Sab hauv Lub Audacious Plan Siv 10,000 Nuclear Microreactors Los Wean Lub Ntiaj Teb Off Coal

Bret Kugelmass ntawm Lub Zog Kawg lub hom phiaj los tsim nws thawj 10 pheej yig, tawm ntawm lub txee fission reactors nyob rau sab hnub tuaj Europe.

Anteev sab hnub poob ntawm Houston, qhov twg suburban sprawl surrenders rau nyuj pasture, zaum lub cavernous muaj rhiav nyob rau hauv uas welders thiab pipefitters sib sau ua ke cov cuab yeej khi rau roj refineries thiab drilling platforms nyob rau hauv lub Gulf of Mexico. Bret Kugelmass, 36, tus tsim thiab CEO ntawm Washington, DC-based Last Energy hais tias "Cov neeg no tau ua haujlwm tau ntau xyoo los hloov cov khoom siv rau kev kub ntxhov thiab kub. Yog vim li cas nws thiaj tuaj ntawm no, mus rau VGas LLC, thaum nws xav tau ib qho qauv ntawm cov me me, modular nuclear fission reactors nws betting tuaj yeem ua lub luag haujlwm loj hauv kev txiav cov fossil fuels.

Raws li Kugelmass 'qhib tsim tsim thiab siv feem ntau tawm ntawm cov khoom txee, VGas tsim yuav luag txhua qhov chaw rau lub teeb me me-dej reactor thiab crammed lawv mus rau hauv cuaj lub thawv ntim khoom loj. Nws tsuas siv ob hnub los muab lawv ua ke.

Kom meej meej, qhov no tsis yog ua hauj lwm tsab qauv-qhov tseeb, nws 75-tuj reactor siab lub nkoj raug txiav tawm kom pom tias cov txheej txheem roj sib sau ua ke ntawm zirconium rods uas muaj cov pellets ntawm cov roj uranium muaj zog tuaj yeem nyob hauv. Kugelmass hais tias "Peb tsis ua ib yam tshiab chemistry lossis reactor physics," Kugelmass hais ntxiv. "Peb qhov kev tsim kho tshiab tseem ceeb yog tus qauv xa khoom ntawm lub tshuab hluav taws xob nuclear. Peb tsuas yog ntim nws rau hauv ib txoj kev sib txawv. "

Peb tab tom tham txog cov thev naus laus zis niaj hnub no ntawm no - hom uas tau ntau xyoo tau siv los tsim lub zog los ntawm kev faib cov uranium atoms sib nrug. Nws yog qhov opposite ntawm nuclear fusion, uas yog li cas lub hnub generates zog: los ntawm fuseing hydrogen atoms. Tau ntau xyoo kev tshawb fawb fusion tau nres vim tias cov kws tshawb fawb tsis tuaj yeem ua kom lub zog ntau dua ntawm cov tshuaj tiv thaiv fusion dua li nws tau coj los ua rau lawv. Cov kev tsis ntev los no qhia tau hais tias kev cog lus, tab sis txawm tias nyob rau hauv cov xwm txheej zoo tshaj plaws kev lag luam fusion yog ntau xyoo.

Leaning rau hauv kev tshawb fawb yog ib txoj hauv kev ua kom yooj yim dua; zam US regulators yog lwm. Kugelmass tsis txawm thov kom Asmeskas pom zoo ntawm nws cov nroj tsuag. Hloov chaw, nws cia siab tias yuav muaj nws thawj 20-megawatt reactor (tsawg zog rau 20,000 lub tsev) nce thiab khiav los ntawm 2025 hauv tebchaws Poland, uas tau txais 70% ntawm nws cov hluav taws xob los ntawm hluav taws kub vim cov khoom siv roj av Lavxias raug txiav tawm. Poland tau pom zoo yuav cov hluav taws xob los ntawm 10 units, uas Kugelmass vam tias yuav ua rau $ 100 lab txhua tus, raws li daim ntawv cog lus mus sij hawm ntev uas xav tau Lub Zog Kawg los khiav cov reactors thiab ua rau muaj kev pheej hmoo ntawm cov nqi overruns.

Kugelmass lub hom phiaj los tsim 10,000 ntawm cov mini-reactors thoob ntiaj teb, uas zoo heev rau kev lag luam nuclear tshiab uas tau nce mus txog tam sim no tsuas yog $ 24 lab hauv kev lag luam peev. Nws yog cov nyiaj ntse, txawm li cas los xij: $ 21 lab tuaj nyob rau hauv ib puag ncig coj los ntawm Austin, Texas-based Gigafund, uas nws tus khub tswj hwm, Luke Nosek, yog thawj tus neeg ua lag luam VC rov qab Elon Musk's SpaceX.

