These nuclear reactors fit on a flatbed truck. How safe are they?
- sciart0
- Aug 7
- 2 min read
Excerpt: "... mine owner Idaho Strategic Resources plans to make the operation a showcase for a new energy source: miniaturized nuclear power.
The company wants to power its mining machines with a nuclear reactor small enough to be packed in a shipping container and loaded on a truck. The project would put the company in the vanguard of micro-reactor development, which backers say could spur wider use of nuclear energy.
At least a half dozen companies are racing to develop tiny reactors, which bear no resemblance to the hulking power projects dotting riverbanks and coastlines across the United States, with their cooling towers and massive concrete containment structures.
The flatbed-size reactors are designed to generate as little as a single megawatt of power — roughly one-thousandth the amount of a large legacy unit. It’s enough to power 1,000 homes, a single manufacturing plant or even a remote island owned by a billionaire (one company claims it has received such an inquiry).
They generally don’t require water for coolant, instead using helium gas, molten salt or air-cooled alkali metal pipes to carry heat away from the core. For fuel, they rely on a novel type of uranium pellet that the Energy Department has declared “meltdown-proof.” It’s an attractive prospect for remote energy customers seeking cheaper and cleaner alternatives to diesel generators and coal boilers.
Some scientists say industry and government claims of safety are vastly overblown. They contend a radiological release still could be triggered by an explosion or technical malfunction that ruptures a small reactor. They also point out that the United States, after decades of futility and frustration, has yet to find a solution for permanently disposing of highly radioactive nuclear waste."