NUCLEAR ENERGY PROGRAM CLAY- 1993

"ATOMIC AMPLIFIER" THORIUM-BASED


SMALL MODULAR NUCLEAR REACTOR PROGRAM

CLAYTON INDUSTRIES PROPRIETARY -ATOMIC AMPLIFIER (NEXT GENERATION NUCLEAR REACTOR):


Clayton Industries advanced nuclear reactor technology does not resemble current Generation III and proposed Generation IV fission reactors. Clayton Industries will achieve a paradigm shift in nuclear reactor technology. The intellectual property applied will be segmented into two designs hybrid fission-fusion reactor with sub-critical core. The second design will entail a fusion reactor for space exploration programs. Both designs will revamp the nuclear industry by providing a system efficiency increase exponentially above the existing 30% threshold of today’s nuclear reactors. Clayton Industries will rebrand the proprietary platforms to Atomic Amplifiers to differentiate from existing reverse-engineered nuclear reactors. This is an important concept to consider when promoting nuclear power generation assets. The track record of nuclear power generation is tarnished and needs to be reinvented. Association with existing nuclear reactors is inherently toxic in every manner from core melt down conceptions to irresponsible nuclear waste management.

The proposed Clayton Industries - Atomic Amplifiers do not inherit these problems and therefore should not be associated with flawed engineering practices from the past nuclear industry. Even the small modular reactor (SMR) models today are still vulnerable to core meltdown and passive safety systems are limited. Core catcher mechanism are not feasible on the SMRs due to size restraints and capsulated design. The SMR manufactures are selling the general public on the cooling system engineering changes, i.e., gravity fed cooking circuits. The controls rods are still the inherent engineering variable which is not discussed. Mechanical failure or human interface error results in loss of control of core.

At the time, small modular reactors were not even conceived as a potential energy revolution. Today’s designs are scaled down versions of the full-scale nuclear power plants. The development of today’s traditional (fission) small modular reactor does not achieve any aspect of technological advancement in the next generation of nuclear reactors, but does provide a competitive advantage to deploy reactors in greater array of applications. The system efficiency of the traditional small modular reactors are still marginal to all other power generation sources.
In order, to change the trajectory of the current nuclear power generation industry, significant changes in reactor technology must be developed or instituted. Clayton Industries has engineered the replacement to existing nuclear reactors. The Small Modular Atomic Amplifier (SMAA) will be the future standard for advancing science and the power generation industry as a whole.

Clayton Industries advanced Atomic Amplifier design will provide the innovation to engineer the upgrade platforms to existing small modular reactors and micro nuclear reactors. The technology advances the nuclear industry beyond the fission reactor design constraints specifically, the critical core. This design provides the ultimate passive safety systems for a nuclear power generation asset a sub-critical core. The radial design allows modular sub-systems to be configured outside the reactor envelope. This configuration allows the reactor to be manipulated into separate compartmental segments.

Clayton Industries primary interest is platforming Small Modular Atomic Amplifiers is three-pronged. The significance of reducing size for megawatt power amplifiers allows adaptation to Clayton Industries proprietary defense platforms. Naval nuclear reactor development based on small modular reactor design constraints.

The second generation of planned SMR packages will utilize Generation I SMR building blocks to provide supplement power attributes for driving additional capabilities on naval assets. This design configuration is not engineered solely for vessel operating load and propulsion applications, but also provides allocation of weapon payloads. This power curve limitation has been an issue with current fission reactors on submarines and aircraft carriers. The addition of onboard laser powered countermeasures depletes energy storage and leaves vessels vulnerable to weapon discharges. The next generation nuclear reactors must pull away from the reliance entirely on fission reactor technology which has been reverse-engineered time after time. Clayton industries has engineered a proprietary hybrid fusion-fission reactor platform. This system provides a new level of passive safety in which the reactor can be shut down in milliseconds instead of hours. This is the attribute of the laser system (which functions as a switch) which controls the reaction inside the fusion core. The reaction can be altered by the operating parameters of the tunable laser platform. The proposed design will operate on thorium fuel offering complete fuel burn up. Accelerator scheme length and size constraints have been addressed and compensated by another technology to provide modular footprint. The elimination of the steam loop for the power generation circuit has been replaced with an innovative means to directly couple the reaction into multiple power regimes. This allows the system to operate exponentially higher than the standard 30 to 35% efficiency as existing Generation III reactors.

