Alco developed a small portable nuclear reactor for Camp Century in the late 1950s. Now Bill Gates, America's richest farmer, wants to develop them again for commercial power generation.

https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/bill- ... s-power-us

PC

A friend was working for a Toronto area company that was developing the small nuclear generators. He went out on his own as an engineering consultant and has been working abroad on nukes. So these things have been on the radar for a while. The base load power in Ontario is nuclear generated from larger traditional generating stations, some of which are presently being refitted.

Keep in mind that these are not 'small' reactors -- they are about 1.3 the size of a typical PWR plant, but NOT what anyone would call 'portable' even in most marine senses.

I of course was a proponent of NaK and molten-salt reactors many years ago, but I think that only with the advent of competent modern electronic control systems could they even remotely be regarded as safe to run... let alone cost-effective in the current baseline (or heaven forbid, peaking) electricity market. What I do think is that 'Alco was 70 years too early' in being able to profit from the developing zero-carbon craze, for which nuclear is really one of the only practical long-term solutions.

The USAF and Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) had one NB-36H with a 1 megawatt nuclear reactor onboard that was intended to propel the aircraft. They did operate the reactor but did not attempt to power the aircraft with it. The plane flew with its conventional engines. It was scrapped in 1957.

The USSR also had a Tupolev TU-95AL with a reactor aboard. Again, the Soviets operated the reactor a few times, but it did not propel the aircraft. The aircraft flew from 1961 to 1969. Note: Russia is still flying TU-95's operationally with four turboprop engines.

Phil Mulligan

For anyone who needs a little amusement (at the distinct discomfigure of many Serious Preservationists, be warned) find a copy of "Steam Bird"...