The AP1000 has been projected at the ANS meeting as the future of nuclear power - and some of it is deserved as being the first attempts at new builds in the US (not including finishing up Watts Bar Unit 2). Look, however, at the callout number 4. The idea for this aspect of the passive system is that in a reactor emergency the water flows down the pressure vessel, setting up convection currents in the vessel and radiating heat by evaporation from the vessel. system for reactor cooling relies on a water pool above the pressure vessel. One of the more obvious lessons from Fukushima was that putting water above grade for essential functions is a bad idea.
I am sure that Westinghouse / the NRC has noticed this, and are probably working on deciding if this is a real issue (it is not the same thing as Fukushima, at Fukushima the spent fuel which produces heat was above grade, and then there was cladding failure issues when the spent fuel become drained) and if it is fixing it. (I mean, we gotta have earthquake proof containers by now - just make a nalgene tub)
The nuclear industry seems to be fixated on the technology from 60 years ago - water cooled reactors. It is very silly; the licensing requirements are such that it takes a tremendous amount of money to (billions) to certify new designs, and neither the national labs or industry want to spend it (but we can spend 15 billion or so on Yucca Mountain). If you think about the innovative energy start ups they are on the scale of millions. Why can't nuclear power be like that? Sure the are companies out their trying (mPower, for example) but the system is such that it will be very difficult for them to ever get their design licensed.
It is almost like the utilities and NRC got together and collaborated on best how to retard growth in the industry.
Sorry for the negative attitude; I really do believe that nuclear energy has a role to play. Just slightly disillusioned with the system.
