Small modular reactors and fuel for them. The reactors are a high-temp gas cooled design. Helium is used as the cooling gas. The TRISO fuel pellets (see this reference) are “no larger than” a billiard ball and contain 18,000 particles of (assuming enriched) uranium wrapped in several layers of graphite. More than 200,000 of these …
Rolls-Royce (RR.L) has entered the business of small modular reactors. They have experience designing powerplants for submarines. It is assumed the design is a traditional pressurized water reactor using enriched uranium fuel, although they don’t talk about their design details. Website
Lithium Fluoride Thorium Reactor (LFTR). The founder is Kirk Sorensen who has been an evangelist for the LFTR design and Thorium fuel for years. Flibe is named after the molten salt coolant, a mixture of Lithium Fluoride and Beryllium Fluoride called Flibe (Fl Li Be). The Thorium fuel is mixed with the coolant and cycled …
The company name was obviously intended to address the primary perceptual challenge with nuclear energy. Micro Modular Reactor (MMR) uses TRISO fuel (see this link). Helium is used as the coolant. Overall the design seems very similar to X-energy. Website
Mobile nuclear power. Very few details on their website as to the reactor design. Website
Fluoride salt-cooled high temperature reactor (KP-FHR) uses solid TRISO fuel pellets of 19.75% enriched uranium. Website
Small Modular Reactor using traditional light water reactor technology and solid fuel rods of less than 5% enriched uranium. This traditional approach should help them from the regulatory perspective, but carries forward all the traditional risks and waste products of a pressurized water reactor using low enriched uranium. From their website: The Carbon Free Power …
Molten Chloride Fast Reactor combined with molten salt energy storage. Also working on a Traveling Wave Reactor that could burn natural U-238. From TerraPower’s website: The Natrium technology, co-developed by TerraPower and GE Hitachi Nuclear, offers the best way to deploy advanced nuclear power and meet the demands of the clean energy transition. The sodium …
Interesting new drilling technology Website
Heliogen (HLGN) which makes solar concentrators also known as CSP (Concentrating Solar Power) – arrays of mirrors that concentrate sunlight. They can use the resulting heat directly for industrial process that require heat, or to generate electrical power, or to create green hydrogen for fuel. Website From the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) report Winter …