• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • About
  • Podcast
  • Archives
  • Links

Atomic Insights

Atomic energy technology, politics, and perceptions from a nuclear energy insider who served as a US nuclear submarine engineer officer

Atomic Show #248 – Dr. Pete Pappano, VP Fuel Production X-Energy

November 20, 2015 By Rod Adams 2 Comments

  • Tweet
  • Share 0
  • Reddit
  • +1
  • LinkedIn 0
  • Email

On Thursday, November 19, 2015, I interviewed Dr. Pete Pappano, vice president of fuel development for X-Energy. As described in X-Energy introduced its company and first product to Virginia chapter of ANS, X-Energy is a start-up company based in Maryland that is developing a modular high temperature gas cooled reactor.

Each module will produce 50 MWe using a helium-cooled, high temperature reactor. The reactor thermal power output and geometric configuration have been selected to ensure that the highest temperature in the hottest part of the core under all postulated accident conditions will remain below 1600 degrees C. If the modeled scenarios can be validated, and if they are determined to be challenging enough to encompass the worst credible conditions, the reactor may be considered passively safe.

Xe-100 side view

Xe-100 side view

The enabling technology is the highly refined TRISO fuel particle. That fuel, first developed in the early 1960s, has been steadily improved and rigorously tested, most recently as part of the Next Generation Nuclear Plant (NGNP) project. X-Energy plans to leverage the work done as part of the NGNP as it develops its own design and licensing strategy.

X-Energy fuel form

X-Energy fuel form

Dr. Pappano and I talked about fuel performance, the overall reactor design, and some additional safety considerations. We also talked about whether or not a small pebble bed reactor using fuel consisting of TRISO particles compacted into spherical elements would need a containment as part of a defense-in-depth strategy.

I hope you enjoy the conversation.

Play

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Android | Google Podcasts | RSS

  • Tweet
  • Share 0
  • Reddit
  • +1
  • LinkedIn 0
  • Email

Filed Under: Gas Cooled Reactors, Pebble Bed Reactors, Podcast

About Rod Adams

Atomic energy expert with small nuclear plant operating and design experience. Financial, strategic, and political analyst. Former submarine Engineer Officer. Founder, Adams Atomic Engines, Inc. Host and producer, The Atomic Show Podcast. Resume available here.

Please subscribe to the Atomic Show RSS feed.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Eino says

    November 21, 2015 at 12:46 PM

    Rod:

    This was a good interview. Thank you and Dr. Pappano for taking the time for this show.

    Reply
  2. James Greenidge says

    November 27, 2015 at 6:17 PM

    This was a good show (though Pappano seemed a little reserved in some explanations) and requires a slightly less techie follow-up if it wishes to be appreciated by the nuclear unwashed. For some reason this interview pops up a request by me for anyone aware of undocumented material on just why nuclear power was kicked out of McMurdo Station in Antarctica, a super-clean place that can do without hills of fuel oil drums and soot haze that apparently Greens don’t seem to mind instead.

    James Greenidge
    Queens NY

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You have to agree to the comment policy.



Notify me of followup comments via e-mail. You can also subscribe without commenting.

Primary Sidebar

Search Atomic Insights

The Atomic Show

Atomic Insights

Follow Atomic Insights

Recent Posts

Are we finally approaching lift-off for a real Renaissance?

Acting EPA administrator appoints Dr. Brant Ulsh to head radiation advisory council

ML-1 Mobile Power System: Reactor in a Box

Atomic Show #264 – Building momentum in advanced nuclear energy

Nature and Nuclear Power, the hills and valleys will be thankful and every creature rejoice!

  • Home
  • About Atomic Insights
  • Atomic Show
  • Contact
  • Links

Search Atomic Insights

Archives

Copyright © 2019 · Atomic Insights