Tiny nuclear reactor gets NRC approval

[MillCreek]

https://interestingengineering.com/tiny-nuclear-reactor-design-becomes-first-in-us-to-get-safety-approval?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Article&utm_campaign=organic&utm_content=Sep04&fbclid=IwAR0ddfNvYBMLUfuNBCOw7G-llci0FTAFpmnqM8WBg8Ek2403ltnrm_jLVlY

'Tiny' is relative, given that it is 74 feet tall and 15 feet in diameter, but this is progress.  What I don't know is if these still require the typical containment building.

[RoadKingLarry]

Been doing "tiny" reactors on submarines since the '50s.

[MechAg94]

I hope they can actually put it in service somewhere.

[Jim147]

And within our lifetime.

[WLJ]

WARNING: This product contains chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm.

[MechAg94]

WARNING: This product contains chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm.

And that is before they add the radioactive material.

[Brad Johnson]

What I don't know is if these still require the typical containment building.

Inferring a lot from the minimal info given, but I'm guessing a significant reduction in building structural requirements due to the reduction in external systems. Will still have to meet some minimum standard for containment of an emergency event.

Brad

[WLJ]

And that is before they add the radioactive material.

Banned in CA because the paint on the casing has a 1 in 600,000,000,000 chance of raising your cancer risk 0.02%.
After they paint BLM on the outer casing CA rescinds the ban and orders 10,000

[MechAg94]

Banned in CA because the paint on the casing has a 1 in 600,000,000,000 chance of raising your cancer risk 0.02%.
After they paint BLM on the outer casing CA rescinds the ban and orders 10,000

You are talking about leftist.  As long as they paint BLM on it and put on the DNC logo, they don't need an outer casing or containment. 

[Pb]

If the global warming people wanted me to take them seriously, they would be pushing things like this.

[WLJ]

If the global warming people wanted me to take them seriously, they would be pushing things like this.

All you would need to for that to happen is for Trump to give a speech condemning nuclear energy.

[bedlamite]

WARNING: This product contains chemicals known to the State of California is known to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm.

FTFY.

[MillCreek]

https://www.nuscalepower.com/technology/technology-overview?utm_source=nuscalepower&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=default-hero-1

Many interesting tidbits here.  The reactor is already built within a containment vessel and it sits in a pool of water so no pumps are needed for cooling.

[MillCreek]

https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2022/04/15/pentagon-to-build-nuclear-microreactor-to-power-far-flung-bases/

Austere and remote bases are intended to be the first installs.

[kgbsquirrel]

https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2022/04/15/pentagon-to-build-nuclear-microreactor-to-power-far-flung-bases/

Austere and remote bases are intended to be the first installs.

McMurdo should be the first so they can stop endlessly hauling diesel fuel down there to burn.

[RoadKingLarry]

McMurdo should be the first so they can stop endlessly hauling diesel fuel down there to burn.

There ya go! Freaking conservative wanting to nuke the polar bears.
 

[Hawkmoon]

There ya go! Freaking conservative wanting to nuke the polar bears.
 

Polar bears are arctic.

Penguins are Antarctic.

[Nick1911]

McMurdo should be the first so they can stop endlessly hauling diesel fuel down there to burn.

They already tried that

[kgbsquirrel]

They already tried that

Yeah, with old stuff that didn't work right.  Maybe try it again with new stuff and not fall down on a logical fallacy? 

[RoadKingLarry]

Polar bears are arctic.

Penguins are Antarctic.

How dare you assume their gender geography!!

[bedlamite]

How dare you assume their gender geography species !!

FTFY bigot

[AZRedhawk44]

Yeah, with old stuff that didn't work right.  Maybe try it again with new stuff and not fall down on a logical fallacy?

Yup.  Need to test this type of tech where specialists can respond to problems quickly, on Earth, before one is deployed millions of miles away on the Moon or Mars.  Or it can be shut down and an old diesel standby generator used to replace it if it isn't suitable after all, and it doesn't result in killing everyone off-planet.

McMurdo is the perfect test candidate. 

[kgbsquirrel]

Yup.  Need to test this type of tech where specialists can respond to problems quickly, on Earth, before one is deployed millions of miles away on the Moon or Mars.  Or it can be shut down and an old diesel standby generator used to replace it if it isn't suitable after all, and it doesn't result in killing everyone off-planet.

McMurdo is the perfect test candidate.

It has a need, it has a location, and for Pete's sake research is its reason detre.

[Bogie]

Did they say the cost? I wonder how much it would cost to provide juice for a 20,000 household city...

[230RN]

There ya go! Freaking conservative wanting to nuke the polar bears.
 

I wonder what migration route the polar bears found to get down there.  [ETA: Oops! Hawkmoon beat me to that observation.]

I understand they are/were running Stirling engines off the heat of highly radioactive elements in spacebound probes. Working fluid was helium at 3000 psi running the engines directly.  No spacequakes, so no concern for leaks/mishaps "up there."

I also heard many years ago that every conventional power plant had a "pocket" nuclear generator ready to go.  Supposedly authoritative, but it sure sounded fishy to me.  Maybe he was repeating a rumor as fact.  People do that, you know.