Thorium cannot go critical, a critical experiment won't convert thorium to U233 in any data relevant quantities. This would be a plutonium criticality experiment that MAY contain thorium as a poison. It may give initial startup temperature coefficient info, which IS very important info.
This is a real milestone, and a first in Europe! It opens the potential for massive transition of industrial heat and power supply, to help overcome the climate crisis and energy security problems: clean, secure, cheap, safe, small, flexible, powerful reactors that burn up nuclear waste! If only a tiny portion of the billions given to the ITER fusion project (now delayed to 2039) could be dedicated to this. #energysecurity#nuclear#climatecrisis#climatechange#copenhagenatomics
The summer of 2024 has been a memorable period for Boston Atomics with several noteworthy events:
· In June, we had the opportunity to participate in the ANS conference. We were part of an entire session dedicated to the DOE-funded horizontal HTGR project. We presented our work alongside four other teams, each contributing to different aspects of the project. Seeing all the components of the project come together was like solving a complex puzzle, bringing us a sense of achievement and happiness once completed. https://lnkd.in/dfiYjMGS
· The horizontal HTGR DOE-funded project has been a remarkable journey for us over the past three years. We’ve come to understand that the success of Advanced Reactor Technology relies on a robust, capable, and comprehensive industry. It’s challenging for a single company to excel in every facet of this field. As a result, we’ve decided to expand our focus beyond developing our own reactor concept. We’re now collaborating with other institutions and offering consulting and R&D services in areas that support the AR industry.
· We’ve initiated a blog (with the second post already published in https://lnkd.in/dr6kTify) and had the privilege of being featured on Decouple to share our perspective on ARs. A special shoutout to Chris Keefer MD for hosting us in https://lnkd.in/dTT3aUBh. We firmly believe that for this industry to thrive, insiders like us need to voice our thoughts on the current state of affairs, future directions, challenges, and opportunities.
Why Bill Gates' New Natrium Reactor is a Big Deal
🔋 Introduction to Natrium Reactor: Bill Gates has funded a new Natrium reactor in Wyoming, the first of its kind, developed by TerraPower. It combines a fast reactor cooled by sodium with an energy storage system.
🌍 Fast Neutron Reactor: Uses enriched radioactive compounds and can recycle nuclear waste, especially plutonium. Sodium coolant has a high boiling point and can transport heat efficiently without trapping too many fast neutrons.
⚡ Energy Storage Innovation: Heat from the sodium is transferred to molten salt for storage, allowing the reactor to balance electricity production with grid demand more effectively.
🏭 Efficiency and Flexibility: Although there is some energy loss in the conversion and storage process, molten salt has high storage capacity with minimal heat loss. This design enables quick adjustments in electricity production.
🏗️ Project Goals: The Wyoming plant aims to generate 345 MW and is expected to be operational by 2030, potentially positioning Natrium technology as a key part of future energy infrastructure.
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#NatriumReactor#BillGates#NuclearEnergy#TerraPower#CleanEnergy#EnergyInnovation#SustainableTech#FastNeutronReactor#MoltenSaltStorage#FutureOfEnergy
Cobeal’s CTO, Bo Erik Gustav Hollsten Ruvalcaba, designed and built the HEPA and ULPA filtration systems for Lawrence Livermore’s National Ignition Facility.
Designing and building #HEPA (High-Efficiency Particulate Air) and #ULPA (Ultra-Low Particulate Air) filtration systems for Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's National Ignition Facility (NIF) was crucial to maintaining a pristine environment, particularly when it relates to #nuclear fusion, which requires an extremely clean and controlled environment. Any particulate matter can interfere with the precise conditions needed for fusion experiments.
The #NIF houses highly sensitive and expensive equipment, including #lasers and #optics. These components can be easily damaged or their performance degraded by dust or other particles, making filtration crucial.
For fusion experiments to be successful, they must be conducted in #environments free from contaminants that could skew results. The HEPA and ULPA systems ensure that the air within the facility meets the stringent cleanliness standards required for accurate #scientific experimentation.
In addition to protecting equipment and experiments, these #filtration systems are essential for safeguarding the #health of researchers and staff working in the facility by removing potentially harmful particles from the air.
By maintaining a clean environment, these systems help prolong the lifespan of the facility and its equipment, ensuring that it can continue to operate effectively for longer periods.
Cobeal serves the complex filtration needs of our clients and is delighted to celebrate the lab’s long-awaited breakthrough 🎉
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WARNING: This post is only safe for the nerdy at heart!
