Many of those so-called superior applied sciences had been invented and even demonstrated over 50 years in the past, earlier than the business converged on the usual water-cooled plant designs. However now there’s renewed curiosity in getting different nuclear reactors up and working. New designs may assist enhance security, effectivity, and even price. 

Coolant

Various coolants can enhance on security over water-based designs, since they don’t at all times have to be saved at excessive pressures. Many can even attain greater temperatures, which might permit reactors to run extra effectively. 

Molten salt is one main contender for different coolants, utilized in designs from Kairos Energy, Terrestrial Vitality, and Moltex Vitality. These designs can use much less gas and produce waste that’s simpler to handle. 

Different firms wish to liquid metals, together with sodium and lead. There are just a few sodium-cooled reactors working right now, primarily in Russia, and the nation can also be on the forefront in growing lead-cooled reactors. Metallic-cooled reactors share lots of the potential security advantages of molten-salt designs. Helium and different gases can be used to succeed in greater temperatures than water-cooled techniques. X-energy is designing a high-temperature gas-cooled reactor utilizing helium. 

Gas

Most reactors that use an alternate coolant additionally use an alternate gas.  

TRISO, or tri-structural isotropic particle gas, is likely one of the hottest choices. TRISO particles include uranium, enclosed in ceramic and carbon-based layers. This retains the gas contained, holding all of the merchandise of fission reactions inside and permitting the gas to withstand corrosion and melting. Kairos and X-energy each plan to make use of TRISO gas of their reactors. 

Different reactors use HALEU: high-assay low-enriched uranium. Most nuclear gas utilized in business reactors incorporates between 3% and 5% uranium-235. HALEU, however, incorporates between 5% and 20% uranium-235, permitting reactors to get extra energy in a smaller house. 

Dimension

I do know I mentioned I’d maintain this to 2 issues, however let’s embody a bonus class. Along with altering up the specifics of issues like gas and coolant, many firms are working to construct reactors of various (principally smaller) sizes.