Breeding converts incoming subcritical reload fuel. The traveling wave reactor was the focus of our early work, and its still the baseline product of the company, said jeff latkowski, the director of innovation at terrapower, at the oak ridge event, a 50 th anniversary commemoration of the original molten salt reactor experiment. The terrapower reactor is a new variation on a design that was conceived some 60 years ago by a nowforgotten russian physicist, saveli feinberg. Department of energy labs, terrapower and other organizations, which users may obtain separately. Neutrons from fission in the core breeds new fissile material in the. The travelingwave reactor and other advanced reactor designs could. Terrapower is developing a class of nuclear fast reactors called the traveling wave reactor twr the twr concept places a small core of enriched fuel in the center of a much larger mass of nonfissile material, in this case depleted uranium. It is from the february ted2010 conference, and here. In 2008, terrapower launched an effort to develop the first practical engineering embodiment of a breedandburn fast reactor considering all the engineering limits to produce a design concept now known as the twr 17. Terrapower s founders entered the nuclear energy arena to meet growing electricity needs and lift billions out of poverty. Its advantageous design requires less fuel while supplying more heat and operates with high thermal efficiency that is safe and clean.
Terrapower, llc develops nuclear reactor technology. Gates invested in terrapower in 2011 with the hope of helping to prove the companys core concept. Bill gates terrapower developing moltenchloride nuclear. Terrapower quietly explores new nuclear reactor strategy. Some of the areas covered include the key twr design challenges and brief descriptions of twrprototype twrp reactor. Traveling wave reactor technology the twr technology takes leaps forward in cost and safety, while drastically reducing waste and proliferation concerns. Terrapower llc company profile and news bloomberg markets. In this clip, bill gates explains a unique and earthsaving type of nuclear reactor thats in the works.
Their traveling wave reactor design uses depleted uranium to operate, rather than uranium235 like in current reactors, and is built so that if left unattended, it will slowly shut down, making a. This is a significant step forward in the companys efforts to create a licensed demonstration reactor. Terrapower, llc traveling wave reactor development program. Rather than relying exclusively on enriched uranium, traveling wave reactors. Advanced reactors and other isotopic applications are now possible with technology and enhanced computing capabilities that were unimaginable just a few decades ago. Its part of a drive to be a thought leader for the industry and to demonstrate that the technologies it is working on will have a.
Nuclear engineering to create the traveling wave reactor twr design, terrapower has put together a team that boasts unparalleled expertise in nuclear engineering, simulation and modeling, finance, and nuclear project management. Terrapower s new reactor was inspired by a 1960s experiment though terrapower began working on its newest line of reactors just a few years ago, the design is based on cold warera moltensalt. The startup is exploring a molten chloride reactor concept, but says it remains committed to traveling wave reactors. Terrapower s traveling wave reactor twr design gradually converts fuel through a nuclear reaction without removing it from the reactor s core. Fission energy generated in the twr core is transferred in series through the primary and intermediate loops to steam generators. September 20 institute for energy and environmental research. Bill gates terrapower project and the traveling wave. Terrapower is developing a class of nuclear fast reactors called the traveling wave reactor.
Once started, a steadystate wave of power propagates through the reactor core. Completely automated nuclear reactors for longterm operation ii. About ge hitachi nuclear energy based in wilmington, n. But will advanced reactor designs fuel a largescale nuclear renaissance in. Terrapower s advanced reactor modeling interface software is complementary to the powerful proprietary physics kernels of the u. The twr concept places a small core of enriched fuel in the center of a much larger mass of nonfissile material, in this case depleted uranium. For well over a decade, bill gates has funded terrapower, a startup seeking to design, build, and commercialize a revolutionary nuclear reactor.
Bill gates explains terrapower and the traveling wave reactor. The traveling wave reactor twr design 1918x1440 close. More specifically, they are a nuclear reactor design company that is developing a class of nuclear fast reactors called the traveling wave reactor. Why arent we building a traveling wave reactor in the u. The traveling wave reactor twr is a oncethrough reactor that uses in situ breeding to. Cohenm, truongb, terrapower, llc traveling wave reactor development program overview. More specifically, they are a nuclear reactor design company that is.
