Hyperion Power Generation has just announced the design [PDF] of its “Hyperion Power Module”, a very small (1.5m X 2.5m), sealed fission reactor designed to produce power (70MW thermal/25MW electric) at less than 10 cents/KWh at any location on earth. In a change from their originally planned technology, this system uses uranium nitride fuel and liquid lead-bismuth cooling. The module comes sealed from the factory, and remains sealed during its entire lifetime of 5-15 year.
This is a pretty nifty design, and offers a lot of flexibility compared to most approaches to fission power (e.g., remote site power generation, off-grid generation for sensitive/critical facilities). Arguably, in terms of size and maintenance, it will be suitable for many of the markets that FF would also fit.
To be fair, as far as I know currently nuclear plants don’t figure in permanent disposal costs in their bills to consumers. And my guess is that one major market for these units is outside the US, where issues of insurance may be less of a concern. (I’m also not clear that a sealed unit would have more insurability problems than a conventional plant.)
To be fair, as far as I know currently nuclear plants don’t figure in permanent disposal costs in their bills to consumers. And my guess is that one major market for these units is outside the US, where issues of insurance may be less of a concern. (I’m also not clear that a sealed unit would have more insurability problems than a conventional plant.)
Exactly, that’s the point. Nucluear fission plants don’t include these costs in their calculation. Thus it’s much more expensive, than commonly voiced. You pay the costs by tax. Or your children pay them with their health. Either way.
I don’t disagree with your point, but my response was that this is nothing new for nuclear, and that this is a new technology with a much smaller footprint and interesting applications. It doesn’t solve all the problems of fission reactors, but it does make them much more convenient, more flexible, and allegedly much safer.
All that said, I’d much prefer to see a FF installation in my neighbourhood than one of Hyperion’s modules…
Having a heat source is useful for all sorts of industrial processes. And heck, for that matter, even tokamaks and ICF machines ultimately produce heat (or would when/if they work). There are very few direct generation technologies.
But yeah, aneutronic and direct generation is the way to go. If only there were a way to make that happen…
The blog Idaho Samizdat has an update on four next-generation small fission reactors (as does NextBigFuture). This looks like a pretty active area currently, although I think it is quite uncertain when any of these will be licensed by the NRC. I suppose that isn’t necessarily a show-stopper, however, if a company targets markets in the developing world and/or venues that are exempt from such licensing (such as military bases).
The blog Idaho Samizdat has an update on four next-generation small fission reactors (as does NextBigFuture). This looks like a pretty active area currently, although I think it is quite uncertain when any of these will be licensed by the NRC. I suppose that isn’t necessarily a show-stopper, however, if a company targets markets in the developing world and/or venues that are exempt from such licensing (such as military bases).
What makes you believe military bases are exempt from such licensing? Federal property still falls under the EPA and NRC regulations that govern nuclear power plant placement. Only a place specifically designed for nuclear testing or similar use would be regulated differently. You should see what it takes to build a hangar on a base (proving you will capture and properly dispose of every drop of POL is an expensive prospect). The only difference I can see is that a base or piece of federal property large enough wouldn’t need to have state permission to build the plant. Private enterprise also has a lot of hurdles to overcome if placed on federal land. If I were building a new power plant I would look for a sympathetic state and build it on state owned land, not federal land.
What makes you believe military bases are exempt from such licensing?
Would bases on foreign soil be subject to NRC regulation? The most obvious use-case for these kind of self-contained, transportable reactors are for installations where there is no reliable grid. This is not a problem for US bases, but for those in war zones, power is a major concern (especially given the cost of transporting fuel).
Sorry for the delay in posting. I had to move from overseas and got caught up in paperwork and red tape. NRC wouldn’t apply to overseas bases but unless there is no SOFA agreement in place (Status of Forces Agreement) you couldn’t just bring whatever you want into a foreign country. It would be subject to the host countries laws. Operators would likely be the biggest issue but could be overcome with some training for soldiers who would care for the generator. I posted a similar scenario in my thesis last year. I just suggested that we leave the generator in place to provide power to the local community when we leave (how’s that for a lasting contribution).
I agree about military tech schools being able to train operators and supervisors. And at least the Navy already trains fission reactor people. Maybe the other branches do, too. In fact, I can see a lot of former torpedomen and missile techs servicing FF installations, since my core sketches resemble torpedoes. And like Hyperion, a quick swap on-site service cycle services cores at a depot to minimize downtime and maximize standards compliance.
Focus Fusion Society 