Koj tseem tuaj yeem hnov ​​​​hauv Kugelmass 'lub suab Long Island cov menyuam yaus uas nyiam tsim cov neeg hlau thiab leej twg kawm lej ntawm SUNY Stony Brook ua ntej tau txais ib tus tswv hauv engineering engineering ntawm Stanford. Xyoo 2012, thaum nws muaj hnub nyoog 25 xyoos xwb, nws tau pib ua lag luam uas siv lub dav hlau ruaj khov drones los ntsuas qhov kev pheej hmoo ntawm cua daj cua dub los ntawm kev ua cov duab thaij duab ntawm ntau lab lub ru tsev rau cov tuam txhab pov hwm. Nws tau nce $ 5.8 lab rau nws txoj haujlwm, hu ua Airphrame, thiab muag nws hauv 2017. Thaum lub sijhawm ntawd, nws txiav txim siab mob siab rau nws tus kheej los tawm tsam kev hloov pauv huab cua.

Kugelmass sai sai nyob rau hauv lub zog nuclear ua ib feem loj ntawm kev daws teeb meem. Raws li Columbia University's International Research Institute for Climate and Society, nuclear tsuas yog kho rau "zog trilemma"-ib qhov chaw uas txhim khu kev qha, pheej yig thiab ruaj khov. Cua? Hnub ci? Lawv xav tau ntau tshaj li 10 npaug ntawm cov khoom siv hluav taws xob hauv ib chav tsev raws li kev tsim hluav taws xob nuclear, sau tseg Marc Bianchi, tus kws tshuaj xyuas lub zog ntawm Cowen & Co. Tsis tas li ntawd, kev nkag mus rau av thiab NIMBY-ism ua rau nws nyuaj rau kev ntsuas - cua thiab hnub ci ua liaj ua teb thoob ntiaj teb twb npog thaj tsam ob npaug ntawm qhov loj ntawm Texas thiab xa tsuas yog 5% ntawm lub ntiaj teb kev xav tau hluav taws xob. Tsim tib lub 20 megawatts raws li ib qho ntawm Kugelmass 'cov tswv yim mini-reactors yuav siv, qhov nruab nrab, 600 acres ntawm hnub ci vaj huam sib luag lossis 4,000 acres ntawm cua turbines.

Kugelmass tseem yog ib tug novice nuclear hauv 2018, yog li nws pib xam phaj cov kws tshaj lij ntawm podcast, Titans ntawm Nuclear, uas tam sim no tau nce mus txog ze li 400 ntu. Nws tau kawm txog cov teeb meem los tsim kom muaj peev xwm ntau dua nuclear thiab xaus lus tias kev nyuaj heev, nrog rau kev tswj hwm ntau dhau, yog teeb meem loj.

Lwm qhov teeb meem: keeb kwm khiav tawm cov nqi ntawm cov phiaj xwm nuclear loj, uas nws ua rau ib feem rau kev txhawb siab rau txoj hauv kev uas lawv tau txais nyiaj txiag thiab tsim. Hauv Teb Chaws Asmeskas, cov khoom siv hluav taws xob uas twv sim tsim cov nroj tsuag nuclear tshiab muaj kev pheej hmoo me ntsis los ntawm kev npau taws heev, vim lawv paub tias lawv tuaj yeem them cov nqi them nyiaj ntau dua rau lawv cov hluav taws xob. Tom qab tag nrho, lawv cov nqi monopolistic yog teem los ntawm regulators. Kugelmass 'kev daws teeb meem yog los siv cov qauv nyiaj txiag los ntawm cov phiaj xwm cua thiab hnub ci: Lub Zog Kawg yuav tsim thiab muaj cov nroj tsuag, siv cov ntawv cog lus mus sij hawm ntev ua lub hauv paus rau qiv nyiaj ntau qhov xav tau - ib ncig ntawm $ 1 nphom nyob rau hauv rooj plaub ntawm Polish qhov project.

YUAV UA LI CAS

Los ntawm Jon Markman

Basic micro-reactors yog yav tom ntej ntawm nuclear fais fab tuag. Txoj hauv kev zoo tshaj los ua si qhov sib txawv no yog Cameco, Saskatchewan-based uranium tsim khoom uas tuav qee qhov kev tso nyiaj ntau tshaj plaws hauv ntiaj teb. Nuclear fais fab yog tsis yooj yim sua yam tsis muaj uranium U-235, cov khoom siv fissionable siv nyob rau hauv tag nrho cov chaw nuclear tam sim no. Momentum tab tom tsim nyob rau sab hnub poob kom nthuav dav lub neej ntawm cov nroj tsuag nuclear uas twb muaj lawm, thiab ntau lub tuam txhab thiab lub teb chaws tab tom nrhiav kev txhim kho cov khoom siv hluav taws xob me me thiab cov reactors siab heev, raws li International Atomic Energy Agency. Qhov kev txaus siab no thaum kawg yuav nce kev thov rau uranium. Cameco tuaj yeem pauv mus rau $ 34.50 hauv 12 lub hlis, nce 28% ntawm tus nqi tam sim no ntawm $ 27.