Introduction the concept of a breedandburn reactor was envisioned many years ago as a potential alternative to the traditional breeder reactor design which relies on reprocessing of the nuclear fuel feinberg, 1958. Terrapower is a nuclear innovation company dedicated to developing advanced nuclear reactors that will provide carbon. Selected information on the twrp core designs are also provided in the areas of neutronic, thermal hydraulic and fuel performance. Why a new nuclear power initiative failed in china mach.
The traveling wave reactor twr design 1918x1440 play. The company provides traveling wave reactor that provides fuel cycle which allows nuclear energy to produce electricity. Inside the lab where terrapower is planning nuclear energy. Terrapower s traveling wave reactor twr extends the safety and efficiency of nuclear energy while making it more affordable. Toward a conceptlevel point design of a hightemperature. Bill gates nuclear reactor hits a roadblock engineering. The molten chloride fast reactor meets terrapower s vision for advanced nuclear power.
Terrapower plugs into open source community to improve advanced nuclear software capabilities by terrapowerstg october 4, 2019 january 29th, 2020 no comments the u. A new report from the nonprofit institute for energy and environmental research ieer think tank finds that the traveling wave reactor twr concept championed by terrapower, in which bill. In just a few years terrapower has transformed itself from developing a single advanced reactor design to become a dynamic hub of innovation in multiple areas of nuclear science. Our vision is to be a world leader in new nuclear technologies that. Terrapower has supported the vtr program by making enhancements to the vtrs design and has invested ten years of sodium technology development into its traveling wave reactor. The traveling wave reactor twr is a oncethrough reactor that uses in situ breeding to greatly reduce the need for enrichment and reprocessing. Bill gates on the wrong path with travelling wave reactors. Bill gates terrapower project and the traveling wave reactor answers with joe joe scott. Marcia burkey, senior vice president and chief financial officer at terrapower, discusses the work being done to design nextgeneration nuclear reactors at the companys lab in bellevue, wash. The traveling wave reactor twr is a oncethrough reactor that uses in situ breeding. Terrapower is a nuclear reactor design company headquartered in bellevue, washington, united states.
Inside the lab where terrapower is planning nuclear energys future. In 2006, terrapower launched an effort to develop the first practical engineering embodiment of a breedand burn fast reactor, producing a design concept known as a traveling wave reactor twr. Terrapower has developed such a toolthe advanced reactor modeling interface armi code systemand has deployed it to support the terrapower traveling wave reactor design. Terrapower is also exploring using molten salt as a thermal storage mechanism. Terrapower and traveling wave reactors stanford university. Following world war ii, as the united states and the soviet union stockpiled nuclear weapons, some thinkers were wondering if atomic energy could be something other than a weapon of war. To create the traveling wave reactor twr design, terrapower has put.
Department of energys announcement last month to establish the national reactor innovation center creates an important hub for research and development. Terrapower has a video illustration of this concept. Bill gates stops chasing nuclear wave, pursues variety. One of those technologies is known as twr, which stands for traveling wave reactors. Terrapower plugs into open source community to improve. Terrapower, the bill gateschaired nuclear company, has altered the design of its socalled traveling wave reactor and has begun exploring other fission technologies as.
Terrapowers nuclear reactor could power the 21st century ieee. Terrapower is widely recognized for its gamechanging reactor design software. The technology that terrapower is attempting to develop is called a traveling wave. Now, via this open source effort, these tools will be available to a much larger population of innovators. This animation shows how our traveling wave reactor design works. Terrapower s medical isotopes program terrapower s molten chloride fast reactor design stay up to date on terrapower s latest innovations, partnerships, and breakthroughs. Inside the lab where bill gates terrapower is inventing the future of nuclear energy. Terra power, a company founded by bill gates, tried to develop a selfsustaining nuclear reactor that promised to bring cleaner and more efficient energy production, but the project stalled. Terrapowers nuclear reactor could power the 21st century. The first studies focused on the shufflefree concepts where the wave.
The twr uses a conventional sodium reactor architecture, consisting of a sodium primary coolant loop, a sodium intermediate coolant loop, and a steam power conversion cycle. Bill gatess experimental nuclear power plant halts. Ein laufwellenreaktor englisch travelingwave reactor, twr ist ein theoretisches konzept. Terrapower is a leading nuclear innovation company that strives to improve the world through nuclear energy and science. Advanced reactors and other isotopic applications are now. Terrapowers conceptual and engineering design and associated technology. Terrapower is a nuclear innovation company dedicated to developing advanced nuclear reactors that will provide carbonfree energy to billions.
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