Interview with John Deal, Hyperion Power Generation

[Eletruk]

Not being a nuclear plant engineer, what I can say is what I get out of the article. It's basically a hot box that generates 70 megawatts of heat for 8-10 years. It uses a hydride of 90% inert u-238 and 10% active u-235, It doesn't run quite the same as a nuclear reactor in that the fuel is not regulated by modulators be it water or graphite, it's simply self sustaining due to radioactive decay. It can't experience runaway thermal because the hydride mixture slows down the reaction when the materials overheat, therefore if it's too cold, it heats up, if it's too hot, it cools down. Self-regulating. It's called a TRIGA reactor and apparently there are already about 70 of these type around the world mostly as research reactors, and are the only reactor that the NRC has licensed for unattended operation.