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Boston-based UPower Technologies thinks it can reinvent nuclear power by
going small and ditching the predominant light-water design. Its
reactor, whose contents would fit inside a shipping container, turns out
between 1 and 2 megawatts of electric power, compared with about a
gigawatt for a full-size nuclear power plant. And instead of submerging
fuel rods in constantly circulated water to keep the core from
overheating, UPower’s closed-cycle design uses a liquid that evaporates
when exposed to the heat of fission, but then condenses when that heat
is used to turn generators. For foolproof safety—a heightened concern
after the Fukushima disaster—it can dissipate excess heat and avoid a
meltdown through natural convection. But will UPower’s intent to quickly
commercialize its miniature nuclear power plant be frustrated by a U.S.
licensure and regulation regime built around evaluating light-water
designs? http://spectrum.ieee.org/energywise/energy/nuclear/startup-designs-trucksize-nuclear-reactor/?utm_source=energywise&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=052114 |
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