US-Russia team plans a package minireactor

A US-Russian joint venture has concluded design of what is called a low-cost, supersafe mini nuclear power reactor. They plan to begin construction of a 6-Mw unit in Russia in mid-1996 and to offer the standardized unit for sale in developing countries. Advanced Physics Corp., Irvine, CA, and five Russian nuclear and space industry centers plan to build the first unit in five years or less at a cost of about $150 million. The high-temperature, gas-cooled reactor will be fueled by uranium encased in graphite spheres that percolate through the core