If I cook it on the reactor, is it fusion cuisine?

[Umbran]

Just thinking out loud here, if "small" means submarine and aircraft carrier power supplies, then that descriptor might be subjective as compared to a 100 acre sized compound. Not so much as being small as in 10 x 10 x 10 sized room. Unless they plan on making it a basement install kind of thing.

As I noted upthread - the naval power plants Lockheed currently makes are characteristically about 30' to 40' on a side.

This power plant is supposed to fit on a large truck - 7'x10' are the characteristic measures they've suggested. So, a third to a quarter of the size in each dimension - one ninth to one-sixteenth the total volume of what's on a naval vessel.

I wouldn't expect it to be a "basement install" in a home - there's no home that needs 100 megawatts of power. But, havign it fit on a truck to ship it out to towns that have lost power to storm or other disaster seems to be one idea for using the thing.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

It would also make things like smaller nuclear subs possible. That has both military and scientific possibilities.

 

[Scott DeWar]

As I noted upthread - the naval power plants . . . . .
I wouldn't expect it to be a "basement install" in a home - there's no home that needs 100 megawatts of power. But, havign it fit on a truck to ship it out to towns that have lost power to storm or other disaster seems to be one idea for using the thing.

a little quick math, that would supply enough power at 100 amps/240 volts each and would be about 500 homes

 

[Umbran]

a little quick math, that would supply enough power at 100 amps/240 volts each and would be about 500 homes

Well, how many people it supplies depends on how you do the calculation.

Note that, aside from a couple of major appliances, most of the house is running at 120 volts. If the house is using 100 amps (it probably isn't, mind you, but say it is), that's 12,000 watts (12 kilowatts). That's like 8300 homes on the generator.

If instead we say the house is running 240 volts, 100 amps (again, isn't - no home is running a full power capacity, and that voltage is only for a few of the major power-hog appliances), the thing will cover half as many - over 4000 homes.

In terms of total energy consumption - a typical home uses about 11,000 kwh of energy a year. That means that the average use is only 1.3 kilowatts, a tenth of the possible maximum. Considered this way, it can cover tens of thousands of homes.

 

[Scott DeWar]

Well, typically a home will use about an average of 67% of the panel's rated power, so for a 200 amp home, 167 amps at 240 volts; 100 at 150 amps.

 

[WayneLigon]

I wouldn't expect it to be a "basement install" in a home - there's no home that needs 100 megawatts of power. But, havign it fit on a truck to ship it out to towns that have lost power to storm or other disaster seems to be one idea for using the thing.

Cargo copters could also drop one in.
Also would be useful for remote facilities, underwater labs, etc.
Developing countries could certainly find one useful.
Also, it could be the final trigger in the electric car revolution - even a small station like this could provide power to small roadside fueling kiosks for an entire state or more. Or it could power a roadway grid that cars could pull from.

 

[Scott DeWar]

How much would one of these things weigh? Could a cargo copter do that.

 

[Umbran]

How much would one of these things weigh? Could a cargo copter do that.

They stated you could fit one on the back of a large truck. While not explicitly stated, the implication is that it would be transportable thereby.

There are cargo copters that can lift loaded large trucks, so I would think the answer is yes.

 

[Scott DeWar]

ah. 'k

 

[Scott DeWar]

I have been thinking. Last night actually. if this reactor gets moves to a weather disaster sight, and a reactor requires cooling, specifically LOTS and LOTS of water, that would limit its ability to be used, right?