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I can’t represent I understand the engineering of the concept below, but offer it for the purpose of showing that nuclear energy designs are still being pursued. I leave it to others to critique —
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesco.../#7831f6f22c5c
I am all for further study in all areas of nuclear energy.
The one described in the article as being liquid sodium cooled is interesting to me. While studying nuclear power in college my class took a field trip to the Detroit Edison Enrico Fermi reactor. At the time it was shut down for "repairs". The core (before they got close to full power) overheated and was shut down. As it turned out, an undocumented modification had been made to the base of the core. The metal baffle that had been added, supposedly to more evenly distribute the coolant entering the core broke loose and blocked a number of tubes.
When we were there they had completed the repairs to the core and were beginning the refueling. As I recall they never got it to full power after the restart and it was again shut down and subsequently decommissioned.
The point of me saying that is to convey my support of further nuclear power---but be fully respectful of our failures and the need to avoid another. Just for the record, three years after graduation I worked on Three Mile Island Unit II---Unit one is the one that had the melt down.
The long term goal has to be fusion.
France drops its development of sodium-cooled nuclear reactor after years of efforts —
https://business.financialpost.com/p...uclear-reactor
I think it is a flawed design as well. The advantages of the higher temperatures that can be used do not outweigh the risks.
It is a bit sad for me to say, that of all the nuclear plants I worked on, only one remains in operation :shrug:
We have a nuclear reactor at the University of Utah, but we're not supposed to talk about it. But, it has been documented in publications, so we're O.K.
Frankly, I'm surprised we aren't further along with fission reactors. Maybe this one posted by Joe will get us over the top.
Hunter
I'd be interested in knowing what the enrollment in those classes have been since 1975. I suspect there is diminished interest these days.
I was surprised to learn there are 99 nuclear reactors still active in the U.S.