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This is one of the reasons for continuing to incrementally design and build new submarine and aircraft carrier reactors. If the expertise is to re-emerge in the
by brandmeyer 4y ago
This is one of the reasons for continuing to incrementally design and build new submarine and aircraft carrier reactors. If the expertise is to re-emerge in the US commercial sector, it may require another cross-pollination effort from the military.
The difficulty is that both military reactors and commercial power reactors have evolved considerably since their initial branch point. Commercial power reactors provide base load (run at full power) for a year or two and then get refueled. Military reactors now last the life of the ship without refueling at all, but are optimized for propulsion's variable demands.
- nixonpjoshua1 4y agoPerhaps military style reactors designed for propulsion loads would be a good match for balancing renewables on the grid as an alternative to natural gas peaker plants
- jasonwatkinspdx 4y agoMilitary style reactors use highly enriched fuel, often near weapons grade. That's an acceptable thing for a carrier or submarine that's also full of things that have to be continuously secured, like nuclear weapons, but is a big challenge for a small modular reactor scheme. Most of the stuff proposed in recent years for small non military reactors has focused on a middle ground of partial enrichment that's more approachable.