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Transatomic Power Wants to Build a Better Reactor

34 points by markmassie 12y ago

spacecadet 12y ago
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AP1000 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AP1000
lutorm 12y ago
It would be nice if the article had any information about how this reactor would be different from the 50-year old MSRE (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molten-Salt_Reactor_Experiment http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molten-Salt_Reactor_Experiment)
- ChuckMcM 12y ago
  "Transatomic Power has greatly improved the molten salt concept, while retaining its significant safety benefits. The main technical change we make is to change the moderator and fuel salt used in previous molten salt reactors to a zirconium hydride moderator, with a LiF - based fuel salt. During operation the fuel in the salt is primarily uranium. Together, these components generate a neutron spectrum that allows the reactor to run using fresh uranium fuel with enrichment levels as low as 1.8% U-235, or using the entire actinide component of spent nuclear fuel (SNF). Previous molten salt reactors such as the ORNL Molten Salt Reactor Experiment (MSRE) relied on high-enriched uranium, with 33% U-235 [1]. Enrichments that high would raise proliferation concerns if used in commercial nuclear power plants." From their white paper here: http://transatomicpower.com/white_papers/TAP_White_Paper.pdf http://transatomicpower.com/white_papers/TAP_White_Paper.pdf
jakozaur 12y ago
There are quite a few independent attempts to do that: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molten_salt_reactor#Liquid_fluoride_thorium_reactor http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molten_salt_reactor#Liquid_fluo... Mostly based on thorium, but they seems just use enriched uranium (U-235)... So potentially you can construct an atomic bomb fairly easily out of this fuel.
- DennisP 12y ago
  Very mildly enriched uranium, at just 1.8% U-235: http://transatomicpower.com/products.php http://transatomicpower.com/products.php That's less enriched than conventional reactor fuel. Using thorium doesn't necessarily prevent proliferation. If you have a design that separates protactinium, you can let that decay to pure U-233, which by at least some accounts is easy to turn into a bomb.

34 points by markmassie 12y ago

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AP1000 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AP1000

It would be nice if the article had any information about how this reactor would be different from the 50-year old MSRE (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molten-Salt_Reactor_Experiment http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molten-Salt_Reactor_Experiment)

ChuckMcM 12y ago
"Transatomic Power has greatly improved the molten salt concept, while retaining its significant safety benefits. The main technical change we make is to change the moderator and fuel salt used in previous molten salt reactors to a zirconium hydride moderator, with a LiF - based fuel salt. During operation the fuel in the salt is primarily uranium. Together, these components generate a neutron spectrum that allows the reactor to run using fresh uranium fuel with enrichment levels as low as 1.8% U-235, or using the entire actinide component of spent nuclear fuel (SNF). Previous molten salt reactors such as the ORNL Molten Salt Reactor Experiment (MSRE) relied on high-enriched uranium, with 33% U-235 [1]. Enrichments that high would raise proliferation concerns if used in commercial nuclear power plants." From their white paper here: http://transatomicpower.com/white_papers/TAP_White_Paper.pdf http://transatomicpower.com/white_papers/TAP_White_Paper.pdf

jakozaur 12y ago

There are quite a few independent attempts to do that: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molten_salt_reactor#Liquid_fluoride_thorium_reactor http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molten_salt_reactor#Liquid_fluo... Mostly based on thorium, but they seems just use enriched uranium (U-235)... So potentially you can construct an atomic bomb fairly easily out of this fuel.

DennisP 12y ago
Very mildly enriched uranium, at just 1.8% U-235: http://transatomicpower.com/products.php http://transatomicpower.com/products.php That's less enriched than conventional reactor fuel. Using thorium doesn't necessarily prevent proliferation. If you have a design that separates protactinium, you can let that decay to pure U-233, which by at least some accounts is easy to turn into a bomb.