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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

Graphite Moderated 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

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 Accident at Chernobyl: What Caused the Explosion?

April 1, 1996 By Rod Adams

On April 26th, 1986, at 1:23 am, Alexander Akimov did what he and thousands of other nuclear plant operators have been trained to do. When confronted with confusing reactor indications, he initiated an emergency shutdown of Unit 4 of the large electricity generating station near Pripyat in Ukraine. By doing so, he unwittingly initiated an […]

Filed Under: Accidents, Atomic Insights April 1996, Graphite Moderated Reactors

CO2: First Choice for Power Reactors

January 1, 1996 By Rod Adams

During the period from 1946 until 1954, the single most important constraint governing the development of peaceful uses of atomic power was the Atomic Energy Act of 1946. This American law – passed after a failed attempt to establish an international control regime for nuclear materials – made it illegal to trade in nuclear knowledge […]

Filed Under: Atomic Insights Jan 1996, Gas Cooled Reactors, Graphite Moderated Reactors, Technical History Stories

Common Myths: Is Nuclear Waste a Huge Problem?

April 1, 1995 By Rod Adams

One of the main reasons for publishing this letter is to add a healthy dose of reality to the mythology that has surrounded the atomic energy field. There are so many of these myths that this column will be a regular feature of the Atomic Energy Insights. One of the most prevalent myths is that […]

Filed Under: Atomic Insights April 1995, Graphite Moderated Reactors, Nuclear Waste

In the beginning: A 1942 Experiment Shows the World It Can Be Done

April 1, 1995 By Rod Adams

On December 2, 1942, Enrico Fermi and a small band of scientists and engineers demonstrated that a simple construction of graphite bricks and uranium lumps could produce controlled heat. Let’s look back to see how simple that first reactor was. Behind the Scenes The space chosen for the reactor was a squash court under the […]

Filed Under: Atomic Insights April 1995, Graphite Moderated Reactors, Technical History Stories

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