MITEE - Miniature Reactor Engine

[9V-SYA]

Hi All,

I tried searching on the internet but I could not find much info. How does a MITEE (Miniature Reactor Engine) work? It's for a school project. What are the inputs and processes that go on within such an engine?

Thanks!

Y.A.

 

[berkeman]

You mean like Toshiba's new "personal" nuclear reactor?

http://www.nextenergynews.com/news1/next-energy-news-toshiba-micro-nuclear-12.17b.html


http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9837400-7.html

 

[Astronuc]

I tried searching on the internet but I could not find much info. How does a MITEE (Miniature Reactor Engine) work? It's for a school project. What are the inputs and processes that go on within such an engine?

Well - a compact reactor works like any other reactor. It contains fissile material, but at a fairly high enrichment level, and a control system. The reactor has to attain criticality and have sufficient surplus of fissile inventory to consume. They smaller the core, the greater the required enrichment.

The configuration of the fuel needs to be such to manage the heat transfer. The power conversion systems can be Brayton, Stirling, Rankine, or in-core thermionic, or ex-core thermoelectric.