The heat-pipe reactor in the park has no pumps and no coolant loop. Sealed sodium heat pipes carry heat out of a solid core block to an air turbine. The whole reactor ships inside one canister.
This sister plant has no pumps and no liquid coolant loop. The whole reactor ships inside one steel canister on a truck, and the lid is off here so you can see inside.
| Electric output | ≈ 5 MWe |
|---|---|
| Thermal power | ≈ 15 MWt |
| Canister | ≈ 3 m dia × 10 m |
| Core life | ≈ 8 years, then swap the module |
The core is one solid block with fuel channels and heat-pipe channels drilled through it. Heat moves from the fuel into the block, then into the pipes. Nothing flows inside the core.
| Fuel | TRISO particles in compacts |
|---|---|
| Block | Graphite or steel monolith |
| Diameter | ≈ 1.6 m |
| Length | ≈ 2.4 m |
Each pipe is a sealed tube with a little sodium inside. Sodium boils at the hot end, the vapor flows to the cold end, condenses, and a wick pulls the liquid back. No pump, no valve, no power.
| Count | ≈ 100 to 200 |
|---|---|
| Working fluid | Sodium, a few hundred grams per pipe |
| Operating temperature | ≈ 650 °C |
| Heat per pipe | ≈ 100 kW |
Drums in the reflector turn to bring an absorber face toward or away from the core. They are the same idea as the drums in the sodium plant.
| Count | 12 |
|---|---|
| Absorber | Boron carbide |
| Drive | Electric motor, fail-safe spring |
The cold ends of the heat pipes pass through this block. Air or carbon dioxide flows around them, picks up the heat, and goes to the turbine.
| Working gas | Air or supercritical CO₂ |
|---|---|
| Gas outlet temperature | ≈ 600 °C |
| Size | ≈ 2 × 2 × 1.5 m |
A gas turbine and generator sit on one skid outside the canister. Air comes in through the filter house, goes through the heat exchanger, spins the turbine, and leaves through the stack.
| Cycle | Open-air Brayton |
|---|---|
| Electric output | ≈ 5 MWe |
| Cooling water | None |
| Footprint | ≈ 12 × 4 m |