Replace Nuclear Rods to Make Hot Water or Steam

When we think of Nuclear Power, most of us think about the Nuclear Rods and Spent Rods that are used to make hot water or steam. It is the hot water or steam that generates the power; the Nuclear material in the rods is what is used to make the water hot.

There is a huge problem with the manufacture, transportation, storage and destruction of Nuclear Rods and Spent Rods. I address this issue in another page on this site with a technology that allows the Spent Rods to be recycled or reused over and over again. Using this process, the U-238 can be easily brought up to 80 percent as part of the process.

What if, Nuclear Rods were not needed to make hot water or steam? What if another material could be substituted to make hot water or steam as efficiently or more efficiently in existing Nuclear Power Plants? What if, this new material is not radioactive; non-nuclear? Suddenly, the transportation, storage and destruction issues almost entirely go away.

What is this new material? Many of us have had a demonstration of pure Sodium in High School Chemistry classes. This material is stored in water or oil and when it is exposed to the air, it catches on fire or explodes depending on which approach is taken. So…. Sodium, in its pure form, is very unstable and puts out heat, perhaps, a great deal of heat, when exposed to air.

Sodium must be made more stable to be used as a replacement for Nuclear Rods. Say, we mix it with the Element, Vanadium, so that the new alloy is 80% Sodium. Now, you put structures of this Sodium/Vanadium alloy in water and flow compressed air around and through the Sodium/Vanadium alloy. What happens? You get instantaneous hot water from the Sodium-Air interaction. But, the Sodium is locked into a molecular structure that does not allow electron loss. The Sodium/Vanadium molecules force the air molecules to change to a more active state (steam) which heats the water. Not a problem as the air, when it mixes with other air changes back to its normal state. Sort of like water becoming ice and water again.

What I am saying is that the Sodium/Vanadium material does not degrade or become used up or have to be replaced; it stays there and forces a state change on the air (in the water) = steam. This is a permanent way of generating hot water or steam.

Think of it as a replacement for hot water or steam generation for all Nuclear Power Plants, Nuclear powered ships and submarines, Space Stations, steam powered trains and ships, and the thousands of manufacturing processes that use hot water or steam. Don’t forget the heating of commercial and residential and office buildings.

One last thought. Sodium is one of the most plentiful elements on the planet; the seas are full of Na/Cl or Salt. It is not so hard to separate the Sodium from the Chlorine, but must be done carefully as the Chlorine gas can be dangerous. But hey, it can be used to Chlorinate pools and water as well as making bleach.

This is very common sense, but there are some process steps left out in making the Sodium-Vanadium alloy.

6 Responses to Replace Nuclear Rods to Make Hot Water or Steam

  1. Kevin Bruce Kieran Larson says:

    It seems to me that this alloy needs only air in order to boil water, which indicates this system could function continuously, even if the reactor was hermetically sealed, because the only circuit necessary would be a water recycling process. But the question is would this system need to recycle its air, or would it require a constant supply of new air?

    • Merln says:

      Wonderful question! Remember, the air
      must be compressed. So… it would have
      to be removed from the top of the water
      level, recompressed and then introduced
      into the bottom to create heat. But, yes,
      it could be a closed system or, fresh air
      could be used as desired. Yes, the air can
      be recycled over and over again. But, in a
      Nuclear Power Plant, they could use fresh air.
      But in a nuclear powered submarine, they would,
      probably, want to reuse the air and water.

      • Kevin Bruce Kieran Larson says:

        In that case, how would you compare this to your No Moving Parts Electrical Generator?

        • Merln says:

          If a nuclear power plant has already been built whether it is in
          a ship/submarine or a utility plant, the sodium-vanadium toroid approach
          is cost effective as an upgrade. The no moving parts generator is small,
          portable/mobile and can be designed to generate all of the power needed, even
          for a rail gun. A 6inch x 6inch x 18inch device can generate up to 5 Megawatts
          continuously; put 10 or 20 or 100 together for more.

          • Kevin Bruce Kieran Larson says:

            What about a 1 foot x 1 foot x 3 feet device?

          • Merln says:

            It scales up or down. The size you propose would provide
            up to up to 15 Megawatts of continuous DC electrical power.
            This applies to the No Moving Parts Generator. Just imagine
            how much power can be generated by using one of these generators
            the size of a shipping container or multiple shipping containers.

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