Chemical Technology

38 / 40

Chemical Technology • November 2015 36
Complete the grid
so that every row
across, every column
down and every 3x3
box is filled with the
numbers 1 to 9.
That’s all there is to
it! No mathematics
are involved. The grid
has numbers, but
nothing has to add up
to anything else. You
solve the puzzle with
reasoning and logic.
For an introduction to
Sudoku see http://
wiki/Sudoku
Solution
for SUDOKU
108
SUDOKU NO. 109
Chemical Technology is the only publication in Africa for chemical
engineers focusing on all unit operations in a comprehensive way
► ► ► ► ► ► ► ► ► ►
etc
Global energy expert and environmental sci-
entist, Tom Blees, addressed students and
members of the public on the role nuclear
technology should play in South Africa’s en-
ergy mix. Blees, who is an advanced energy
expert from Davis, California and president
of the Science Council for Global Initiatives,
contends that in order to mitigate against
climate change and make environmental
preservation a priority globally, there must
be a move to eliminate the burning of fos-
sil fuels.
Speaking at the Nuclear Industry Asso-
ciation of South Africa’s (NIASA) roundtable
discussions in Johannesburg at the end
of October, Blees said that the contrast is
starker for a country like South Africa that
is focused on elevating the living standards
of its people and the development of its
infrastructure. “Nuclear power for a country
like South Africa will, andmust, play a critical
role in the country’s economic and social de-
velopment. The building and development of
nuclear power plants in South Africa will not
only secure South Africa’s energy future but
generate thousands of jobs, develop a high
specialised technical skill set and stimulate
further interest in the sciences, generating
a legacy of employment, skills development
and science focused education,” he stated.
Blees is world-renowned for his balanced
and pragmatic view of the energy needs of a
modern world. While he acknowledges the
role and importance of renewables, he is
realistic about the technology’s inability to
support base-load power needs of modern
societies. He referred the audience to his
book, entitled ‘Prescription for the planet:
the painless remedy for our energy and
environmental crises’.
He explained that since hydroelectric
power is near its maximum potential in
many developed countries already, the bulk
of the renewable energy will have to come
from biomass, wind, and solar power. But
biomass presents its own problems, and
the intermittency and seasonality dependen-
cies of wind and solar make these option
extremely problematic.”
He also has a view on pricing and pro-
duction of nuclear and states that, in his
view, advanced nuclear power systems are
now designed so that they can be built like
aeroplanes, mass-produced inmodular form
and then assembled on-site. Blees believes
that this will enable prices to fall to the point
where economics, not to mention enhanced
safety, can drive a global energy transforma-
tion to bring dependable, abundant, emis-
sion-free energy to everyone on the planet,
and he says that we’re ready to do this now.
He believes that the newly designed nuclear
reactors, such as the Integral Fast Reactor
(IFR), are key to the future of nuclear energy,
being as they are clean, safe, economical
and able to convert waste products into
abundant energy for the planet.
NIASA roundtable discusses nuclear technology’s role in environmental preservation
Roundtable on Nuclear Energy in South Africa panel: Chris Yelland, Managing Director - EE
Publishers and Panel Facilitator; Des Muller (Director and General Manager, Nuclear Construc-
tion Services - Group 5); Jason VanderPoel (Partner, Allen & Overy); Knox Msebenzi (Managing
Director – NIASA); Tom Blees (President - Science Council for Global Initiatives); Anthonie Cilliers
(Extraordinary Senior Lecturer and Program Manager: Nuclear Engineering at the School of
Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering - North West University).