System engineering is configured to utilize a small modular reactor (SMR) fission-based reactor for system startup power. This power is required to supplement the initial cycles of the laser platform module. The laser platform is dedicated to engineering the working parameters of the fusion reactor core. The fusion reactor core is defined as the cavity which incorporates the spallation module, the internals which support energy confinement scheme, and the energy generation block. Energy generation is not limited to the production of electricity, but also several gases and isotopes. This proprietary design has an infinite series of potential outputs which have not been conceived yet. This in fact, since the current fusion machines globally rely on the operating principles of low plasma yields in either the Tokamak, or Z-pinch machines.

Once the fusion reactor has achieved a self-sustainable reaction the fission reactor can be ramped down and shut down. The fission reactor does not continue to generate power or contribute to the circuitry. The fission reactor transitions to a stand lone mode. It is like a capacitor application in motor startup sequence. The fusion reactor contains a sub-critical nuclear core, while the fission reactor retains the elementary critical nuclear core. This design is a building block to a true fusion reactor system. Generation I Atomic Amplifier also functions as a fundamental core building block for the Clayton Industries – Directed High energy Laser weapon System with supplemental plasma Generation Platform.

The concept to not resort to utilizing existing technology (reverse-engineer), and adding additional passive safety features must be executed to advance nuclear energy. This current strategy will not fool the educated consumers that nuclear energy is progressing in the correct direction. The principle of reducing reactor size is not enough to achieve success in the future power generation marketplace. A radial engineering change must be implemented to restore the nuclear industry. The nuclear industry must be open to new technology and supporting innovation globally. Adaption to the next generation of nuclear technology must be supported by not only general public, but by the political sphere per country and nuclear related organization.
Clayton Industries proprietary Small Modular Atomic Amplifiers (SMAA) are the next generation of nuclear power generation platforms. Their electrical power output will range from 3 MWe to 200MWe, slated for non-traditional power generation markets. Clayton Industries will also engineer Micro Atomic Amplifiers (MAA), which will follow in the operating power range of 75kWe to 800kWe. The platforms are more efficient and provide the change the rule books on regulatory and licensing of nuclear material. The design provides nuclear safeguards that fission reactors could never achieve. The technology transferred to the systems provides the atomic amplifiers to function as multifaceted assets. The assets can not only supply clean renewable energy (since the nuclear waste generated is reprocessed internally), but can supply hydrogen, operate as desalination plant, and be configured to supply district heating and cooling systems. Current nuclear reactors where never fully integrated for supplemental energy features. Investment in a energy source of this caliber requires multiple payback attributes not to be regulated as a electricity producer only. These markets relate to remote research or civilian communities (including island communities), mining sites, defense applications, aerospace, space exploration, emergency power backup, disaster relief deployment power, and other specialized applications. The safety of the reactor and constraints of the Treaty of Non-Proliferation are upheld since plutonium can not be extracted.


Atomic Amplifier Features:

