Inside a nuclear reactor — WikiCC
When it comes to divisive technology, it doesn’t get more crowd-splitting than nuclear power. To some, it is a dangerous, toxic and problematic energy source, no better, or possibly even worse, than fossil fuels. To others, it is the cleanest and safest form of energy we have, capable of saving planet Earth from our environmental crimes. The argument for and against nuclear power has raged for decades on every level of human society. But, a burgeoning nuclear fuel technology called TRISO is poised to swing this argument in favour of nuclear power by making it far safer, cheaper, more plentiful and even lowering its carbon footprint. What’s more, US and Canadian nuclear regulators are now one step away from giving it regulatory approval. So, are we on the cusp of a nuclear revolution?
Let’s start with what TRISO fuel actually is. TRISO stands for TRi-structural ISOtropic fuel, and it is this structure which makes them so unique. TRISO fuel comes as spheres, some tiny, about the size of a poppy seed, others rather large, about the size of a billiard ball, but they all have the same structure. At their core, there is a uranium, carbon and oxygen nuclear fuel kernel; this is the part which undergoes fission to produce energy, but there is not enough within the core to undergo fission by itself. Surrounding the core are three layers of carbon and ceramic materials that are extremely robust and able to withstand massive temperatures and pressures.
Why is this so revolutionary?
Well, compare it to regular nuclear fuel, which forms uranium into little pellets and stacks them into metal tubes to make fuel rods. This has been how nuclear fuel has been manufactured for well over 60 years, and it has one fatal flaw, meltdowns.
A nuclear meltdown is what made Chernobyl so catastrophic. You see, after the reactor failed to control its fission, a runaway nuclear reaction started to happen, heating up its core to around 1,600 degrees Celsius. At this temperature, the water coolant in the reactor boils off, exposing the now molten nuclear fuel to the air, and the now molten nuclear fuel can flow out of the reactor. This effectively causes a breach of…
