Oregon State University has started construction on a USD 4.8 million facility to test a new nuclear energy technology that could be safer, more efficient and produce less waste than existing approaches. The new approach is a “super-hot” type of nuclear reactor cooled by helium gas, not water, and it would operate at temperatures above 2,000 degrees – about three times as hot as existing reactors. The basic concept of this reactor technology has been known for some time, but advances in material science and the unusual range of applications for such reactors now make them much more attractive.
The high-temperature nuclear reactors could produce electricity 35-50% more efficiently than existing reactors; they create about half as much radioactive waste, by the nature of their design cannot melt down, and produce no greenhouse gas emissions. They could be cost-effectively built as small modular reactors, and produce super-heated steam that works well for powering large chemical companies or building complexes. As demand grows for fresh water in arid regions, they could offer a more cost-effective way to desalinate sea water. A promising potential is to produce hydrogen that could power the automobiles of the future, using efficient hydrogen fuel cells that leave only electricity and water as their byproducts. Field tests are scheduled to begin in April and continue until summer, 2014. The work is being supported by grants from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.