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Paths to the Energy Miracles
Published in H. B. Glushakow, Energy Miracles, 2022
Fission and fusion are two ways of altering atoms to create energy. Fusion joins two lighter atoms into a heavier one, while fission splits a heavier atom into two lighter ones. Fusion has a potential of many times that of fission, but has several regrettable problems associated with it, including energy radiation damage to the reactors and connected structures, radioactive waste, the need for shielding humans who come in contact with it, and the potential for production of weapons-grade plutonium 239, which would add to the threat of nuclear proliferation. It is fission that is used today in all commercial nuclear power plants and is, itself, millions of times more powerful than chemical reactions such as burning coal. The ferocity of the explosions involved requires both processes to be controlled in nuclear reactors. The high costs, safety concerns, and dangerous waste products of nuclear power plants would seem to put it out of the running for an Energy Miracle, but a technology that could eliminate all three of those disadvantages would be enormous. A company started by Bill Gates (TerraPower) is working on such a solution. According to John Gilleland, its Chief Technical Officer, “Bill Gates and his colleagues looked at solar, wind, any kind of energy you can think of, and determined that they’re all important, and they all have their role, however, nuclear was the only source of energy which could provide the necessary huge quantities that we need on a global basis.” Its product is called a Traveling Wave Reactor (TWR®), which is said to be cheaper and safer plus produces considerably less nuclear waste than existing nuclear power plants. It is a work in progress.
From “Inherently Safe” to “Proliferation Resistant”: New Perspectives on Reactor Designs
Published in Nuclear Technology, 2021
TerraPower’s so-called traveling wave reactor (TWR) features a small core of nuclear fuel (enriched uranium, for example) sited in the center of a larger mass of nonfissile material, such as depleted uranium. Neutrons from the core transform 238U into 239Pu, a process referred to as “breeding”: Over time, enough fuel is bred in the area surrounding the core that it begins to undergo fission as well, sending neutrons further into the mass and continuing the process while the original core burns out. Over a period of decades, the reaction moves from the core of the reactor to the outside, thus giving the name “travelling wave.”88
A Study of Nuclear Fuel Burnup Wave Development in a Fast Neutron Energy Spectrum Multiplying Medium: Improved Model and Consistent Parametric Approach for Evaluation
Published in Nuclear Science and Engineering, 2022
Dipanjan Ray, Manish Kumar, Om Pal Singh, Prabhat Munshi
Extensive numerical and analytical studies have been carried out on this concept of B&B for a fast and thermal medium over the years.11–34 Recently, TerraPower Company, funded by Gates, has shown interest in the new concept of a traveling wave reactor (TWR) and uses sodium-cooled fast reactor technologies of the present era.35–37 Fuel reshuffling methodology has been used to achieve higher burnup. Wave development is achieved by reshuffling of fuel subassemblies from the outer zone to the inner zone in the reactor. The advantage of using fast reactor technology and reshuffling methodology is to achieve higher burnup and limit reactor core parameters within the safety design.38–40