So You Want to Build a Nuclear Reactor

[@trepan4944]

When the world needed him most, He returned.

[@bartsanders1553]

Someday I'll be early enough to post this.

[@synth1002]

I really new before entering the video that someone will write this comment.

[@tcmtech7515]

They let him out of the 'Not-woke-enough' dungeon.

[@artsseriouschannel]

He's like Batman.!

[@MikesSoftLemonade]

I clicked this so fast my finger hurts now

[@Tsagan]

Welcome back professor, we've missed you

[@R9RealMadridR9CR7]

Yes!!! Yes we did.

[@swokatsamsiyu3590]

I wholeheartedly second that! His videos are always so well done.

[@jwardcomo]

Sure did!

[@robertthallium6883]

HOLY MOLY THE PROFESSOR IS BACK

[@sudokode]

Guy took a year off to recharge at the local nuclear plant

[@obelic71]

Or he was tinkering in his Shed creating the first portable nuclear operated coffeemaker.😉

[@marilynruzic5588]

Thanks for dislaying the shirt that I made for you!

[@illinoisenergyprof6878]

Thanks Sweetie!

[@manitoba-op4jx]

so wholesome :D

[@R9RealMadridR9CR7]

💯🇺🇸

[@MojaveDan]

Did you pick his cool tie too?

[@christianlibertarian5488]

Most reliable nuclear power show on the internet. Thanks for your return!

[@tylower]

No clickbait, no BS, just a well-planned presentation for laypeople. Illinois Energy Prof is one of the best channels on KZbin. MORE! MORE! MORE! Please.

[@dwayne7356]

As a retired licensed reactor operator, thank you for the update. I try to keep up on the changes in the industry because people still ask me questions. You present the information that most lay people can understand and I do use your information because of the simplicity. The number of permits, federal, state, local, even the grid operator, is unbelievable. it seem like every three-letter agency that gets a say.

[@bfth121]

DOGE 2025

[@r3dp9]

@@bfth121 Seriously. The #1 enemy isn't the number of regulations, or even their strictness, it's the sheer quantity of laws (and interpretations of laws) to navigate.

[@bfth121]

@@r3dp9 that's what laws are. Regulations

[@toddrf]

@@bfth121actually, the vast majormajority of regulations are not laws. It’s merely the administrative agencies deciding on their own what rules to create and enforce. Many regulations are self-serving in that they exist to create bureaucracy that perpetuates regulatory jobs.

[@michaelgross7724]

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="730">12:10</a> "And I'll have other videos to come". Best. Christmas. Gift. Ever! 😁

[@zetsubouda]

The legend returns. Without the hyperbole thank you for another very informative and well explained video on an important and relevant topic.

[@anothermatt618]

Hello Prof. David Ruzic. Great video, I always look forward to watching when I see a new upload. Another one I am sure you are aware of is the GE Hitachi SMR BWRX-300 currently being built in Canada. I drive by the construction site every day. As a nuclear engineer working in Canada it is exciting to see a new-style reactor being built in Canada, or any new reactor for that matter. Though the CANDU style is very unique and a pleasure to work on as well.

[@illinoisenergyprof6878]

Great comment, and possibly a new video topic!

[@zapfanzapfan]

We seem to be preparing to build one of them in Sweden too, maybe start actual build in 2028 or so.

[@swokatsamsiyu3590]

Oehhh, I'm so jealous! You get to work with one of the most awesome reactors bar none. As a very nerdy hobby I study nuclear reactors, and the CANDU is an incredibly engineering feat. Happy New Year!

[@WarrenGarabrandt]

I was just rewatching your catalog over the last month to refresh my memory in anticipation that you might return soon. Welcome back!

[@MichaelVLang]

Glad to see you back Prof! Thank you!

[@forensix78]

I’m sure Prof. Ruzic is a very busy man. But he should know that when people like me are THIS excited about an upload, he’s onto something special.

[@texastriguy]

Hey! Great to see a new drop from you!

[@tarstarkusz]

These things are wildly optimistic. I'll believe it when I see it. 2040 is probably a more realistic date assuming it is ever built.

[@mike1422214222]

Nothing gets built quickly anymore. From the mid 70's to the 90's, France was building a new nuclear plant every 3 years or so. Now, their new EPR takes 10+ years. The US and Canadian nuke fleets were similarly productive and messed up. Our nuke buildout was fast, but Vogtle in GA was a mess.

[@XXfea]

What took you so long for a video? You're the best! I miss it!

[@AnonYmous-ys2if]

Woo! New EnergyProf video!

[@karnic-f1x]

The gen IV reactors also produces more manageable waste. It is more radioactive, but decays much faster. Waste from old reactors can also be "burned" up in a gen IV reactor tuned for it.

