coolant that flows through the reactor itself is a sealed system - no venting. Those coolant pipes are in turn cooled by an "outer" coolant system via a heat exchanger, but that is "flowing" water, either from the sea or a river. It's just pumped from the river, passes through the heat exchangers, and discharged back into the river again, a few degrees warmer than when it went in. There's no "steam" involved, and no greenhouse gases.
Local marine life generally flourishes around nuclear power stations; the fact that they warm the water is nice for the fish.