Miniature Reactors Could Supply U.S. Bases With Unlimited Fuel
Supplying fuel to remote military bases has always been an expensive headache; in Afghanistan the Pentagon paid an estimated $400 per gallon to get fuel where it was needed. The logistics chain also created a huge vulnerability, as supply convoys are prime targets for roadside bombs and ambushes. Now startup California Thermodynamics is offering miniature nuclear reactors to produce synthetic fuel on site replacing everything from diesel to Jet A1, removing the need for the entire supply chain and making bases self-sufficient.
Return Of The Water Boiler
The underlying technology dates back to the earliest days of the nuclear age with Aqueous Homogenous Reactors (AHRs) otherwise known as “water boilers” developed in the 1940s. The AHR is a simple design consisting of a solution of uranium salts in water, circulating between an inner reactor chamber and an outer cooling chamber.