Hello APS, new member intro

[Jamisjockey]

Yeah, that specific one is not only extremely expensive (on a per home basis), but has some material issues I've never seen resolved.  Mine are bigger (5-50k homes), but cheaper, and not that much bigger (think large barn)

In a former life I was an air traffic controller for the Marine Corps. When we deployed (don't mis-read that, I only deployed to Laguna AAF in Arizona, and to 29 palms) an ATC detachment, we used anywhere from 6-12 large diesel generators.  And those were just for ATC.  AARFF, and any squadrons on the airfield used them as well.
What I envision, is one of these nukes-in-a-box being used for deployed military units.  We would have been able to deploy with a whole less section, and all the personnel, equipment, etc that comes along with that. 
I'd venture to guess you could run a whole mobile airfield with one.

[birdman]

In a former life I was an air traffic controller for the Marine Corps. When we deployed (don't mis-read that, I only deployed to Laguna AAF in Arizona, and to 29 palms) an ATC detachment, we used anywhere from 6-12 large diesel generators.  And those were just for ATC.  AARFF, and any squadrons on the airfield used them as well.
What I envision, is one of these nukes-in-a-box being used for deployed military units.  We would have been able to deploy with a whole less section, and all the personnel, equipment, etc that comes along with that. 
I'd venture to guess you could run a whole mobile airfield with one.

Quite easily, except for the fact they weigh about 300 tons, more if you want to make sure your average ATGM can't blow it open.  But trust me the idea is being worked, more so for fixed, non-deployed bases on us territory.  The vulnerabilities are too much for deployed units--I can ensure it would take some serious ordnance to take out a system, but it's gonna be heavy, and only moved twice, once to install, once when it's done 30yrs later.  Sorry.  Also, the power needs for deployed airfields are huge...your average large trailer or skid diesel genset is 500-1000 kW...most airfields need several, the reactor in a box is only a few 1000kW.   Also, once you turn them on, you don't want to move them till end of life--moving that much spent radioactive fuel is a very sensitive issue.

[Jamisjockey]

That makes me sad.

[roo_ster]

If the Rooskies could produce land-mobile nuke plants in the 1950s & 1960s, we oughta be able to produce nuke plants that move on Segways today

Okay, motorcycles with sidecars as risk-mitigation. 

 

[roo_ster]

Oh, and I was at the Trinity site last week for the semi-annual open house.

[Harold Tuttle]