[@illinoisenergyprof6878]

absolutely

[@ricktan5663]

Welcome back to the Energy Prof. The best mirror-image penmanship professor on the planet.

[@lerkzor]

pro-tip: he writes on glass, the video is mirrored. Observe his belt buckle and shirt & coat buttons, compare to how they are in reality. Knowing how he does the magic does not detract from the great content, delivered so that non-technical people can understand it.

[@axd110]

Welcome back, Professor.

[@dewiz9596]

Glad to see you’re back (as opposed to glad to see your back)

[@zimfar]

So glad to see you back! I've been missing your videos. I truly hope that SMRs get fast-tracked and proliferate quickly.

[@olafzijnbuis]

Here in the Netherlands, we have one major nuclear power plant. Borsele with a capacity of 485 MWe. Construction started in 1969 and the plant was online in 1973. About 5 years later. Building a nuclear power plant in only 5 years is, as we all know now, very very risky. It should take at least 20 years: 15 years for talking and 5 years for the construction. Funny thing... this plant will be in operation till at least 2033. That is 60 years of clean energy.

[@illinoisenergyprof6878]

The French build them fast still --- that is because they use the same (continually improved) design with many of the same workers. The hope is that standardization, and being able to build reactor after reactor at one plant wiht the same workforce, and then ship them to different locations will make the process much quicker once the first few are made.

[@olafzijnbuis]

@@illinoisenergyprof6878 Thanks for your reply. Building the units in a factory will keep the cost down and improve the quality for sure. If they are intrinsically safe, do you need a containment building? Not having this enormous thick concrete dome will also speed up construction and keep cost down.

[@lunde28]

@@olafzijnbuis They end up selling SMR's in IKEA. The containment building is the last line of defence in a reactor design with water cooling. The water can expand, create hydrogen, disappear etc. and you have gas explosion or melt down. But if there is no pressure that risk i gone and the containment should be unnecessary. They only reason I could see you need it is due to exterior threats, someone running a car or plane into to the facility. But still you won't have a huge blowup, only some solidified salt or pellets which can be controlled.

[@SocialDownclimber]

@@illinoisenergyprof6878 Do they though? I really don't think it is honest to say that EPRs are built quickly.

[@ronblack7870]

@@olafzijnbuis i don't see the public accepting no containment building . hell i m surprised they got approval. when you have public hearings every dingbat and conspiracy nut will complain at the hearings. oh yes and realize the biggest dingbat - RFK is now going to be in the federal govt.he is anti nuclear to the core.

[@blairseaman461]

Where ya been, man? Finally, the Good News Professor returns. You're inspiring more young folks to get involved. Thank you.

[@GG-yr5ix]

Been waiting for this one! Great to see you again!

[@Spike_au]

Strangely enough, I have no professional need to know anything about nuclear reactors, but this is one of my favourite channels. I could probably listen to this guy talk about anything.

[@rickhero2111]

I really appreciate all the content on your channel.

[@Ray_of_Light62]

Pleasure to see you back! Thank you for the video. Greetings from the UK, Anthony

[@antonnym214]

SMR is new and exciting tech! I see this type of reactor being a game-changer for interplanetary exploration and settlement. Would be perfect for the Moon, Mars and farther out. Hyper-interesting stuff! Thank you!

[@Christoph1888]

He's back babby. We missed you! Love your work!

[@jabbathehutt1321]

Hell yeah, my favorite KZbinr dropping a new video!

[@StuartLynne]

Thank you youtube for bringing this immediately back into my feed. Welcome back!

[@mr.hijacker9568]

Good to see you back sir 🫡.

[@jeriwollmann7366]

Awesome informative video professor. Cheers❤️👍

[@DougNoOnions]

Uhuuuuuu, the professor is back!!!!!

[@thepilotman5378]

he posts again! the world is healing

[@josephplace9754]

Love the content! Glad you are back!!

[@shanedk]

Great to see you back, Prof!

[@ITSecurityFTW]

HE'S BACK!!!!!!!!!! It's a post Christmas Miracle!

[@FOXHOUNDProductions91]

YES HE HAS RETURNED!!

[@SamWhitlock]

I have never clicked on a video so quickly! He's back y'all! 🎉

[@davidhill3724]

Love your videos. Great info and you do such a great job explaining complex topics

[@osterianio]

Dr. Ruzic, it's a genuine pleasure to see another informative video from you.

[@johanponken]

The comet has returned on its highly elliptical orbit, and we are once more in awe of the brilliance!