Advanced reactor manufacturing must be streamlined to compete in the global energy spectrum with renewables. Past construction projects of Nuclear Power Plants (NPP) have marred with major engineering changes during construction, due to material conformity issues, poor technical crossover collaboration between engineering disciplines, practice of reverse-engineering previous designs and assuming scale does not affect process controls. In order, to achieve acceptable construction practices in the future nuclear projects a new approach must be implemented.
Conservation of Energy – Energy flux is how much electromagnetic energy is passing through an area in a second. This principle relates to anytime you have electric and magnetic fields coinciding energy flow can be manipulated. Unlike traditional nuclear reactor which rely on heat transfer thermodynamics to generate electricity. Clayton Industries proposed Atomic Amplifiers converts the kinetic energy and electromagnetic radiation directly into electricity without parasitic loses (steam loop).
Nuclear Waste Consumer– Atomic Amplifier reactor configuration allows SNF fuel to be processed in the reactor core unlike traditional fission reactors. More efficient fuel burn-up is achievable. Plutonium and other transuranic waste are further processed in the reactor blanket.
Manufacturing - Modular design allows components to be fabricated in factories and throughout tested. A manufacturing practice which is not feasible with existing NNP’s. This feature will reduce construction costs and allow modular sections to be stream lined. Once, process controls are in place the atomic amplifiers lead time from sales to operation should shrink to two years, compared to the current NPP’s running past the eight-mark construction curve.
Transport Product - Smaller modular units can enable more feasible transportation routes for components. This frees up options for multitude of transportation options rail, ship, and trucking.
Autonomous Mode - The design which removes a number of mechanical variables allows the system to be more reactive to precision controlling and can be deactivated in milliseconds due to Subcritical core. This allows staffing requirements to be reduced and remotely displaced. Unlike traditional fission reactors which follow a constant tuning of the control rods and coolant pumping systems. The Atomic Amplifiers platforms can be shut down and restarted without prolonged maintenance. Passive Safety systems in fission reactors are marginal at best compared to the proposed fission-fusion design circuit. The system has a much higher inherited level of passive safety provisions. The fission-fusion designs are not hindered as frequently with fuel replenishment. Fuel burn up is more concise and efficient to core usage. Fuel in core surpasses the 5% burn up which allows longer durations between refueling the reactor. The fission-fusion design allows for a multitude of different fuel compositions. The core will actually breed fuel overtime which allows it to operate longer durations before fuel replenishment is necessary. The nuclear power generation asset could achieve twenty, thirty, or longer operation before refueling is required. Fuel fabrication and advanced additive manufacturing will increase fuel burn-up time constants.

Reactor Types & Generation Sequence:

Nuclear reactors have been classified by not only their reaction, and core design, but the generation (block of years) within the reactor was deployed. Current NPP are grouped as Generation II, and Generation III. The addition of small modular reactors has created the next generation of reactors which are considered Generation III plus. Generation IV are still conceptual research programs. All of these designations utilize fission designs and have some level off passive safety systems. Since, the Fukushima incident all reactors are being configured with redundant pump systems and core catchers.
Unfortunately, these designs will not provide the nuclear industry with the merits to rebound let alone compete with renewables. Pure fission designed reactors are not efficient systems, therefore lack the attributes to advance the nuclear energy era. They are able to carry base load power for cities, but generate nuclear waste and can not be ramped up and down dependent on demand from the grid.

CLAYTON INDUSTRIES – ADVANCED NUCLEAR REACTOR PLATFORM
Atomic Amplifiers – The design does not follow traditional nuclear engineering specifically, fission reactors. The technology is an advanced design (hybrid) of “Accelerator Driven Systems (ADS)”. The system is a radial technology leap from current fission reactors, including the Small Modular Reactors under development. Standard Accelerator Driven Systems, have not achieved the technological developments to transition into a commercial viable option for the nuclear market. The term “hybrid” is utilized to differentiate Clayton Industries technology from the standard Accelerator Driven Systems. ADS are systematically not practical for commercialization in the near term, due the following inherited design constraints.
The primary engineering hurdle is the accelerator loop size constraints. Reducing the accelerator loop is a monumental task which has not been solved. This problem has stalled the research and funding avenues to advance the concept. The second hurdle has been not only achieving fusion, but sustaining the reaction. The quest to produce more energy than its input has been the holy grail of the research as a whole. Current fusion systems consume exponentially more energy to harness the reaction than the reaction produces.
Clayton Industries has addressed these problems which are a carry over from the Tomahawk fusion research programs and the U.S. National Ignition Facility. Advancing research on accelerators has been exhausted through an indefinite funding initiative at two facilities: LHC in Switzerland and SLAC in the U.S. which are kilometers long and able to increase the energy of particles up to velocities close to the velocity of light. These energies are sufficient to hit the subnuclear particles inside an atom and release their content (constituent particles and bonding forces). The prospects of scaling down the accelerator schemes using a combination of advanced technologies, enable the accelerator circuit and footprint configuration to be significantly reduced from a few hundred meters to a few tens of meters with the applied resources.
This nuclear power generation is completely different engineering approach which does not have the design constraints of the nuclear power plants. The technology allows the atomic amplifier to be dialed in per grid demand. The amplifier technology allows the generating system to be shut down or turned on by the control of a simple circuit switch. This safety assurance is paramount in restoring the lost faith of the public in nuclear energy. The proposed atomic amplifier would be considered a Generation IV / V technology.