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The Enron Egg is a compact nuclear reactor that uses Uranium-Zirconium Hydride (U-ZrH) fuel rods to generate heat through nuclear fission. This heat is transfer

The Enron Egg is a compact nuclear reactor that uses Uranium-Zirconium Hydride (U-ZrH) fuel rods to generate heat through nuclear fission. This heat is transferred via a 3D-printed Inconel heat exchanger, powering a turbine to generate electricity. A closed-loop cooling system ensures safe operation without environmental contamination.

taylodl 2y ago
The new Enron and the Enron Egg is all parody. I really wish it weren't! https://www.ibtimes.com/enrons-satirical-comeback-meet-enron-egg-fake-home-nuclear-reactor-3758108 https://www.ibtimes.com/enrons-satirical-comeback-meet-enron...
- boredtofears 2y ago
  Crazy part is that he picked up the Enron trademark for $250!
  - ynniv 2y ago
    This is honestly the real "hacker news". $250 for what was likely millions of dollars of visual design and global household name recognition
    - nocoiner 2y ago
      Amazing. And indeed, surely a multi-million dollar commission (in ‘90s dollars!) - the logo is from the same guy who did the logos for IBM and NeXT (among many others).
      - jonwinstanley 2y ago
        Paul Rand The Enron logo has a couple of similarities to the Next computers logo. https://www.paulrand.design/work/Enron.html https://www.paulrand.design/work/Enron.html
  - duskwuff 2y ago
    Not like it had a lot of practical value. Sure, it cost a lot to design -- but all that value went down the drain in 2001.
JumpCrisscross 2y ago
> a compact nuclear reactor that uses Uranium-Zirconium Hydride (U-ZrH) fuel rods to generate heat through nuclear fission Would this really be more toxic than common refrigerants? Or e.g. hydrazine?
- philipkglass 2y ago
  Before it has reached criticality for the first time, its contents are less toxic than hydrazine. After criticality, the contents are more toxic than hydrazine. Nuclear reactors are safe because so much engineering and procedural effort goes into keeping the fuel and its fission products contained. The fission products include extremely toxic materials. Strontium-90, one of the more common medium-lifetime fission products, has an acute gram-for-gram lethality comparable to the nerve gas sarin. The fast-decaying fission products like strontium-89 are even worse, though by their very nature they don't persist for long in discarded fuel.

taylodl 2y ago

The new Enron and the Enron Egg is all parody. I really wish it weren't! https://www.ibtimes.com/enrons-satirical-comeback-meet-enron-egg-fake-home-nuclear-reactor-3758108 https://www.ibtimes.com/enrons-satirical-comeback-meet-enron...

boredtofears 2y ago
Crazy part is that he picked up the Enron trademark for $250!
- ynniv 2y ago
  This is honestly the real "hacker news". $250 for what was likely millions of dollars of visual design and global household name recognition
  - nocoiner 2y ago
    Amazing. And indeed, surely a multi-million dollar commission (in ‘90s dollars!) - the logo is from the same guy who did the logos for IBM and NeXT (among many others).
    - jonwinstanley 2y ago
      Paul Rand The Enron logo has a couple of similarities to the Next computers logo. https://www.paulrand.design/work/Enron.html https://www.paulrand.design/work/Enron.html
- duskwuff 2y ago
  Not like it had a lot of practical value. Sure, it cost a lot to design -- but all that value went down the drain in 2001.

JumpCrisscross 2y ago

> a compact nuclear reactor that uses Uranium-Zirconium Hydride (U-ZrH) fuel rods to generate heat through nuclear fission Would this really be more toxic than common refrigerants? Or e.g. hydrazine?

philipkglass 2y ago
Before it has reached criticality for the first time, its contents are less toxic than hydrazine. After criticality, the contents are more toxic than hydrazine. Nuclear reactors are safe because so much engineering and procedural effort goes into keeping the fuel and its fission products contained. The fission products include extremely toxic materials. Strontium-90, one of the more common medium-lifetime fission products, has an acute gram-for-gram lethality comparable to the nerve gas sarin. The fast-decaying fission products like strontium-89 are even worse, though by their very nature they don't persist for long in discarded fuel.