[@swokatsamsiyu3590]

Yes, new videos! I do enjoy them so much. It is clear that you enjoy teaching, and passing on your knowledge. Happy New Year, it's good to have you back, professor😊 Here's to many new videos in the next year.

[@lavoltare6307]

You've made my day thank you david for returning.

[@Rockamps78]

I have missed your videos !! Thank you for making another one ! I hope more are coming !

[@Farmer-bh3cg]

It's so good to have you back!!

[@nword9239]

Kind sir you are a treasure, keep doing what you like, and I will always keep supporting your channel. You make one of the hardest endeavors known in modern society which is to educate people regarding nuclear energy which is often targeted by the stream of ignorant people whose only purpose is to steer the money away from beneficial projects whether they consciously know it or not.

[@lukedowneslukedownes5900]

Wow I think about your economics of a nuclear reactor all the time. You really did help distribute this knowledge to the masses

[@PDQkevin77]

I can’t even say how happy I was to see a new video from the Energy Prof. This is by far and away the best information on nuclear power and many other scientific fields available anywhere.

[@boby115]

It’s wonderful seeing the professor back in action. Love watching his videos in the mirror, because I know he’s right handed.👏

[@llwellyncuhfwarthen]

Excellent to see you back good sir! I hope life has been treating you well! Merry Christmas Happy New Years, Seasons greetings etc etc!

[@bipolarminddroppings]

You're doing Lord Clapton's work, sir. I've had this mantra for years: You can be against climate change, or against Nuclear power. You can't be against both, at least not until we figure out fusion.

[@Benfalk1982]

This is the best belated Christmas present I've gotten in a long time; thank you sir.

[@kms3530]

Hi Greatings From Belgium 🇧🇪 . This is a prof you can be proud of North America.

[@wesw9586]

Good to see the professor back at it!

[@aaronrocs]

How exciting. It's about time we opened new reactors in America, especially considering all the advances in tech. Looks like people have been hard at work making it happen. Thanks for the video, you're a very good teacher. I get excited when I see you've posted a new video. Hell, I've seen 'em all, and they're all fantastic. This one is no different.

[@jordancobb509]

These reactor designs are impressive. Equally impressive is this man's ability to legibly write backwards.

[@Tehscottinator]

I binge watched all your content years ago and still get excited when a new one comes out.

[@tranquero]

Good to see you back. Watched your videos many years ago and these lessons are timeless. Salutations from Argentina❤

[@rbasomb]

Hi prof! Glad you're back. I would love to see your comments about the nuclear plan proposed by Argentina about 10 days ago. Javier Milei's chief technical advisor is Damien Reidel, a physics graduate from the Balseiro, an institute where they have their own scientific reactor. Basically the plan proposes to gear all the countries regulations to fast track the usage of small modular reactors.

[@kelliestratton6991]

Welcome back! Got thru pandemic with your content!

[@MarkAShaw64]

The most important question is, how did you stop the pen squeak?

[@roidthenoid]

Glad to see you back professor

[@shawnomancy]

Great to see you educating us again, Professor. Hope you’ve been well.

[@anthonydyer3939]

I was speaking with a representative from Lloyds Register. It seems there is a lot of active interest in formulating rules and regulations for Nuclear Maritime merchant shipping. SR’s are already installed in military vessels, but SMR’s look like they are just the ticket for commercial shipping.

[@tinytim71301]

EXCELLENT presentation. Must be a great Prof.

[@BrianSolberg]

Glad you're back professor! Always enjoy your review and explanations. Thank you!

[@Airplane171]

Welcome back Professor Ruzic! You were my favorite professor at U of I!

[@ptonpc]

Welcome back!

[@thebackflowbro6864]

This is how I knew about what happened in Chernobyl before the HBO series came out .. enjoying the video !

[@rockets4kids]

I'll take this late xmas present!

[@gfldodge]

Thank You Professor David. Hopefully there are no hiccups in the further development of this energy technology. I am 63 years old and my whole life electricity and energy are so taken for granted in this country. I live in upstate central NY, 3 nuclear reactors are still running (Oswego ) 24-7 providing carbon free electricity within 75 miles from me. This country needs to wake up about today and the future energy and electricity needs of this country and the world’s thirst for electricity. Nuclear is the answer to providing it. Looking forward to future videos from you on this subject. Thank You for your past videos on a variety of subjects 👍

[@analog_guy]

When I was at the College of William and Mary, in the library there was a very large double rack of reports required for the permitting and licensing of the Surry nuclear power plant (not a small modular type). There were probably several tons of paperwork on those shelves. I never saw anyone but myself show the slightest bit of interest in the materials on that rack. Trying to read even one report would put anybody to sleep after a few pages of all those words and tables. I can't imagine that any regulator actually read any but a small portion of what was there. I could imagine that some unfortunate government worker had to go through the list of contents and verify there was indeed a contents section for each of the requirements that the regulators had demanded.