For those that made it past the warning above, this is a pretty interesting article on #moltensalt reactor dynamics in load following conditions. Why does natural circulation matter? It means you don't need a pump (and the resulting parasitic electric loads) to move the working fluid through the system. NC could also improve economics and the safety case.
Beyond the cool physics/engineering, a molten salt #SMR also enables high temperature applications we can't easily achieve in light water designs. While this article might not be directly applicable to the specific designs, here are a few companies working to bring this technology to the market - follow them to watch how this technology develops:
Flibe EnergyKairos PowerTerrestrial EnergyAnne DemmaKirk SorensenSimon IrishPer PetersonKurt Harris, PhDRobin Rickman#nuclear#energy is #cleanenergy
Explorer | Inventor | PhD PE | Author | Former Submarine Squadron Commodore
Molten Salt Reactors (MSR) can operate in a passively safe load following natural circulation flow mode.
This study evaluates the reactor's stability when subjected to power load transients.
Conclusion - MSRs are inherently stable, low pressure, low-cost waste burning energy producing machines.
#nuclear#cleanenergy#safeenergy#sustainable#powerhttps://lnkd.in/esR-BttF
The antipodeans Sir Ernest Rutherford "father of nuclear physics" and Sir Mark Oliphant, "Opposer of the fission bomb" were the first experimental demonstrators of nuclear fusion.
Why then are the Australian Government and the Federal Opposition not working to get it developed in Australia and bring it back home?
New Zealand has, so why not Australia?
Interesting article and I know you haven't looked at Fusion.
So let's look at the nuclear or Fission option versus Fusion
1. Fission (Nuclear) Not able to be licenced.
https://lnkd.in/gbm2t5uU
2. Authorities have the power to grant licenses for fusion, which is not explicitly covered by the Nuclear Act or the ARPANSA definition.
https://lnkd.in/gjKFABpy
The above ARPANSA link defines nuclear as fission—no mention of Fusion.
3. A fission (Nuclear)reactor without fissile fuel is a building.
4. A fusion reactor without fissile fuel is a fusion reactor building
5, Fissile (Nuclear) fuel availability and the future cost is a concern, especially for economists and users
Dittmar, M. (2011). The End of Cheap Uranium. ArXiv. /abs/1106.3617
Even the UN has identified this, so why does the Fission(Nuclear) industry persist in denying its death like fossil fuels
https://lnkd.in/gze5rwpr
6. Should the focus in Australia be on nuclear fission advancement or the promotion of fusion technology?
7, Fission (Nuclear) is only at present in 39 countries out of 189.
8. Is Dutton doing a Menzies and wanting a loophole to get fission (Nuclear) weapons to start with for the subs?
9. Australia still has no high-level radiation waste storage facility
10. Helion Fusion has committed to having its fusion version working in 2028
11. The FIA (Fusion Industry Association) has postulated that commercial power fusion will be available in the 2030s.
12. In its fusion conference report in 2023, the IAEA postulated that all International nuclear (Fission) Laws like the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty do not consider fusion, so it seems it can be built in Australia now.
13. Fusion is also being developed "Small Modular Fusion Reactors" like Zap Energy and Avalanche Energy.
14. HB11 and the UNSW Tokamak project have positioned Australia prominently in the trillion-dollar international fusion industry.
Instead of relying on fission with a limited lifetime, wouldn't it be preferable to support Australian renewables, batteries, and hydrogen energy generators and back them up with a fusion power plant? This would eliminate the traditional waste problem while still providing medical isotopes and advancements in medical technology like MRIs.
Let's focus on creating a sustainable future for Australia instead of perpetuating pollution and leading to an energy crisis.
https://lnkd.in/ekakyifA
Explorer | Inventor | PhD PE | Author | Former Submarine Squadron Commodore
Molten Salt Reactors (MSR) can operate in a passively safe load following natural circulation flow mode.
This study evaluates the reactor's stability when subjected to power load transients.
Conclusion - MSRs are inherently stable, low pressure, low-cost waste burning energy producing machines.
#nuclear#cleanenergy#safeenergy#sustainable#powerhttps://lnkd.in/esR-BttF
Chief Technology Officer
1moThorium cannot go critical, a critical experiment won't convert thorium to U233 in any data relevant quantities. This would be a plutonium criticality experiment that MAY contain thorium as a poison. It may give initial startup temperature coefficient info, which IS very important info.