The real title of this post should probably be “Triso Fuel” but Radioactive Gobstoppers has a much catchier ring to it. But regardless of what you call it one thing is abundantly clear: we’re looking at the future of nuclear energy. That’s because Triso Fuel can make nuclear power plants meltdown proof.
But I’m no expert. The extent of my nuclear energy knowledge comes from watching The Simpsons so I’ll let Wired explain:
“The basic idea behind all nuclear power plants is the same: Convert the heat created by nuclear fission into electricity. There are several ways to do this, but in each case it involves a delicate balancing act between safety and efficiency. A nuclear reactor works best when the core is really hot, but if it gets too hot it will cause a meltdown and the environment will get poisoned and people may die and it will take billions of dollars to clean up the mess.
The last time this happened was less than a decade ago, when a massive earthquake followed by a series of tsunamis caused a meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant in Japan. But a new generation of reactors coming online in the next few years aims to make these kinds of disasters a thing of the past. Not only will these reactors be smaller and more efficient than current nuclear power plants, but their designers claim they’ll be virtually meltdown-proof. Their secret? Millions of submillimeter-size grains of uranium individually wrapped in protective shells. It’s called triso fuel, and it’s like a radioactive gobstopper.”
Adds Futurism:
“The design is supposed to stop the uranium from ever melting — even at 3,200 degrees Fahrenheit. That kind of heat far exceeds your average nuclear reactor temperatures, which generally top out at 1,000 or 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit, according to Wired.
‘In the new reactor designs, it’s basically impossible to exceed these temperatures, because the reactor kind of shuts down as it reaches these high temperatures,’ Paul Demkowicz, director of the Advanced Gas Reactor Field Development and Qualification Program at Idaho National Laboratory, told Wired.
‘So if you take these reactor designs and combine them with a fuel that can handle the heat, you essentially have an accident-proof reactor,’ he added.”
As far as I’m concerned this is very good news. Not having nuclear plants that can meltdown gives us one less thing to worry about. Considering how 2020 has been going so far that’s no small feat.
Is Triso Fuel the Greatest Idea Ever?
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