NUCLEAR NEWS FROM ATOMICS INTERNATIONAL OMR a promising approach to meet world's need for small to large power plants An i m p o r t a n t goal of t h e A t o m i c Energy Commission's program to develop electric power from the atom is a low-cost reactor for plants with gross outputs of 10 megawatts or more. Such plants are particularly suited to areas that need relatively small increments of additional power, and to those parts of the world where coal, oil, and waterpower are scarce or costly.
lower in larger O M R plants. Lower power costs are also expected to result from advances in OMR technology.
of reactivity, which acts as a governor in case of power surges or excess power levels. The organic fluid becomes only slightly radioactive, which makes the entire heat-transfer system relatively accessible.
Atomic power for supertankers. The A E C has assigned A T O M I C S INTERNA-
TIONAL the challenging design study to adapt the O M R for maritime use. The OMR, considered a promising possibility for ship propulsion, is expected to be particularly suitable for supertankers. The OMR offers the safety of a
A typical power plant, such as the one proposed for Piqua, Ohio, has a gross electric output of 12,500 kilowatts and a heat output of 45,500 thermal kilowatts. It produces steam at
The OMRE (Organic Moderated React o r Experiment), which A T O M I C S I N T E R N A T I O N A L is now building at
the National Reactor Testing Station in Idaho, is one of the more promising types for this purpose. The new experim e n t a l r e a c t o r was p i o n e e r e d by A T O M I C S INTERNATIONAL — from pre-
liminary design to prototype. It will be used to investigate the rate of degradation of organic fluids, the properties and compositions of the equilibrium mixture in the reactor, and the effect of organic fluids on heattransfer surfaces. Results of these experiments will be incorporated into the nuclear power plants ATOMICS INTERNATIONAL is planning for Piqua, Ohio and a Latin American country.
TURBINE GENERATOR STEAM GENERATOR PUMPS EXPANSION TANK CORE
Basic a d v a n t a g e s of the O M R are
small size, compact core with good neutron economy, and elimination of problems with high - pressure primary coolant circuits and uranium-coolant reaction hazards. Its safety features are outstanding. The high boiling point of the organic moderator-coolant fluid permits a low-pressure system. There are no chemical incompatibilities between coolant and uranium or coolant and water, and no unusual corrosion problems. Because of its fluid moderator—an isomeric terphenyl—the OMR has a negative temperature coefficient
Typical OMR Central Station Nuclear Power Plant
low-pressure system, low construction costs (because it can be built of aluminum and mild steel instead of more expensive z i r c o n i u m a n d stainless steel), and low maintenance costs.
a pressure of 415 psig (29 kg/cm-') and a temperature of 550°F (288°C). The reactor core is heterogeneous, with fuel elements and control rods immersed in the moderator-coolant fluid and contained in a thin-walled core tank. The fuel is uranium slightly enriched in U 2 3 5 . Power costs for this reactor, including both capital and operating charges, are estimated at 18 mills per kilowatthour. Power costs will be significantly
ATOMICS A
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TIONAL, P. O. Box 309, Canoga Park, California. Cable address: A T O M I C S .
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