[@embersaffron5522]

I have no idea who you are But KZbin decided I needed to know,,and I'm glad it did, I've been trying to convince iowa to build a reactor after we shut down our last one

[@leodikinis7390]

We miss you Dave! Glad for the new content.

[@pgr3290]

The reason France managed to build so many reactors at reasonable cost was because they built the same thing with the same management and crews over and over again. It got faster, it got easier, your parts and supply chains spun up. The key to cheaper nuclear is getting a good design and building it 50 times in a row, making tweaks here and there. It'll work and it'll be economical.

[@BlakeTDorman]

Thanks for the information. Enjoy listening to your expertise

[@KevinBalch-dt8ot]

I hope these work out. I worked on the VC Summer AP1000 project that was cancelled in 2017. One of the major problems we had was finding qualified people to build the plants. We had to compete with a sister plant in Georgia at the same time (which did get built but at double the cost and years behind schedule). The problem wasn’t finding engineers as it was ironworkers, carpenters, electricians etc. Many that we did find were in their 50s and 60s. Young people don’t enter those professions any more (and we have fewer young people to begin with). And they don’t want to put up with nuclear requirements such as background checks and drug testing.

[@illinoisenergyprof6878]

Very good points. This is why the smaller, modular reactors may be the answer. All the nuclear parts can be built in one location with one workforce and shipped.

[@chapter4travels]

@@illinoisenergyprof6878 And the power conversion side of the plant is the same as a coal or gas power plant, no nuclear specialized workers are needed.

[@matteofabbris7877]

Looking forward to see these SMRs on offshore platforms to be moved where needed

[@gustavderkits8433]

Thank you for coming back!

[@Oheeeoh]

Excited for the future! Thank you for the update, Professor!

[@baronvonteuchter1412]

He’s back!! 🥂

[@vederstein]

Good to see you back professor!

[@bobbartholomew85364]

Always enjoy your videos.

[@windtiger004]

NOT ALL HEROES WEAR CAPES !! Welcome back professor!

[@OneTrueKing23]

Oh my God! I waited for so long for a new video! Please don’t leave us like that.

[@menjolno]

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="172">2:52</a> other things that are inherently safe are burning gold powder. above 300 degrees of temperature, the reverse reaction occurs bringing the burning gold powder's temperature down. Similarily hydrogen gas is inherently safe, at 3000 degrees temperature, the reverse reaction occurs enough that it sucks up the heat preventing the hydrogen gas from going hotter. 3000 degrees is low enough that it can't melt tungsten

[@jvsmith2013]

I hope somebody reads my comment. In my 40 year nuclear engineering career, the company I worked for developed numerous nuclear plant sites. We constructed complete nuclear generating stations, and we also developed several proposed SMR sites for our customers. From my experience, I see very little difference between an SMR and a large GW plant. The SMR is smaller and that's about it. Back in the early 70's, the "reactor" that powers North Anna Nuclear was delivered to the site on a truck as one assembly. Similar to what is described for an SMR. So in my mind we have always had modular reactors. Actually, it is the reactor that's the easy part. The balance of plant systems must also be included. Such as: Turbine building Turbine systems Generator Output Transformer Switchyard Control building RadWaste building Containment (yes - you will need a containment for an SMR) Cooling water system with cooling tower Security Building and Fence All these systems are required in order to generate electricity with a reactor, and you will not be able to deliver them on a truck. Also, all of the SMR projects that I worked on were cancelled because of cost. The SMRs are just too damn small to be economical. Every time a see another article about SMRs on the internet, I just laugh. Do we need more electrical energy? If the answer is yes, then use the technology that we already know how to build and stop trying to re-invent what works. I say let's get on with it!!

[@rsinclair6560]

PLEASE...Come over to Australia and give this lecture to , politicians, media and the people.

[@shaunstartsabusiness4970]

I get way more excited than I should when I see these get released.

[@LMSI998]

The inherent safety regarding the resonances is also true for the currently operating light water reactors.

[@techdefined9420]

Very interesting video, please more from Illinois Energyprof

[@rapid13]

Hey! Welcome back, prof! Missed you!

[@brown-eyedman4040]

Glad you're back. Seems to me the cost savings of modular construction of reactors is similar to the cost savings of modular home construction vs. stick-built.

[@alucardofficial7074]

Really excellent, please make more videos!

[@offcenterconcepthaus]

Good to see you back.

[@lumenactus7803]

Welcome back, it’s been too long!