Check out the latest episodes from
Decouple...

Molten Salt Reactors are often portrayed as nuclear’s great missed opportunity, promising unparalleled safety, efficiency, and fuel sustainability. But are these promises reality or hype? Nick Touran, reactor designer and nuclear historian, joins me to tell the complex story behind molten salt reactors—from their ambitious beginnings during Cold War nuclear airplane experiments to the realities of managing radioactive liquid fuels. This conversation clears the mist around one of nuclear's most intriguing yet misunderstood technologies. Read more in-depth show notes on Substack: https://open.substack.com/pub/decouple/p/pass-the-salt Remote Maintenance of Molten Salt Reactors: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHT-w2x6dDg Thorium Myths: https://whatisnuclear.com/thorium-myths.html Episode title on podcast platforms: Pass the Salt Listen to Decouple on: • Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6PNr3ml8nEQotWWavE9kQz • Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/decouple/id1516526694?uo=4 • Overcast: https://overcast.fm/itunes1516526694/decouple • Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/ehbfrn44 • RSS: https://anchor.fm/s/23775178/podcast/rss Website: https://www.decouple.media Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 01:40 Historical Context of Molten Salt Reactors 04:15 The Aircraft Reactor Experiment 06:48 Challenges and Innovations in Reactor Design 20:25 Molten Salt Reactor Experiment (MSRE) 36:55 Nuclear Waste Challenges in Molten Salt Reactors 37:46 Remote Maintenance and Operational Challenges 40:23 Thermal Stresses and Chemical Complexities 45:51 The Cultural Mystique of Molten Salt Reactors 47:36 Kirk Sorensen and Nuclear Advocacy 53:57 Debunking Thorium Myths 57:59 Global Developments and Future Prospects for Molten Salt Reactors

This week, we talk Boiling Water Reactors (BWRs) with James Krellenstein, the CEO of Alva Energy. We dive into the engineering, history, and physics of these reactors, how they differ from other designs, and why the United States may have erred in not choosing the Advanced Boiling Water Reactor (ABWR) instead of the Westinghouse AP-1000 for the Vogtle nuclear power plant. Check out longer show notes, including the BORAX experiment video, on Substack: https://www.decouple.media/p/better-water-reactors For this episode, we’ve included a glossary below to help with unfamiliar terms: • ABWR: Advanced Boiling Water Reactor • ATWS: Anticipated Transient Without Scram • BORAX experiments: Historical experiments testing reactor limits through deliberate failures • BWR: Boiling Water Reactor • COPS: Containment Overpressure Protection System • CRDM: Control Rod Drive Mechanism • ESBWR: Economic Simplified Boiling Water Reactor • FLEX: Diverse and Flexible Coping Strategies (post-Fukushima enhancements) • FOAK: First of a kind • IGSCC: Intergranular Stress Corrosion Cracking • NOAK: N-nth of a kind • NRC: Nuclear Regulatory Commission • NSSS: Nuclear Steam Supply System (N Triple-S) • PRA: Probabilistic Risk Assessment • PWR: Pressurized Water Reactor • RCIC: Reactor Core Isolation Cooling System • RPV: Reactor Pressure Vessel • SLC: Standby Liquid Control System Episode title on podcast players: "Better Water Reactors" Learn more about Alva Energy: https://alvaenergy.io/ Listen to Decouple on: • Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6PNr3ml8nEQotWWavE9kQz • Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/decouple/id1516526694?uo=4 • Overcast: https://overcast.fm/itunes1516526694/decouple • Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/ehbfrn44 • RSS: https://anchor.fm/s/23775178/podcast/rss Website: https://www.decouple.media

This week, we talk industrial policy. Economist and author Steve Keen joins me to shine light on the present moment by exploring the historical use of tariffs and industrial policy in the development of industrial powers from Britain to China. In his usual style, Keen aims to dismantle the myths of free-market economics, explaining how virtually every successful industrial nation began with protectionist policies. With the US now engaged in a trade war with Canada and other nations under Trump's renewed tariffs, we examine whether such measures can effectively rebuild American industry without the comprehensive industrial policies that powered China's meteoric rise. Hint: Keen believes this simplistic tariff solutions may create more chaos than revival for America's industrial base. Watch Steve Keen on Youtube: @ProfSteveKeen Listen to Decouple on: • Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6PNr3ml8nEQotWWavE9kQz • Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/decouple/id1516526694?uo=4 • Overcast: https://overcast.fm/itunes1516526694/decouple • Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/ehbfrn44 • RSS: https://anchor.fm/s/23775178/podcast/rss Website: https://www.decouple.media Chapters: 00:00 Teaser: Impact of Tariffs 00:49 Introduction 05:03 History of Tariffs and Industrial Policy 19:36 China's Industrial Strategy and Global Trade 32:26 The Rise of Japanese Motorbikes and Cars 34:07 China's Industrial Policy vs. Trump's Tariffs 34:59 Globalization and Its Complexities 38:01 Challenges of Reindustrializing America 51:27 Public vs. Private Debt and Economic Predictions

