pebble bed is.. not catalyzed. If you don't need any actual electricity out of it, you don't even need to cool it. It can't go critical on it's own.
A Pebble bed reactor is cooled by helium, which unlike water, cannot become radioactive. The helium runs a turbine in the same old way. Waste products are nuclear waste which can be regenerated in a breeder reactor or dropped into the sun, and heat, which can be regenerated into.. more electricity.
The 'pebble' in question is a graphite onion with a fleck of nuclear fuel in the center. In the event of a catastrophic breach (read: terrorist/government activity), the pebbles can be cleaned up by bunny suits with vaccums and geiger counters.Wire Geek - Burning the weak and trampling the dead since 1979Wire Geek - Burning the weak and trampling the dead since 1979
A Pebble bed reactor is cooled by helium, which unlike water, cannot become radioactive. The helium runs a turbine in the same old way. Waste products are nuclear waste which can be regenerated in a breeder reactor or dropped into the sun, and heat, which can be regenerated into.. more electricity.
The 'pebble' in question is a graphite onion with a fleck of nuclear fuel in the center. In the event of a catastrophic breach (read: terrorist/government activity), the pebbles can be cleaned up by bunny suits with vaccums and geiger counters.Wire Geek - Burning the weak and trampling the dead since 1979Wire Geek - Burning the weak and trampling the dead since 1979