this post was submitted on 21 Sep 2024
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The two nuclear developmemts I'm watching closest are the test molten salt reactor in Oak Ridge, TN and just recently heard about a new permit to build one for Abilene Christian University in Texas.
Molten salt sounds like a terrible design for modular, the whole problem is if it loses power it freezes solid, you'd want a huge one with tons of backup imho.
I'd imagine a tiny pebble bed or traveling wave, something fairly inert and safe.
Edit: I guess that's the point, give someone a reactor, if they screw it up it safely freezes dead. Problem solved.
There have been others building a prototype or research reactor, but the M in SMR also stands for mass-produced and nobody got even close to that.