Jon Markman yog tus thawj tswj hwm ntawm Markman Capital Insight thiab editor ntawm Fast Forward Investing.

Lub Zog Kawg yog ib qho kev pib ua haujlwm tsuas yog txhawm rau tsim lub cim tshiab ntawm cov reactors me. Cov sib sib zog nqus hnab tshos muaj xws li TerraPower, kev sib koom ua ke ntawm Bill Gates thiab Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway, uas tab tom nrhiav los tsim ib qho tshiab molten chloride, kua sodium-txias 345-megawatt reactor hauv Wyoming. Txawm hais tias muaj $ 2 nphom hauv tsoomfwv cov nyiaj pab, TerraPower cov nqi tau nce mus rau ntau dua $ 4 nphom thaum lub xyoo qeeb. X-zog, sai sai los ua ib lub tuam txhab pej xeem ntawm SPAC txhawb nqa los ntawm Ares Management, tseem yog siv cov tshiab fangled meltdown-pov thawj uranium oxycarbide roj rau nws 320-megawatt reactor, uas yuav ua rau muaj kev tswj xyuas ntau dua. NuScale Power, thawj tus tsim tawm mini-nuke, tau txais nws 50-megawatt tsim pom zoo nyob rau lub Ib Hlis Tom qab siv sijhawm kaum xyoo thiab $ 1 nphom los mus rau US Nuclear Regulatory Commission tab sis tsis xav tias yuav ua tiav thawj tsob ntoo kom txog thaum xyoo 2030s.

Yog li cas Lub Zog Kawg, siv cov thev naus laus zis qub, teb cov kev ntshai ntawm kev nyab xeeb (tseem ceeb thiab tsis yog) uas tau tuav cov phiaj xwm nuclear tau ntau xyoo? Kugelmass hais tias txawm hais tias nws ntau qhov kev ua kom txias txias ua tsis tau tiav, lub hauv paus vault encasing lub reactor nyob rau hauv 550 tons ntawm hlau yuav zoo dissipate ntau tshaj kub thiab muaj roj nyob rau hauv lub tsis zoo tshwm sim ntawm ib tug meltdown.

Raws li kev siv hluav taws xob pov tseg, feem ntau cov nroj tsuag nuclear tshem tawm cov pob khoom siv roj siv los ntawm lub tshuab hluav taws xob thiab khaws cia rau sab nraud hauv pob zeb thiab steel casks. Last Energy txoj kev npaj, los ntawm qhov sib piv, hu rau kev nqa lub reactor module tshiab, preloaded nrog roj, ib zaug txhua rau xyoo. Cov cores qub nyob tom qab, ruaj ntseg hauv av, txias tawm mus txog thaum kawg ntawm cov nroj tsuag decommissioning. Tej zaum nws yuav zoo li khib nyiab los hloov tag nrho cov reactor module es tsis yog roj xwb, tab sis nws ua rau lub neej yooj yim dua. Kugelmass hais tias "Peb tau txhob txwm lees txais qee qhov kev cog qoob loo tsis muaj txiaj ntsig kom ua tiav kev lag luam zoo," Kugelmass hais. "Txhua yam kev qhia thiab koj yuav rov qab los qhov twg peb pib."

Lub Vault

Hlau DETECTORS

Thaum kaj ntug ntawm Kev Tsov Rog Txias, tsoomfwv Meskas tau xav ua kom Asmeskas cov uranium-thiab txaus siab them. Xyoo 1948, Txiv Plig Sam tau muab ib qho kev pom zoo: tsawg kawg yog $ 1.50 ib phaus ntawm uranium nrhiav tau (kwv yees $ 19 hnub no), teeb tsa hluav taws xob nruab nrab ntawm ib nrab xyoo raws li nruab nrab Joes rushed West vam tias yuav ntaus nws loj.

Dhau li ntawm ib co 200 tsoom fwv thiab kev lag luam geologists yos hav zoov uranium ntawm Colorado lub toj siab, pua pua ntawm amateurs packing pick, shovel thiab Geiger counter yog trampling American av. Rau lawv thiab ntau txhiab lub rooj zaum rooj zaum '49ers nrog so so tau txais cov tswv yim nplua nuj, [Tebchaws Asmeskas Atomic Energy Commission] ua tsis pub leejtwg paub txog kev tshawb nrhiav hauv ib lub hnab tshos loj, 128-nplooj phau ntawv: “Prospecting for Uranium. ” Ntim nrog cov poop dawb nyob qhov twg thiab yuav nrhiav tau li cas, cov ntawv tooj liab-xim zoo piav qhia tag nrho cov U-ores los ntawm chemistry kom muaj nuj nqis, piav qhia txog kev siv "cov khoom siv hluav taws xob tshawb pom," brim nrog cov ntxhuav thiab cov ntawv ntxiv.

-Forbes, Lub yim hli ntuj 1, 1953