Mini Nuclear Reactors to Power Remote Areas

[classicman]

Mini Nuclear Reactors

Nov. 21, 2008 -- It's the size of a shed, but you're not likely to find it in any backyard.

Using technology originally developed by scientists at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, Hyperion Power Generation is creating mini nuclear fission reactors that will provide electricity and hot water to remote locations, nearly all outside the United States.

"There is a strong humanitarian bent to these reactors," said John "Grizz" Deal, Hyperion's CEO. "This was invented to provide electricity and hot water to remote locations, where people might not have electricity or clean water."

Deal says that Hyperion has already received more than 100 orders for the $25-30 million-dollar reactors, which are sealed shut with concrete and have no moving parts. The reactors are designed to generate electricity or boil water clean after being hooked up to water piped near their 500-degree surfaces.

Standard nuclear fission will generate the heat. As the uranium inside the reactor breaks apart naturally, it creates heat and sends neutrons (tiny particles that exist in the nucleus of atoms) blasting out. If those neutrons hit other uranium atoms they break apart as well, creating even more heat and more new neutrons.

[TheMercenary]

Some moron will try to bust it appart and get to the core to make a bomb.

[classicman]

probably, maybe thats why all the orders were from outside the U.S

[Clodfobble]

If so, they just wasted their 25-30 million dollars:

The high surface temperature [500 F], along with the fact that the reactors would be installed deep underground and at facilities that already have good security, should also prevent theft, says Deal...

"This is low-enrichment uranium, which is not useful for making a bomb," said Carbon. "If terrorists wanted to get radioactive material they could get it elsewhere much easier."

[classicman]

probably, but I can foresee a future where instead of oil tanks buried and leaking in the backyard each development has one of these. I can hope anyway.

srsly, I think its a great idea. Then again I'd still want something more than good security

[xoxoxoBruce]

I suppose they're aware the "clean" water coming out of those things will be radioactive.

[classicman]

Partypooper!

[Aliantha]

But the water wont necessarily come into contact with the reactor. The reactor will be used to power a pump or something to bring up ground water wont it, in which case it could be quite some distance from the actual water itself.

[classicman]

yeh like in my backyard garden or????

[Aliantha]

Only if you're lucky.

[ZenGum]

It may be no good to make a KABOOOM bomb, but the innards would still be (a) chemically toxic and (b) radioactively filthy. Can anyone say "dirty bomb"?

Still, as they said, if you want to do bad stuff, there are plenty of sources out there.

What happens when one of these runs out of usable fissile material and needs to be safely decommissioned? Decommissioning a reactor is generally harder and more dangerous than building or running one.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Originally Posted by Aliantha

The reactor will be used to power a pump or something

Powering a pump means running radioactive steam through it which makes the pump contaminated. Or a turbine & generator to make electricity which is expensive... probably more than the cost of the nuke. Then you need the equipment to transmit the power, knock it down to a usable voltage, and a shitload of maintenance by highly trained people.

Oh, and the "or something" is equally complicated and expensive, ie a pressurized water reactor.

[smoothmoniker]

I don't know if this is the right answer to the energy problem, but I do think the shift from large central production and long transmission to a distributed grid is the right change in thinking. I would love to see a place like LA turn into a solar power production and rainwater collection grid, where every house is maybe 50% self-sustaining, and there is no one big central point of failure for the grid.

[ZenGum]

What he said.

Australia is starting to get with the plot for solar energy. Maybe 10% of homes have solar hot water, and maybe 1% have solar electricity panels on the roof.

These numbers are disgracefully low, IMHO.

[Shawnee123]

Just remember:

You can't put too much water in a mini-nuclear reactor.