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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

A small reactor to bring power to remote locations

Multimedia ·
OSTI ID:1570697
Fuel convoys are one of the largest targets of roadside bombs in war zones. A large portion of the fuel goes towards generating electricity that powers communications, water cleanup, and HVACs. Thus, finding a way to generate electricity that does not require a large logistics train could greatly reduce the risk to our military. A partnership between Los Alamos National Laboratory and Westinghouse is developing the solution: an inherently safe micro-reactor that uses heat-pipe technology. This system requires no cooling water or pumps that can fail, utilizes passive regulation systems so that it cannot meltdown, and can generate at least 1 megawatt of safe, reliable power for at least 10 years. A megawatt is enough to generate electricity for roughly a military brigade, or approximately 1,500 to 4,000 soldiers.
Research Organization:
LANL (Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States))
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC)
OSTI ID:
1570697
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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