Reply #40: So you now admit that the system did survive both ocean water and bio-fouling. [View All]

[Statistical]

"Ion exchange resins rapidly lose their function"
How rapidly?

The experiment conducted by Tamada involved 4 60 day immersions in sea water and the amount of uranium collected in each immersion was linear (no raid drop off between 1st and 2nd or 3rd and 4th).
So while the absorbant material won't last forever it at least last 4 times and likely last much more. They are planning a larger longer experiment to answer questions just like that.

The membrane doesn't need to last forever. The estimated cost at 18 immersions & 4 gram/kg is about $300 per kg. While that is more expensive that conventional uranium the raw uranium in reactor lifecycle is only about 5% of total power cost (quarter of a penny per kWh). Even doubling or quadrupling uranium cost wouldn't materially change lifecycle cost of nuclear energy.


The system is parallel in nature.

If a single absorbent cage can generate 20 grams that 100 cages on a line would generate 2kg.
If a single line can generate 2kg that a thousand cages could generate 2,000kg.

Kinda like a single turbine produces a negligible amount of the worlds power but a 100 turbines in a farm can produce a moderate amount of power.
A couple thousand farms combined can produce a substantial amount of power.

Both are very parallel technologies. If it works for a single unit then you can build 10 units, 100 units, 1000 units, 1,000,000 units and it will still work.