The Tiny, Simple Nuclear Reactor That Could Change Energy

[Pete F]

As far as the uneducated public being scared, it's a non issue so long as there's science to back these up.

If this were true, Trojan Nuclear Power Plant would still be running. The main reason they shut it down was public perception and constant lawsuits. In my opinion, PGE made a bad choice shutting it down.

1100 Megawatts of CO2 free power, equal to 2 Boardman coal plants.

 

[BPOR11]

How many know that there has been a small nuclear reactor in SE Portland for over 50 years? It is at Reed College.

Oregon State has one. Went with my oldest son on a tour of it with his scout troop. It was an interesting thing to see up close!

 

[CountryGent]

The unholy alliance of public ignorance and governmental incompetence is indeed a strong ally against progress. But even that can be overcome with a solid education. And, well, planting, metaphorically speaking, a boot up the bureaucrat's backside.

 

[Member 5605]

Hopefully the perception nuclear power was shipped in the next few years when they realize that it is impossible to fuel and power everything they need off of hopes and dreams wind and solar.

Nuclear is the true revolution.

 

[CountryGent]

Nuclear is the true revolution.

Indeed, my friend, amazing things are happening. Not the least of which the Lockheed Martin Compact Fusion Reactor (CFR).

 

[Pete F]

Indeed, my friend, amazing things are happening. Not the least of which the Lockheed Martin Compact Fusion Reactor (CFR).

I am still a little wary of these reports of fusion reactors actually working. They always seem to have trouble replicating their data. I would love to see one proven to work.

I also wonder about the paridigm shift that would happen with almost limitless power at near $0 cost to produce. The world will be a very different place if comes to fruition. It would be similar to the world wide change from the use of the first atomic bomb and may be greater depending on who has them and who doesn't.

 

[RicInOR]

Is LOL appropriate when discussing nuc's ?

, which is awkward when they are still attached to the ship.

 

[Spitpatch]

Reminds me of the JC Whitney catalog, touting all the mileage enhancing products (magnets on your fuel line, etc.). On a whim (and over beer,etc.) we actually sat down and compiled a list of each improvement offered and its supposed increase in gas mileage.

If you installed each "improvement" (and only expected the low-ball range of mileage savings advertised), while you drove your tank would be filling.

 

[shojikitsune]

Is LOL appropriate when discussing nuc's ?

Hey, I was being funny, I hope. Point is, the Navy influenced reactor design for decades, and with Sodium's reaction to water they weren't entirely unjustified.

 

[CountryGent]

Update from Popular Mechanics: This Tiny Nuclear Reactor Will Change Energy—and Now It's Officially Safe

 

[JRuby]

I have never thought of a nuclear reactors as being simple or safe to use by the average person. Wonder what happens when there is a problem you loose the neighborhood instead of the county

 

[Rickenbacher39]

Neat...........I can be my own night light.

 

[mrblond]

Neat...........I can be my own night light.

and free birth control!

 

[Pete F]

This is a big deal. As I said before, we won't be seeing them in Oregon anytime soon - like never, but maybe Idaho or even Washington. It all depends on public perception.

The project has been around since Oregon State and NuScale were studying designs, building mock-ups and trying to get Portland General Electric on board in the 1990's. I was part of the PGE Research and Development team.

This may be the only cost effective way to restart the US nuclear power program and I am all for it. My Avatar is looking down into the partially de-fueled Trojan reactor vessel with the lights turned off. It was cool to see in the dark - Cherenkov radiation blue.

Thanks @CountryGent for posting this. Nuclear Power was a big part of my life for over 15 years.

 

[41mag]

The main reason they shut it down was public perception and constant lawsuits.

I had grown up with the impression/desire we would all benefit from the blessed dance of subatomic particles heating our water for us.

As I recall the Trojan plant never actually produced customer line energy but rarely on certain test/tax days. And what's all the concern about being suddenly discovered to be located directly downstream from a live volcano and new tectonic plate fears? Maybe I'm wrong. I tried to filter out the reactionary opposition to such technological advance to basic steam power, but PGE never did 'splain where the waste fuel was going for long term storage.

 

[Pete F]

I had grown up with the impression/desire we would all benefit from the blessed dance of subatomic particles heating our water for us.

As I recall the Trojan plant never actually produced customer line energy but rarely on certain test/tax days. And what's all the concern about being suddenly discovered to be located directly downstream from a live volcano and new tectonic plate fears? Maybe I'm wrong. I tried to filter out the reactionary opposition to such technological advance to basic steam power, but PGE never did 'splain where the waste fuel was going for long term storage.

I am not sure where you are getting your information, but you might want to verify it. Trojan was PGE's largest producer of electricity (plant basis) in certain years. When the dams were full, Trojan would go offline for maintenance and refueling and once when I was there it went into extended shutdown due to a glut of cheaper power, mostly coal and hydroelectric - otherwise it was running at full power.

The waste was the Federal Government's problem (NRC & DOE). Every commercial nuclear power plant paid a surcharge that was supposed to go to a permanent waste storage facility. This was supposed to be completed by 1978 - and still does not exist.

Also, there was no sudden discovery of tectonic plates or live volcanos that had anything to do with plant safety or Trojan's shutdown.

It is a very long story, 1978 - 1992, that I am not going to go into here, but Trojan was one of the safest Nuclear Power Plants in the country. I worked at more than a dozen plants and only Diablo Canyon was run as well. The only reason it shut down was public pressure/lawsuits and I still believe that PGE made a bad choice.

 

[SquirrelSlayer]

Diablo Canyon... Awesome plant, people and management! I scheduled my outage work year around it because it was so nice to work there.

 

[41mag]

Appreciate an insider view. Mostly exposed to partisan greenie frenzies of that era.