Toshiba Builds 100x Smaller Micro Nuclear Reactor

SOURCE

The 200 kilowatt Toshiba designed reactor is engineered to be fail-safe and totally automatic and will not overheat. Unlike traditional nuclear reactors the new micro reactor uses no control rods to initiate the reaction. The new revolutionary technology uses reservoirs of liquid lithium-6, an isotope that is effective at absorbing neutrons. The Lithium-6 reservoirs are connected to a vertical tube that fits into the reactor core. The whole whole process is self sustaining and can last for up to 40 years, producing electricity for only 5 cents per kilowatt hour, about half the cost of grid energy.

PDF SOURCE (STARTS AT PAGE 79) WARNING:LARGE PDF

This is a real step forward in conserving energy, too bad the public image of anything radioactive is negative for the most part.

Also for a small business owner he can power a residential block for 1/2 the cost? would it be worth it?

WIKI SOURCE

Other applications include:
Indoor farming. I wonder waht kinda "crops" will be planted



[edit on 12/18/2007 by a1ex]

The new reactor, which is only 20 feet by 6 feet

There goes my plans for a fuel-less car.
They are moving in the right direction in terms of energy density though.

you can now have a nuclear meltdown in your basement

the first thing i thought of was using this in space stations (if they aren't already). Would provide a reliable source of energy for extended periods of time at a low cost and a tiny chance of malfunctions and release of all the nice stuff.

Depending on how expensive this thing is to make and how easy/hard lithium-6 is to acquire, this could seriously be the invention of the century. Unless the cost is astronomical, it should be economical for any power generation plant or maybe even businesses and factories. I don't think I've ever flagged a thread here before, but I'm going to do so for this one.

The break-even point for 200kW continuous production over 40 years at $0.05/kW.h turns out to be about $3.5 million including maintenance/establishment costs.

Ever seen what happens if pure lithium comes in contact with water?

Somehow I don't see these being used domesticly

I don't see it replacing the PIG (plutonium isotope generator) on spacecraft until the size and weight get vastly reduced.

wow.. i can build a bunker now ! i just need the 3.5 mil $ haha

Originally posted by Pilgrum
Ever seen what happens if pure lithium comes in contact with water?

Actually, I have, on a few occasions. Don't try that at home

I had the same reaction (pun intended) -- is something goes haywire, you have one nice little dirty bomb that goes "boom".

Compact reactors are old news. The real issues is failure modes, and it's debatable how this design made real improvements.

Actually, I have, on a few occasions. Don't try that at home

I had the same reaction (pun intended) -- is something goes haywire, you have one nice little dirty bomb that goes "boom".

Compact reactors are old news. The real issues is failure modes, and it's debatable how this design made real improvements.

Is there any video of this if you know of any?


If the cost/size/security factors are looked after .... This is one business I would jump into right away... I mean being the power source for my block!.... i would even sell any surplus power back.

(I would not want to be the repair technician though)

Yes, But you will save on light bulbs. Every one in the neighborhood will glow in the dark. You will be able to see yourself going through the neighbohood. Streetlights will become a thing of the past.

This is great. I really look forward to this kind of thing getting mainstream. People need to shed irrational fears about what could happen and consider the probability of it happening. For instance we are far more likely to die in a car crash than to die from sort of radiation. Do we stop driving our cars? No, we accept the risks because we also recognize the benefits.

Well, it's still not small enough to fit over the engine compartment of my DeLorean. So it looks like I'm not going back to Hill Valley anytime soon.

Originally posted by Nohup
Well, it's still not small enough to fit over the engine compartment of my DeLorean. So it looks like I'm not going back to Hill Valley anytime soon.

Well first off it would need to run on plutonium. Second, we can never forget the all important flux capacitor.

Just found this 2005 article on Galena, Alaska planning to put Toshiba 4S online by 2012. Nuclear Power for Galena, Alaska

It's a pretty well written article and includes the many hoops Toshiba has to jump through in order to be able to even sell these. The bureaucracy is mindnumbingly stupid. Enjoy

Edit to add: Here is an article dated November 20, 2008 stating that Toshiba is still trying to get approval to put one in Galena. The article is largely about the Hyperion Company's reactor.

Here is a Fox News article on Miniature Nuclear Power Plants dated December 10 2008 which includes a Mini Nuke Plant that I haven't heard of before.

The NuScale reactor, based on technology developed by Oregon State University, is a light-water reactor that produces 45 megawatts of electricity, enough to power about 35,000 homes, which is about 5 percent the output of a full-scale reactor.

At 60 feet in length, 40 feet across and about 300 tons, it will be larger than the Hyperion design, and it is intended for standard civilian use; the company says its reactors can be grouped to serve communities of different sizes, with up to 24 reactors at a location.

"They can be shipped to site by rail, by truck or by barge. They can all be fabricated within the United States," said spokesman Bruce Landry.

[edit on 15-12-2008 by Cool Hand Luke]