Next generation micro-nuclear reactors could be the answer to carbon-free electricity

When you think of nuclear power, you probably think of huge and dangerous power plants. But what if future nuclear power plants were actually so small that they could be called “atomic batteries” and so safe that they could also provide electricity and heat for neighborhoods?

This groundbreaking concept was developed by a team of experts from various fields – Jacopo Buongiorno, TEPCO Professor of Nuclear Science and Technology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Kevin Chilton, Retired Commander of the US Strategic Command, Steven Aumeier of Idaho National Laboratory and Robert Frida, a founder of GenH.

The result of their research was published in The Bridge, the journal of the National Academy of Engineering.

Nuclear power is an important alternative to carbon-free electricity and heat, but the problem so far has been that traditional nuclear reactors have been very large, large construction sites, years if not decades to build and, of course, enormous costs. The scientific community has looked into the development of smaller reactors, but for the first time a radically small unit is being considered.

It would be so small that it could be built in a factory (no need of your own construction site), it would fit in a standard container and be deployed in just a few weeks if needed.

Instead of working on a huge power plant for years, these atomic batteries could simply be transported where they are needed, run safely for 5 to 10 years, and then brought back to the plant for refueling. As Jacopo Buongiorno explains, this technology “takes the modularity to the extreme” and the reduced size changes everything. Thanks to it, the microreactors would also be as safe as possible because it is easier to keep the nuclear fuel cool without intervention and the amount of residual heat when the reactor is switched off is also reduced.

Institutions like NASA and several companies have already worked with national laboratories to test different versions of microreactors. These nuclear batteries could be the next step in creating a widespread sustainable energy solution and reducing CO2 emissions.

Comments are closed.