Fission Tardis

I had previously proposed fission reactors. This one is the simplest of them all and it is verified to work with AI. It is a low pressure low temperature water moderated closed loop nuclear reactor. It uses low temperature steam to drive the steam turbines and generate electricity. Instead of high speed low volume steam, it uses low speed high volume steam. This saturated steam regime reduces turbine blade erosion and allows for simpler, high-torque turbine designs. If you don't push a design against the limits, physics stops acting against you put favors you. That is my motto in most of my designs.

The core of the reactor would utilize Low Enriched Uranium (LEU), typically in the 3-5% U-235 range. It would have Thorium 232 as a breeder. This setup would ensure slow but long term operation. The fuel rods would have hollow vacuum sections in their center. This is a pressure relief for intermittent fission gas by products. This ensures almost no pressure builds up inside the fuel rod for long term operation. The fuel rod would be covered by Tungsten for radiation shielding. The outside of the Tungsten would have SiC ceramic. On the outermost section there would be CNTs grown. The ceramic layer would be a buffer between the Tungsten and the CNT. Also, it acts as a substructure for CNT to grow. CNT acts as a high-efficiency moderator, slowing neutrons to enhance the fission cross-section within the fuel rod. It also creates an immense surface area for water to evaporate. The water vaporizing over CNT allows better gas flow.

The distilled water would be used to moderate and cool the reactor. The steam generated with this water would be used to generate electricity. The steam exiting the nuclear core would rise up inside a tall insulated pipe. this tall pipe would ensure the steam has a perfect flow. Additionally, the tall pipe would filter out the water droplets or the impurities away from the steam turbine section by the help of gravity. At the end of the pipe, the pipe will split into four smaller pipes which direct downwards. These pipes would also be insulated. Lower kinetic energy of the steam at the top of the tower would reduce its loses due to U turn. Then each separate steam streams would accelerate towards the ground. At the same height they exited the nuclear core there would be steam turbines extracting the kinetic energy of the steam. The turbines would open up to a spiraling condensation pipe which surround the nuclear core from outside. The condensation pipes would get smaller as they spiral downward towards the bottom of the reactor. They would be coated by CNT internally and externally. The Carbon Nanotubes (CNTs) act as a high-efficiency thermal bridge, moving heat from the fuel core to the water interface at speeds approaching 2000 W/mK. Additionally, CNT does not allow marine life to form on the condensation pipes.

As a result, the nuclear core would be cooled by a natural circulation driven by phase-change buoyancy. No pumps or complex piping and valves. You may ask how the condensation would work. The Fission Tardis would be submerged under water. Almost infinite heat capacity of the water would cool it indefinitely with no failure possibility. The pressure inside the pipes would be around 2 bars. When the reactor is submerged to depths around 10 meters, the walls of the reactor would experience minimal pressure difference. This near-atmospheric internal pressure significantly lowers the structural stress on the Al-Mg alloy components compared to traditional 150-bar PWR (Pressure Water Reactors) systems.

The steam turbine section of the reactor would have bypass canals. These would be opened or closed to stabilize the internal pressure and add safety to the system in case of a thermal runaway. In case of thermal spikes. Pressure dependent bypass valves would release the built up pressure and speed up the cooling cycle to cool the core faster. The condensation pipes thermal capacity would be adjusted to have a cooling capacity more than the nominal heat capacity of the reactor as a safety measure.

The split steam manifold would allow continuous operation of the system in case a turbine would malfunction. Four turbines per core would allow that. Additionally, the water used in the closed loop will contain DEHA which protect the turbines blades from hazardous oxygen. Coupled with the water droplet and impurity filtration on the main pipe, the turbines would have a very long surface life. The interior of the pipes would be PEO coated over Al-Mg alloy. This allows smooth steam flow and protects the Al-Mg from oxidation.

The Universal Core Geometry

The Fission Tardis is built around a standardized 100 MW thermal modular core. By utilizing the Al-Mg-CNT cladding, we achieve a power density that allows the entire reactor vessel to be factory-assembled and transported via standard heavy-lift infrastructure. This "Energy Box" is designed to be environment-agnostic.

The Scalability Metric

While a single module provides 32 MWe, the design is optimized for clustering. Whether mounted in a 30,000 square meter marine trapezoid or a series of 1.22-meter mountain pipes, the core remains identical. This standardization is the key to achieving a 90 GW national grid through mass production rather than unique civil engineering projects.

The Dimensions for a 100 MW thermal Nuclear Core

The Reactor Core: 5m

The Main Steam Pipe: 10m

Total Electric Production: 32 MW (32% efficiency)

Total height of the nuclear plant: 16m

Total diameter: 5m