In the late 1950’s, the United States Army Nuclear Power Program (ANPP) was exploring a number of nuclear reactor types. One of those reactors was the ML-1. The ML-1 is a 30-ton, trailer mounted reactor. It was designed to produce 300-500 KWE and could run at full power for 10,000 hours before refueling.
Nearly 60 years later, the United States Department of Energy’s MARVEL reactor program aims to do the same thing. Project Pele at the United States Department of Defense has fever for micro-reactors too. These new reactors are much safer than those of reactors past. They use a TRISO fuel that is virtually melt-down proof. Let us see if we can make this happen!
