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Atomic Insights

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

Gas Cooled Reactors

HTR-PM – Nuclear-heated gas producing superheated steam

June 27, 2014 By Rod Adams

The first HTR-PM (High Temperature Reactor – Pebble Module), one of the more intriguing nuclear plant designs, is currently under construction on the coast of the Shidao Bay near Weihai, China. This system uses evolutionary engineering design principles that give it a high probability of success, assuming that the developers and financial supporters maintain their […]

Filed Under: Advanced Atomic Technologies, Gas Cooled Reactors, Graphite Moderated Reactors, International nuclear, New Nuclear, Pebble Bed Reactors, Small Nuclear Power Plants, Smaller reactors

Fission is an elegant way to heat a gas

June 26, 2014 By Rod Adams

What if it was possible to combine the low capital cost, reliability, and responsive operations of simple cycle combustion gas turbines with the low fuel cost and zero-emission capability of an actinide (uranium, thorium, or plutonium) fuel source? Machines like that could disrupt a few business models while giving the world’s economy a powerful new […]

Filed Under: Adams Engines, Advanced Atomic Technologies, Gas Cooled Reactors, Graphite Moderated Reactors, Pebble Bed Reactors, Small Nuclear Power Plants, Smaller reactors

Advances in high temperature nuclear reactor fuel – TRISO integrity at 1800 C!

September 26, 2013 By Rod Adams

The Idaho National Laboratory released the following exciting news on September 25, 2013. IDAHO FALLS — A safer and more efficient nuclear fuel is on the horizon. A team of researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Idaho National Laboratory (INL) and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) have reached a new milestone with tristructural-isotropic (TRISO) […]

Filed Under: Advanced Atomic Technologies, Fuel Comparisons, Gas Cooled Reactors, Graphite Moderated Reactors, Pebble Bed Reactors

NGNP aims to expand nuclear fission out of its electricity producing niche (box)

March 7, 2013 By Rod Adams

Enterprise and Escorts Demonstrate Nuclear Propulsion

The NGNP Alliance recently published a thought provoking blog titled Energy Vs. Electricity and Why We Care that clearly explains the basis for their interest in using high temperature gas cooled reactors. That group of far-sighted organizations was formed in recognition that the energy market is far larger than just producing electricity. They believe that […]

Filed Under: Adams Engines, Gas Cooled Reactors, Graphite Moderated Reactors, Small Nuclear Power Plants

Carnival of Nuclear Energy 130 – Best of the pronuclear blogs for week of Nov 10, 2012

November 10, 2012 By Rod Adams

Update #2: (Posted at 1315 EST on November 11, 2012) Steve Aplin provided the following contribution from his insightful blog titled: Canadian Energy Issues Cities and power: revisiting Adam Smith’s Division of Labour Post blurb: Modern cities cannot function without electricity. That electricity is usually the product of other people from outside of the city, […]

Filed Under: Gas Cooled Reactors, Politics of Nuclear Energy, Public meetings

Musing about resilient power systems – natural gas, NGL (propane) and nuclear

November 6, 2012 By Rod Adams

Widespread power outages stimulate me to intense bouts of thinking about building resilient power systems, both when they happen to me and when they happen to someone else. During the summer of 2012, during one of the hottest weeks of the year, we lost power for a little more than a week as a result […]

Filed Under: Advanced Atomic Technologies, Fossil fuel competition, Gas Cooled Reactors, Natural Gas, Smaller reactors

Virginia ANS – Uranium mining, mPower, NGNP progress

October 19, 2012 By Rod Adams

Dr. Finis Southworth at VA ANS Oct 2012

Last night I participated in a well-attended meeting of the Virginia chapter of the American Nuclear Society. It was great to be surrounded by a bunch of nukes who were interested in learning about technical developments and in discussing the current local and national political situation from an energy perspective. Before dinner, I had the […]

Filed Under: Advanced Atomic Technologies, Gas Cooled Reactors, Graphite Moderated Reactors

Pebble bed reactor safety demonstration test – ABC video from 2007

November 20, 2011 By Rod Adams

I spent about 15 years trying (unsuccessfully) to get a small modular reactor company off the ground. Our concept was based on an adaptation of the successful German pebble bed demonstration reactor called the AVR. In 2003, Tsinghua University in China completed the construction of the HTR-10, which was essentially a direct copy of the […]

Filed Under: Gas Cooled Reactors, Graphite Moderated Reactors, New Nuclear, Pebble Bed Reactors, Small Nuclear Power Plants, Smaller reactors

The Atomic Show #142 – American Right-Sized Reactors

September 25, 2009 By Rod Adams 1 Comment

Tom Sanders is an advocate of building right sized reactor power systems to meet human needs. He is a leader of a team working on that technology at Sandia National Laboratory. He is also the President of the American Nuclear Society. He has been doing a lot of traveling lately, answering questions about his vision […]

Filed Under: Gas Cooled Reactors, Podcast, Small Nuclear Power Plants

The Atomic Show #094 – Hans and Mary Lou Gougar (with Charlie and Betty) – a nuclear family living in South Africa

May 18, 2008 By Rod Adams 1 Comment

Hans and Mary Lou Gougar are two of most interesting nukes that I know. They are currently living and working in South Africa for PBMR Pty Ltd. Their story is fascinating. I got up bright and early this morning (0400) to prepare to record a conversation with two fascinating people. Hans and Mary Lou Gougar […]

Filed Under: Gas Cooled Reactors, International nuclear, Podcast Tagged With: Carbon 14, microbe isotope separation, PBMR

The Atomic Show #079 – Ft St Vrain, energy comparisons, UK nuclear decision

January 14, 2008 By Rod Adams 5 Comments

John Wheeler, Kelly Taylor, Robert Margolis, and Michael Stuart visit with Rod Adams about a variety of topics including Ft. St. Vrain, energy comparisons, energy price inflation, and the recent UK government decision to encourage new nuclear power plants. First of all, I apologize for the sound quality. I goofed something up with the settings […]

Filed Under: Atomic history, Gas Cooled Reactors, Podcast, Technical History Stories

The Atomic Show #063 – NNadir interviews Rod Adams about Adams Engines(TM)

June 27, 2007 By Rod Adams

NNadir is a popular diarist on Daily Kos. He appeared recently as a guest of The Atomic Show and has returned to interview Rod Adams about the Adams Engine(TM) As the host of The Atomic Show, I have occasionally shared some information about the Adams Engine(TM), my own design for an atomic power source that […]

Filed Under: Adams Engines, Gas Cooled Reactors, Podcast

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