AI Drives Need for Nuclear Energy
When will the power arrive? Will regulation stunt its growth?
As the linked ‘theverge.com’ article states, Bill Gates' Wyoming TerraPower Venture, “Tech companies are flocking to nuclear energy to power their data centers.” TerraPower and Copenhagen Atomic (featured on this blog) are two of the ‘new tech’ nuclear reactor companies that will be competing to power the AI data centers. Here’s how ChatGPT describes the two technologies:
The Natrium reactor, developed by TerraPower, and Copenhagen Atomics' molten salt reactor (MSR) represent distinct approaches to advanced nuclear energy, each with unique designs and objectives.
Natrium Reactor: This reactor is a sodium-cooled fast reactor (SFR) that utilizes metallic high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) fuel. It features an intermediate molten salt loop for heat transfer, allowing for thermal energy storage. The reactor operates at a steady-state power output of approximately 340 MWe, with the capability to peak at 500 MWe. This design enables flexible energy production, accommodating fluctuations in renewable energy sources.
Copenhagen Atomics Reactor: In contrast, Copenhagen Atomics is developing a thorium-based molten salt reactor. Their design employs a heavy water moderator and a fluoride-based molten salt fuel mixture, aiming to utilize thorium and actinides from spent nuclear fuel. The reactor is designed to fit within a 40-foot shipping container, facilitating mass production and deployment. Each unit is intended to produce 100 MW of thermal energy, with the potential to combine multiple units for higher output.
You can visit the TerraPower site at https://www.terrapower.com/about/, and
Copenhagen Atomics at https://www.copenhagenatomics.com/about/
“Copenhagen Atomics, and Switzerland’s Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), have signed a large-scale experimental collaboration agreement for a thorium molten salt critical experiment,” per www.aeimagazine.com.
Here is an interesting YouTube video on Copenhagen Atomics: