David Farrar: Micro nuclear power

A fascinating post by Stephen McBride. He notes:

A single uranium pellet the size of a gummy bear contains as much energy as 140 barrels of oil. It’s the cleanest, safest energy source known to man.

And:

HALEU, the best fuel for next-gen reactors, is often packaged in ceramic armor called TRISO, which keeps the fuel dense and safe.

TRISO comes in indestructible snooker ball-sized pebbles. Each one stores enough power to run thousands of homes.

TRISO doesn’t melt. It doesn’t leak. It traps radioactivity inside, even in extreme accidents. That’s why the DoE calls it the most robust nuclear fuel on Earth. Even the NRC recognizes it as ‘functional containment.’

Here’s one entrepreneur on the magic of TRISO: “You know those giant concrete containment domes that surround old reactors in case something goes wrong? With TRISO, we’ve basically engineered the dome into every single fuel particle.”

TRISO gives microreactors clean, compact, constant power, with no meltdown risk, and no need for massive containment buildings.

Human innovation is incredible.

David Farrar runs Curia Market Research, a specialist opinion polling and research agency, and the popular Kiwiblog where this article was sourced. He previously worked in the Parliament for eight years, serving two National Party Prime Ministers and three Opposition Leaders