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DOE selects first companies for nuclear launch pad
The Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy and the National Reactor Innovation Center have announced their first selections for the Nuclear Energy Launch Pad: three companies developing microreactors and one developing fuel supply.
The four companies—Deployable Energy, General Matter, NuCube Energy, and Radiant Industries—were selected from the initial pool of Reactor Pilot Program and Fuel Line Pilot Program applicants, the two precursor programs to the launch pad.
R. A. Lewis, R. Newton, G. A. Smith, R. J. Kanzleiter
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 109 | Number 4 | December 1991 | Pages 411-415
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE91-A23866
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The concept of microfission, whereby a small target of fissile material is burned under compression, was introduced nearly 20 years ago; the size of the target is limited by the magnitude of the compression and by the initial number of fissions that start the chain reaction. A burst of antiprotons at maximum compression can allow target size to be significantly reduced. Antiprotons were previously shown to be a strong source of neutrons and pions; under conditions of high density, they enable a significant reduction in burn time and, hence, target size. Possible applications are discussed, including space propulsion and intense neutron and X-ray sources.