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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

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

The Atomic Show #035 – Dr. Regis Matzie Interview

November 5, 2006 By Rod Adams 1 Comment

Interview with Dr. Regis Matzie – Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, Westinghouse. On November 2, 2006, Rod Adams talked with Dr. Regis Matzie, Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer for Westinghouse. Dr. Matzie has been a key participant in the Pebble Bed Modular Reactor and several other advanced nuclear power system development […]

Filed Under: Gas Cooled Reactors, Podcast

PBMR Update June 7, 2005

June 7, 2005 By Rod Adams

As frequent readers know, I am a huge fan of the Pebble Bed Modular Reactor (PBMR) project that has been under development in South Africa since 1993. Though there have been some hurdles over the years, and the project has had to overcome a significant amount of resistance, the PBMR team – originally from Eskom, […]

Filed Under: Atomic Insights 2005, Gas Cooled Reactors

Atomic Gas Turbines: Applying Related Inventions

May 1, 1996 By Rod Adams

Many of the greatest innovations – if carefully investigated – can be seen to be the result of of an inventor recognizing other inventions had made it possible to achieve a long awaited dream. For example, the story of the Wright Brothers’ first flight is incomplete without the story of the internal combustion engine. The […]

Filed Under: Army Nuclear Program, Atomic Insights May 1996, Gas Cooled Reactors

Government Support: Official Help in the Sales Department

February 1, 1996 By Rod Adams

General Electric and Westinghouse received a significant contribution from the U.S. government in their early efforts to establish light water reactors as the world standard in nuclear technology. The support included low interest loans, direct state-to-state pressure, and government contracts that paid for basic materials development. This government support came for several reasons. Not only […]

Filed Under: Atomic Insights Feb 1996, Gas Cooled Reactors

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