U.S. MICRO NUCLEAR REACTOR

In 2016, a Defense Science Board task force recognised the critical growing energy challenges faced by the DOD and also the significant technological advances in nuclear power since the 1960s. Generation III reactors are now in operation all over the world, while "fully inherently safe" reactor designs allow autonomous operation and remove meltdown risks, he said. The task force concluded that US military should look further into the deployment of nuclear energy systems to meet its needs for reliable, abundant and continuous energy. To this end, DOD launched a two-year reactor design competition in March 2020.

TRISO fuel has already been developed by the DOE, and this has eliminated the need for the DOD to develop or qualify a new fuel, Waksman said. The nature of the fuel - with layers of silicon carbide surrounding the enriched uranium oxycarbide fuel kernel, which keep fission products sealed inside the TRISO particle - makes it resilient to proliferation, while the pelletised nature of the fuel minimises the consequences to the environment and population from "kinetic" impacts which would affect the structural integrity of a reactor.

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