Small, sealed, transportable, autonomous reactor (SSTAR) was a proposed
lead-cooled nuclear reactor
A nuclear reactor is a device used to initiate and control a Nuclear fission, fission nuclear chain reaction. They are used for Nuclear power, commercial electricity, nuclear marine propulsion, marine propulsion, Weapons-grade plutonium, weapons ...
primarily researched and developed in the United States by
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
Design
It is designed as a
fast breeder reactor that is
passively safe.
It has a self-contained fuel source of
uranium-235 and
uranium-238 which will be partly consumed by fast-neutron fission and, more importantly, converted into more
fissile material ("breeding"
plutonium
Plutonium is a chemical element; it has symbol Pu and atomic number 94. It is a silvery-gray actinide metal that tarnishes when exposed to air, and forms a dull coating when oxidized. The element normally exhibits six allotropes and four ...
).
It should have an operative life of 30 years, providing a constant power source between 10 and 100
megawatts.
The 100 megawatt version is expected to be 15 meters high by 3 meters wide, and weigh 500 tonnes. A 10 megawatt version is expected to weigh less than 200 tonnes. To obtain the desired 30 year life span, the design calls for a movable
neutron reflector to be placed surrounding part of a column of fuel. The reflector's slow downward travel through the entire length of the column would cause the fuel to be burned from the top of the column to the bottom. Because the unit will be sealed, it is expected that a breeder reaction will be used to further extend the life of the fuel.
They are being researched as a possible replacement for today's
light water reactors and as a possible design for use in developing countries (which would use the reactor for several decades and then return the entire unit to the manufacturing country).
A prototype was scheduled for manufacture in 2015. However its development seems to have ended.
References
External links
LLNL article
(September 2004)
(September 2004)
Status of development of the Small Secure Transportable Autonomous Reactor (SSTAR) for worldwide sustainable nuclear energy supply
{{Emerging nuclear power markets
Nuclear power reactor types