Today, we talk uranium nuclear fuel. I spoke with MIT's Professor Koroush Shirvan, who rejoins me after our first interview on Small Modular Reactors. Now, we dive into the hidden complexities of nuclear fuels. From early fuel experiments that saw uranium rods turn into spaghetti-like structures under neutron bombardment to the intricate economics shaping the future of fuels like TRISO, Shirvan offers clear insights into the realities behind nuclear power’s remarkable yet challenging fuel technologies. Keep watching to discover how history shaped today's dominant fuel choices, why accident-tolerant innovations are critical, and about the economic realities that could either launch or limit the nuclear renaissance. Episode title on podcast platforms: "Fuel for Thought" Listen to Koroush's previous Decouple appearance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDzaSucDg7k Listen to Decouple on: • Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6PNr3ml8nEQotWWavE9kQz • Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/decouple/id1516526694?uo=4 • Overcast: https://overcast.fm/itunes1516526694/decouple • Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/ehbfrn44 • RSS: https://anchor.fm/s/23775178/podcast/rss Website: https://www.decouple.media Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 03:05 Historical Evolution and Energy Density 09:44 Chemistry and Complexity of Nuclear Fuel 14:15 Why Uranium Oxide Dominates 21:09 Fuel Cladding Explained 29:23 Accidents and Fuel Failures 35:24 Challenges in Fuel Development 40:41 TRISO Fuel: Past, Present, and Potential 50:30 Economics of HALEU 01:05:37 Comparative Costs and Future Realities

This week, we return to China. David Fishman, senior manager at The Lantau Group, joins me again to dissect the unprecedented scale of China’s electrification, which Fishman says is driven by a mix of state planning, brutal market competition, and strategic energy security concerns. Our discussion ranges from the world's largest hydro projects to a coal industry that refuses to die; the forces driving China's power sector; the balance between state planning and market competition; and how this all fits into the larger economic shift towards innovation-driven, rather than imitiation-driven, growth. Extended shownotes: https://open.substack.com/pub/decouple/p/china-the-electrostate Episode title on podcast platforms: "China, the Electrostate" David Fishman on X: https://x.com/pretentiouswhat Listen to Decouple on: • Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6PNr3ml8nEQotWWavE9kQz • Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/decouple/id1516526694?uo=4 • Overcast: https://overcast.fm/itunes1516526694/decouple • Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/ehbfrn44 • RSS: https://anchor.fm/s/23775178/podcast/rss Website: https://www.decouple.media Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 01:14 China's Electrification Journey 05:48 Hydropower in China 17:04 The Coal Conundrum 25:36 China's Massive Coal Power Expansion 27:44 China's Electricity Consumption Trends 32:27 Innovation in China's Energy Sector 40:08 The Future of Batteries and Green Hydrogen

This week, Decouple Germany correspondent Noah Rettberg, a physics laboratory technician and precision machinist, talks about the potential to restart German nuclear reactors. A new analysis from Radiant Energy Group examines Germany's potential to redeploy nuclear power using its existing reactor fleet. Through assessment of recently shuttered reactors, their report suggests Germany could restore up to 13 gigawatts of nuclear power to the European grid within eight years – potentially at much lower costs than new construction. As Germany's electricity imports have risen sharply – from 9 TWh in 2023 to 25 TWh by late 2024 – and its economy faces headwinds, the country's nuclear infrastructure might offer a path forward if the political will appears. Episode title on podcast platforms: "Mission: Recommision" Listen to Decouple on: • Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6PNr3ml8nEQotWWavE9kQz • Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/decouple/id1516526694?uo=4 • Overcast: https://overcast.fm/itunes1516526694/decouple • Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/ehbfrn44 • RSS: https://anchor.fm/s/23775178/podcast/rss Website: https://www.decouple.media Chapters: 00:00 Introduction and German nuclear potential 03:24 History of German nuclear development 09:01 Anti-nuclear movement emergence 18:27 Timeline of reactor closures 25:45 Current grid challenges 32:19 Restart feasibility analysis 40:22 Political landscape 47:54 Technical restart categories 54:36 Economic comparisons 01:04:02 Future prospects

This week, we talk carbon capture. Canadian engineer and entrepreneur Ian MacGregor joins me to explore this misunderstood technology through the lens of someone who's actually built it. MacGregor, the architect behind the Alberta Carbon Trunk Line—the largest carbon capture and storage project in the world—cuts through the hype to discuss the thermodynamic and economic realities that govern this technology. Informed by decades of hands-on experience, he challenges popular narratives while offering a pragmatic vision for how carbon capture might realistically develop. Episode title on podcast platforms: "Carbon Capture for Dummies" Listen to Decouple on: • Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6PNr3ml8nEQotWWavE9kQz • Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/decouple/id1516526694?uo=4 • Overcast: https://overcast.fm/itunes1516526694/decouple • Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/ehbfrn44 • RSS: https://anchor.fm/s/23775178/podcast/rss Website: https://www.decouple.media Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 04:00 History of enhanced oil recovery 08:10 CO2 capture methods and challenges 15:30 Gasification process explanation 23:20 Pipeline infrastructure requirements 31:40 Alberta Carbon Trunk Line development 38:50 Economic considerations and government policy 44:15 Project financing and enhanced oil recovery 48:30 Energy security implications 51:40 Closing thoughts on technology development