TerraPower’s Post

Here comes an interesting video from IAEA, introducing the SMR technology and comparing it to the existing fleet of nuclear reactors.

The Nuclear (Medicine) Renaissance is upon us. There is a joke that Fusion is always 30 years away. Well, not anymore. It is backed by venture capital; those folks don’t mess around timelines. We’ll start from fission. It is Fission Friday! Even if the US didn't want to, other countries would do it anyway. In some areas, US leads; in some, we don’t. Old design high-pressure water reactors were invented for making plutonium; they are too big and complex, can meltdown, and water can expand… And ultimately, they have to go. Regulations and high costs will be the last nails in the coffin. New designs are focused on a few critical improvements, starting from  (A) higher operating temperatures (higher efficiency at the turbine), (AA) lower operating pressure (no water is involved - safety) (YAY) the ability to extract nuclear isotopes from high neutron flux zones for medicine, industrial, and space use. 0. I think Radiant is essentially the old water design. I need to understand how they plan to make old designs safe in a smaller format. Unless they switch to molten salt (1) or pebble (3), I believe it is DOA. Yes, modular emergency reactors are the future and replacement for Diesels, but not in the old water design. 1. Molten Fluoride Salt of Thorium and Uranium (LFTRs). It breeds its fuel out of Thorium, which is dirt cheap right now, into U233; Flibe Energy - Kirk Sorensen's revamp from old designs that got axed in the 70s. I strongly recommend watching all 2.5 hours of his video from 13 years ago; it is prophetic; He is entertaining and funny for the general audience and the best of the best. You can watch it as a documentary with some popcorn with the fam. LFTR is the front-runner for the continuous output of nuclear medicine and engineering isotopes. And that’s $$$. This design doesn't produce military material. Only civil use. Competitors are Europe, India, and China. China had a lead this year. 2. Molten Sodium (=Natrium) breeder: The Russians were the first to make it, BN-600/800 (Bistro Neutrons—fast neutrons, not room-temperature ones). Bill Gates is building it in Montana via his TerraPower. The low-pressure molten sodium coolant ensures that U238, which accounts for more than 99% of all mined uranium, gets "bred" into Pu239, which would be spent in the core … if left there. In this sense, the Montana facility is primed for military uses, and I haven't heard about medical.  So, military use ... in Montana. What else is in Montana? 3. High-temperature pebble reactors (HTRs). Japan is ahead in this: because of its high-temperature design, it is the gate for industrial production of carbon-neutral hydrogen and other industrial applications where high temperature (>1000C) is used. So, our steel production will move to Japan really, really soon. Industrial production will return to PE and SF, but when? Hydrogen cars are coming back, too. https://lnkd.in/gPtSKDF8 #nuclear #nuclearmedicine #energy #hydrogen

Fast burst reactors were the first fast-spectrum research reactors to reach criticality by using only prompt neutrons with high-enriched uranium as fuel, creating a pulse for microseconds. Among many achievements, fast burst reactors were the first research reactors to demonstrate the ability of thermal expansion to terminate a pulse and to show how this could aid in reactor safety. In addition, fast burst reactors were pivotal in early fission studies including critical mass determination, criticality safety, the study of prompt and delayed neutrons, and much more. #fastreactor #researchreactor #fastspectrum #promptneutrons #delayedneutrons #burst

Many of the failures that occur in nuclear fuel rods in light water reactors (LWRs) around the world are caused by the phenomenon of mechanical interaction between pellets and cladding (PCMI). Whether due to cladding crack induction or stress corrosion cracking (SCC), this mechanism continues to be of interest to fuel rod manufacturers, fuel engineers, analysts and fuel performance code developers. Given the multiple mechanisms involved in PCMI, the process is extremely complex to simulate; therefore the models involved must be continuously improved and subjected to validation with experiments and comparison to other similar codes. PCMI is also a consideration for the design and licensing of accident-tolerant fuels (ATF). #nuclearfuel #PCMI #pellet #clad #interaction #modeling #simulation #powerramp

TerraPower has awarded the major manufacturing contracts for the first Natrium sodium-cooled fast reactor enclosure system. The company says the contracts "represent a significant milestone in the deployment and commercialisation of America's first advanced reactor". https://lnkd.in/dZUFJqQw

A Closer Look at Two Operational Small Modular Reactor Designs

Part 2 of this series builds upon the methodology and findings presented in Part 1, offering a deeper dive into the operational nuances of the 5MWe Reactor and the Experimental Light Water Reactor.

🌍 Redefining Nuclear Energy with Liquid Fluoride Thorium Reactors (LFTRs) 🌍 In just 5 minutes, explore how LFTR technology is set to transform the nuclear energy sector. With unparalleled safety, efficiency, and a drastic reduction in nuclear waste, LFTRs present a compelling solution for sustainable energy. This video provides key insights into the benefits and challenges of implementing thorium-based reactors. 🔍 Dive deeper into the future of clean energy and how it can impact our industry and careers. Watch now and let's discuss the possibilities for innovation and growth in the energy sector! Scared of Radiation? Watch Galen Windsor eat it: https://lnkd.in/dmzD75hE See more of such information on our LinkTree: https://lnkd.in/d7h6xCtG Subscribe to our newsletter http://eepurl.com/gno7pn and stay updated with our activities. #LiquidFission #GotThorium #Fission4All #LiquidFission RadiationIsGood4U https://lnkd.in/d5BBeiG4

🎉 Celebrating our NRS #Chapelcross site achievements 2023/24 - Completion of MAC and Cobalt retrievals! 🎉 ✅ Plans to empty and drain the last NRS spent fuel cooling pond taken a great step forward. ✅ Intermediate level wastes, including activated components and cobalt cartridges from the reactors safely removed using new retrieval equipment. ✅Packaged into 34 shielded Mosaik containers each weighing 8.8 tonnes - that's the equivalent of a Tyrannosaurus Rex! The highly skilled team is now focussed on starting the complex process of transferring 50 zeolite resin skips stored in pond two into steel overpacks whilst underwater before transferring to concrete boxes for longer term storage. Nuclear knowledge: Did you know that cobalt arose from one of the site's four reactors when producing radioisotopes for medical purposes? #NuclearRestoration #DecommProgress #nuclearskills #forallourfutures

Best invest in Building and talking about Fusion power, space, maritime propulsion systems and industry as data centres are. Great Headline, Guardian on Nuclear fission. https://lnkd.in/g8sMZtpR People talk about Nuclear (meaning Fission) and fail to discuss fusion. https://lnkd.in/ge_aeX7M The nuclear fission industry is ignorant of what's happening around it. It must pull its collective uranium heads out of the sand and prepare to enter the commercially growing fusion energy industry. Fission is moving towards obsolescence at an ever-increasing pace, as it is "out of step, out of time, out of place, and soon to be out of Fuel" and merely temporary. https://lnkd.in/gbd_mZqk By 2028, Helion is expected to start producing electricity from its first fusion commercial power plant, which will provide electricity to Microsoft. The plant will produce at least 50 MWe after an initial ramp-up period. https://lnkd.in/gY9J3MQY Now, see what is happening in the world of the fusion industry. https://lnkd.in/g9hMBD7a As fission trebles, fuel shortage is increasingly real, https://lnkd.in/gze5rwpr