This is interesting. So the method is to replace the rods with these graphite pebble beds and they dissipate heat differently? And that heat transfers into the air and away faster than the potential maximum heat output even under emergency?

Everyone has a good idea of what the rod reactors look like these days, how do these pebble reactors look? I assume we'll start seeing them in movies at some point when they become more common.

[–] SpoopyKing@lemmy.sdf.org 6 points 3 months ago (1 children)

The Wikipedia page has a decent graphic. Instead of dropping graphite rods between the fuel rods, the fuel is a pellet permanently encased in a tennis ball sized coating of ceramic silicon carbide. The core is a funnel that pellets are continuously fed through, with an inert gas cooling the funnel and transferring the heat to the water for generating electricity.

I'm calling it a radioactive pachinko machine

[–] What_Religion_R_They@hexbear.net 7 points 3 months ago (1 children)

radioactive paremovedo machine

susie-laugh

[–] Awoo@hexbear.net 5 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Rofl this should probably be an exception.

[–] Egon@hexbear.net 5 points 3 months ago

It's an old bug of the filter, practically a feature at this point