How it Works – the Micro Modular Nuclear Reactor
How it Works – the Micro Modular Nuclear Reactor
MMR is an advanced nuclear reactor made by Ultra Safe Nuclear to produce reliable energy anywhere. MMR uses TRISO particle Uranium fuel in our proprietary FCM Fuel pellets.
Learn more at https://www.usnc.com/mmr/
Content
3.6 -> This little guy packs a big punch.
It’s the size of a walnut and
9.48 -> can release the same energy as 2000
liters of diesel. Not bad for a rock.
15.12 -> With so much power, comes great responsibility,
17.52 -> for as fission reactions take place ….
the Uranium fuel is slowly transforming
22.32 -> into roughly 1/3rd of the periodic
table as solids and gases.
27 -> These are the fission products that make nuclear
power dangerous, and they must be contained.
33.36 -> So beyond gene rating heat, the fuel needs
to trap the fission products in place.
38.64 -> In FCM fuel, millimeter sized bits of uranium are
trapped in tiny ceramic pressure vessels that can
44.76 -> withstand extreme temperatures and radiation.
These particles are then encased within a fully
50.64 -> dense silicon carbide matrix, somewhat
like encasing the fuel in a diamond.
55.26 -> Silicon Carbide is used for tank armor and
has an extremely high melting temperature.
62.16 -> It is particularly resilient to radiation
and does not chemically interact with other
66.6 -> materials in the reactor.
If the fuel is fractured,
69.66 -> the fuel particles can remain intact as they
are smaller than the smallest fragments.
74.94 -> The core is assembled with enough fuel
and graphite blocks to produce heat
79.14 -> through self-sustaining fission reactions.
This fully ceramic core has the lowest power
84.48 -> density of any commercial reactor ever –
allowing it to easily dissipate excess heat.
90.48 -> To power it up, control rods are withdrawn
and the fission reactions can begin.
94.68 -> But these reactions slow down at higher
temperatures, So to keep producing power,
99.54 -> the reactor has to be cooled. If cooling
stops, the reactor automatically shuts down.
106.14 -> Helium carries heat out of the nuclear core. It
is a harmless noble gas, completely unreactive
112.44 -> and stable. And while somewhat inefficient,
it is the safest coolant available.
117.84 -> Now, the problem with nuclear fuel is that
120 -> it continues to generate heat even
after the reactor is powered down.
123.96 -> It will continue to generate roughly 10% of
the original heat for hours and days to come.
129.72 -> And if it's not cooled, that heat will
pile up. The challenge with nuclear has
134.22 -> always been to ensure the reactor does
not damage itself when cooling is lost.
138.06 -> The MMR can dissipate all excess
heat passively and harmlessly into
143.1 -> the environment in any scenario. Like a warm
puck, it cools off just by sitting there. No
148.32 -> moving parts or fluids. No operator actions.
Just simple cooling by conduction and glowing.
153.72 -> This means the reactor can tolerate
extreme conditions and survive undamaged.
158.64 -> It can deal with complete
withdrawal of all control rods.
162.54 -> It doesn't need power to operate
cooling pumps or emergency systems.
166.74 -> The MMR doesn't even need coolant or natural
air flow to stay at safe temperatures.
172.32 -> It doesn't really need very much at all.
175.14 -> Instead of designing elaborate safety
systems against particular scenarios,
179.04 -> we’ve designed a reactor that is
inherently safe no matter the events.
184.56 -> The MMR harnesses the fuel’s formidable
energy while fully containing its
188.88 -> radioactivity during all encountered
conditions - be it normal operations,
193.2 -> worst case accidents, or permanent storage.
198.18 -> This is ultra safe, the new
standard for nuclear safety.
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zU2UFsnS2aA