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2007-11-26 Science & Technology

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Posted by lotp 2007-11-26 07:16|| || Front Page|| [4 views ] Top

#1 it's possible these idiots might kill a valuable technology

Sorry, lotp. They've been killing this technology for years. Similar nuclear 'micro' technology isn't new, we were doing the 'hypothetical implementation layout' for one of my engineering classes in the mid-70s using (at that time) existing technology (which would have allowed a similar size & output powerplant package). We did a combined paper, published it, and were promptly savaged by local and national media/eco/peacenik/loon groups. We were surprised by the rapidity of the response, but one of the professors figured that some environmentalist from the ag-engineering department (unfortunately same building) blew the whistle.

As you can guess, the project never received any further funding.

Posted by Mullah Richard 2007-11-26 09:46|| 2007-11-26 09:46|| Front Page Top

#2 I know there have been a variety of approaches proposed for small nuclear power plants, Richard. Sorry to hear your hypothetical design got spiked in the 70s.

This is being spun out of LANL, tho, as an implemented system under an approved program for commercialization of proven prototypes. It's quite likely the patent will be awarded and if so, I would not be surprised to see these being used in some military and similar applications before being taken to the commercial market.

BTW, the leaders at Purple Mountain have a pretty good track record. And their investors include some heavy money from the west coast. But we'll see ....

Posted by lotp 2007-11-26 10:58|| 2007-11-26 10:58|| Front Page Top

#3 Thanks for the optimism lotp. I've been a strong proponent of the 'blue glow' for years (well, since college anyway). We can only hope that the cachet of being from Los Alamos and PMV would give this micro-reactor the strong defense/offense against the 'screamers' who would rather live in the dark.

Posted by Mullah Richard 2007-11-26 11:26|| 2007-11-26 11:26|| Front Page Top

#4 the enviros might be wondering about the reprocessing that would be needed after the working period was over

personnally I wish we did have more reprocessing capacity in the US - it could substantially reduce the volume of high level waste

Posted by mhw">mhw 2007-11-26 11:50|| http://hypocrisy-incorporated.blogspot.com/]">[http://hypocrisy-incorporated.blogspot.com/] 2007-11-26 11:50|| Front Page Top

#5 You can gauge how good it is by the enviro response. The more likely it is to work, the harder they'll try to kill it.

The point being that the enviro lobby doesn't want "clean" energy, it wants "no" energy. No cars, no toilet paper, no air conditioning, no air travel. Nada. Except for their own use of course.

Posted by Iblis 2007-11-26 12:22|| 2007-11-26 12:22|| Front Page Top

#6 If it has no knobs, then how do they turn it on and off? You can't just have this thing sitting there producing 25MW of heat at all times without consequences! You'd need a guaranteed source of water. Which makes me wonder how you ship it and decommission it? I'm sure in the developing world there would be all kinds of problems with this if this is truly the case. They must have something in mind to take care of this.

Posted by gorb 2007-11-26 14:45|| 2007-11-26 14:45|| Front Page Top

#7 This sounds like a similar idea to a pebble bed reactor. That is, the radioactive material is spaced so that it produces a given amount of heat over a given time. Even if the water runs out and it gets hot, it *cannot* get hotter than well below the temperature to either damage its container or any internal parts like pipes.

Other than that, you need some mechanism to safely start water flowing through such a hot reactor without causing a steam explosion. You want it to generate steam, not explosive steam, which can be destructive. This is not particularly difficult, and has to be part of any steam turbine system.

The water system of the turbine is in no danger of getting contaminated, as it is physically separate from the radioactive material.

Posted by Anonymoose 2007-11-26 15:01|| 2007-11-26 15:01|| Front Page Top

#8 they turn it on and off? ... You'd need a guaranteed source of water.

Sounds like hydrogen gas is the coolant as well as the neutron moderator. No H2, no fission (or a whole lot less). The small size implies the use of highly enriched uranium. That seems like a no-no except in highly controlled military vessels. I would think it not a good idea even on military bases, lest it get overrun and the reactor carted off and the HEU extracted.

Posted by ed 2007-11-26 16:24|| 2007-11-26 16:24|| Front Page Top

#9 Just think a Nuke powered Abrams that if you blew it up in your town... you would pollute your own country....

Shoot me and the land gets it!

Posted by 3dc 2007-11-26 17:49|| 2007-11-26 17:49|| Front Page Top

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