(Photo : Getty Images (Stefani Reynolds))
Microreactor, as planned by the United States Department of Energy (DOE), is said to be in the works to help researchers and users understand how the device can be integrated with other technologies.
The Microreactor Applications Research Validation and EvaLuation (MARVEL) liquid-metal cooled microreactor could possibly be operational within three years, as per DOE.
What is a Microreactor?
According to Wisegeek, a microreactor is a small, factory fabricated, transportable device where chemical reactions can take place. It usually measures less than an inch (2.54 centimeters) in length and breadth and less than one sixteenth of an inch (1.56 millimeters) in thickness, although dimensions vary.
21 April 2021
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The US Department of Energy (DOE) is planning to build a microreactor to help researchers and end-users understand how microreactors can integrate with other technologies. The Microreactor Applications Research Validation and EvaLuation (MARVEL) liquid-metal cooled microreactor could be operational within three years.
Two views of INL s concept for the MARVEL reactor, to be installed at TREAT (Image: INL)
Microreactors are very small, factory fabricated, transportable reactors which could provide power and heat for decentralised generation in civilian, industrial and defence energy sectors. The DOE Microreactor Program, led by Idaho National Laboratory (INL), is carrying out fundamental and applied R&D to reduce the risks associated with new technology performance and manufacturing readiness of microreactors.
On Tuesday, March 30, forty graduate students studying policy and business at the University of Chicago attended a virtual event focused on demystifying the state of domestic nuclear energy. The program, “The Future of Nuclear Energy in the United States,” was a joint effort between the Harris School of Public Policy’s Energy and Environmental Association and the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists and was the first of the 2021 student programs between the Bulletin and the Harris School, where the Bulletin is housed.
The event featured Dr. Ashley Finan, Director of the National Reactor Innovation Center (NRIC) at Idaho National Laboratory in conversation with Sabrina Fields, UChicago Liaison for the Bulletin and first year MPP student at Harris, followed by a Q&A from the student audience. Finan noted that when looking for a source of energy that would produce fewer air pollutants, her upbringing near a nuclear power plant in part inspired her to pu
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Streamlining permitting paves way for advanced reactor innovation
DOE/Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
By Kelsey Adkisson, PNNL
Whether it is electric cars or coffeemakers, the electrons in the electric must come from somewhere. Roughly 20% of U.S. energy comes from nuclear power. This number is expected to rise to meet carbon-free power demands, particularly in fossil-fuel-dependent areas where alternatives like hydropower, wind, or solar aren t an option or need a boost because they tend to be intermittent.
Companies are developing smaller and safer reactor technology to meet rising energy demands. Long before an excavator breaks ground to construct a new nuclear reactor, however, there s a multi-million-dollar licensing process to evaluate new designs. This process can take nearly half a decade to navigate.