5 ms·

Former SpaceX Engineer Raised $40M to Build Portable Nuclear Reactors

• rgmerk 4y ago
  No matter how safe this thing actually is, the regulatory environment isn’t set up to have nuclear reactors showing up to disaster zones on trucks. Social licence to operate is likely to be an even bigger problem.
  • 1letterunixname 4y ago
    Yeap. Never gonna happen, except for the military. https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/2998460/dod-to-build-project-pele-mobile-microreactor-and-perform-demonstration-at-idah/ https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/299846...
    • shitlord 4y ago
      This is somewhat related, but the reactors on an aircraft carrier can power a small city. In a way, the carrier is also portable.
• euroderf 4y ago
  > TRISO particles. Each of these small particles (which are about the size of a poppy seed) is comprised of uranium, oxygen and carbon covered by ceramic and carbon materials. The particles are then formulated into larger cylinders or spheres (depending on the reactor design) for use in reactors. This sounds quite much like the PBMRs (pebble bed modular reactors) proposed by Eskom (IIRC). The primary technical objection to those was the risk of a graphite fire, which could be VERY difficult to extinguish. Does this new technology under discussion here have any similar risk(s) ? 3000F - is that sufficiently hot for testing purposes ?