Traveling-Wave Reactor

Enriching the uranium for reactor fuel and opening the reactor periodically to refuel it are among the most cumbersome and expensive steps in running a nuclear plant. And after spent fuel is removed from the reactor, reprocessing it to recover usable materials has the same drawbacks, plus two more:...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Technology review (1998) 2009-03, Vol.112 (2), p.42-44
Main Author: Wald, Matthew L
Format: Magazinearticle
Language:English
Subjects:
Arms control & disarmament
Design
Nuclear power plants
Nuclear reactors
R&D
Radioactive wastes
Research & development
Technology adoption
Uranium
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Summary:Enriching the uranium for reactor fuel and opening the reactor periodically to refuel it are among the most cumbersome and expensive steps in running a nuclear plant. And after spent fuel is removed from the reactor, reprocessing it to recover usable materials has the same drawbacks, plus two more: the risks of nuclear-weapons proliferation and environmental pollution. While government researchers intermittently bring out new reactor designs, the traveling-wave reactor is noteworthy for having come from something that barely exists in the nuclear industry: a privately funded research company. Intellectual Ventures manager of nuclear programs John Gilleland's aim is to run a nuclear reactor on what is now waste. The traveling-wave idea dates to the early 1990s. However, Gilleland's team is the first to develop a practical design. Intellectual Ventures has patented the technology the company says it is in licensing discussions with reactor manufacturers but won't name them.
ISSN:1099-274X
2158-9186