A small safe simple nuclear power reactor

Although safety has always been a serious consideration in reactor design, reactor concepts were not chosen because they were intrinsically the safest. Most current objections to the use of nuclear power have their roots in the reactor safety issue. The approach taken to satisfy the escalating safety concerns has resulted in excessively complex and expensive plant designs but has not succeeded in creating public confidence. A reactor design based on the fluidized-bed concept has been proposed. The reactor is modular in design, an idea that was also proposed later by others. A reactor of any size can be designed from the basic module. The costs of development, design, fabrication, and licensing will therefore be associated with the basic standard module and are consequently reduced. The proposed reactor is so simple in design that even developing countries with modest industrial infra-structures can develop, design, and finally construct such a reactor. This concept is currently being developed on the basis of slightly enrichment uranium that is moderated and cooled by light water under pressure. Future studies will include the use of organic coolants with a thorium fuel cycle. The use of natural uranium with heavy water will also be of great interest. The proposed reactor fulfills the objectives of design simplicity, inherent safety, economy, standardization, shop fabrication, easy transportability, and high availability