The US Department of Defense plans to assemble a prototype of a mobile nuclear microreactor at the Idaho National Laboratory. Such reactors will be able to provide energy for various types of weapons in hard-to-reach regions, while there are military bases in other countries. However, experts believe that the project, to put it mildly, is not safe, and may not be as effective as it seems at first glance.
The energy consumption of the US military department is 30 terawatt-hours of electricity per year and more than 10 million gallons of fuel per day. And it will increase significantly over the next few years. One of the ways to solve the energy problem was proposed by the Council for Defense Sciences. It is proposed to create small modular reactors that will be safe, small in size with the possibility of its transportation. Such a technical solution will allow energy-consuming projects in any place of the planet without increasing costs.
The program involving the creation of a mobile advanced microreactor is known as the “Pele Project”, it is supervised by the Pentagon’s Office of Strategic Capabilities. The project is a joint work with the participation of the Department of Energy, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the US Army Corps of Engineers and private sector enterprises. “The Pele project” at this stage is not intended for a specific type of armed forces or type of troops, but includes specialists in the field of defense who meet a variety of requirements.
As previously stated in the Pentagon, the military needs a mobile microreactor capable of generating from 1 to 10 megawatts. In 2019, the requirements were as follows: a mobile reactor for the army should not weigh more than 40 tons, be transported by truck, plane or ship, work without recharging in semi-automatic mode, while generating from 1 to 10 megawatts.
It is assumed that such a reactor will not require high construction costs and will operate for 18 hours a day for 40 years.
It is possible that some of these requirements have been changed, there is no exact information about the technical specifications for such reactors yet.
The Idaho National Laboratory defines micronuclear reactors as small installations that produce approximately 1-50 megawatts and can operate independently of electrical networks. Two teams, BWXT Advance Technologies from Virginia and X-energy from Maryland, are developing the final design of the prototype, which will be reviewed by the department in early 2022. After completing the environmental analysis of the project, one of the teams will be selected to create and demonstrate a prototype.
However, the project is far from being ideal from the point of view of security. Experts express concerns that microreactors may become a vulnerable target, especially during their transportation. Additional work will be required to make the reactors safe for use, especially in a combat situation or on foreign bases. It is extremely dangerous to place existing prototypes of nuclear reactors in areas of intense military operations without providing protection for them. Even a minor damage to the shell of a mobile reactor can lead to tragic consequences.
The Pentagon recognizes that a direct hit into the reactor will lead to the device’s failure. Therefore, various options for their protection are being considered. One of the most realistic is to create special protective structures underground. However, this can lead to problems with air cooling, lead to core meltdown from-and ultimately cause the reactor to overheat.
There is also a threat of seizure of reactors. If the American base where the mobile reactor is located is captured, the radioactive waste of the reactor can be used for terrorist attacks in the form of a dirty bomb.
And, finally, it will be difficult to deliver the reactors to the bases by air transport, there will be problems with the approval of such transportation by the countries through which the aircraft will fly with the device on board.
Source: https://www.businessinsider.com