PBMR Update – 11 August 2006
Creamer Media Engineering News Online has recently published several articles about the PBMR and the project status. One article titled How PBMR’s Work provides good information about the history and design choices made during the lengthy refinement period since the late 1950s when Rudolf Schulten first developed the concept of enclosing nuclear fuel into graphite balls. The article also compares in a brief way the alternative high temperature gas reactor choice, that of prismatic fuel elements, that is being pursued by General Atomics and tested in Japan.
Another article titled New PBMR applications, test facilities progress discusses some specific achievements in the project timeline and also talks about applications for the technology outside of the traditional electrical generation model used by most existing nuclear power plants.
A third article titled Licensing and permitting process advances talks about the progress that has been made for environmental and technical licensing reviews for the demonstration power plant and its associated fuel manufacturing production lines.
