Questions tagged [nuclear-power]
Questions about generation of heat and power by nuclear phenomena, usually but not limited to radioactive decay (fission reactions). For weapons relying on nuclear phenomena, consider [weapons] and [weapon-mass-destruction] instead.
66
questions
5
votes
1answer
177 views
How could a brown dwarf be used for energy?
I've been thinking about a civilization on a planet orbiting around a brown dwarf drifting in interstellar space. Obviously, by definition, a brown dwarf is too small to have much fusion on its own. I'...
8
votes
3answers
567 views
If people were the size of squirrels, would we ever have developed nuclear fission?
If people were about 1 foot tall and weighed about 1 pound, would we ever have made a reactor or an atomic bomb? Because critical mass doesn't change, the scale of the project to mine and process ...
2
votes
2answers
73 views
How Can An Alien Ship Harness Nuclear Energy? [closed]
A massive alien vessel is buried in a sandbank under the sea. Research subs detect a vast supply of nuclear energy held within it.
I've been researching power plants, fission and the processes that ...
1
vote
2answers
118 views
Do chemicals from nuclear reprocessing waste remain radioactive? Are they flammable?
I'm writing a story about a town whose residents all work at a nuclear reprocessing site. Some teenagers begin to hang out near a small body of water close to the site that they call "the swamp". The ...
0
votes
3answers
183 views
How can a mage who can only cast in-situ thermonuclear explosion spell moves up the ranks?
Set in the modern day, many talented citizens especially those who can cast magic spells are encouraged to join the army. A very small group of mages can tap into the nuclear forces at will but they ...
6
votes
1answer
285 views
How much of the earth would be in an exclusion zone if all 450+ nuclear reactors failed simultaneously?
I'm about to flood the planet with magic, which doesn't play nice with tech, especially power. The only places tech will still work are Null Zones which cancel magic due to deposits of minerals (the ...
7
votes
1answer
242 views
How long can the entire civilization be powered by converting all nuclear arsenal into commercial reactor fuel?
Imagine a miracle happened and all leaders decided to wind back the minute hand of the doomsday clock and passed a bill that can transform all kinds of nuclear weapons into fuel for power plants, ...
8
votes
1answer
793 views
Usability of fusion scoops in deep space?
How effective would it be to use fusion scoops as an actually effective method of interstellar travel? How quickly could you generate thrust? How much fuel would such a thing need, and would it work ...
1
vote
2answers
278 views
What would be the best way to power a mecha?
While searching around, I kept hearing that fusion was a good choice, but how best to covert the energy to electricity was an issue.
However, during my research, I came across this:
Photon-...
3
votes
7answers
1k views
Good explanation for why aliens can't build nuclear engines?
"Aliens used uranium and plutonium to generate energy for thousands of years. However, by the time they got into space exploration, they've used up every last bit of it. That's why they'll have to try ...
14
votes
4answers
4k views
Could I build a nuclear reactor based on Bernoulli's principle?
So I was recently inspired by the answers that I saw on this stack exchange to the following question: Feasibility of H.G. Wells' Continuously-Exploding Atomic Bombs
And it occurred to me that ...
7
votes
9answers
361 views
Would there be any place for nuclear powered spaceship in the world proliferated by antimatter propulsion?
Nuclear fission rocket is becoming obsolete and is superseded by the more efficient antimatter engine, in fact there will be no pollution and the efficiency is around 100%.
I'm wondering if in a ...
1
vote
8answers
300 views
Is it possible to cover up a nuclear accident occurring at Area 51?
In 1986, the greatest heist ever attempted was carried out in secrecy not even KGB is aware of it. A group of special agents managed to steal the blueprint for RBMK-9600, a nuclear reactor which uses ...
5
votes
5answers
336 views
How hard would it be for a nuclear ramjet drone fighter to be shot down with modern antiaircraft (AA) systems?
TLDR: ~ mach 3, practically unlimited range but presumably substandard stealth characteristics. Would it be a game breaking weapon on modern air battlefield or merely would require tactics adjustment ...
0
votes
3answers
89 views
SFR Breeders on Small Mars Moon feasibility
Need help with a topic for a sci-fi book. Basic premise is 200yr in future, mining facility on small Mars moon of Phobos. Power source we would like is an Sodium Fast Reactor breeder as we think this ...
5
votes
5answers
883 views
Containing the radiation of a nuclear powered aeroplane
Let us assume that in the next 50 years one of the large nation-states of our world will build nuclear powered planes, for intercontinental flight. Supposedly, the nuclear planes would be bigger, ...
3
votes
6answers
166 views
Powering a Nanobot Via Nuclear Fission of Its Material
First let me say that I know almost nothing but the basics about nuclear fission. I know more about nano robotics but I've got no degree in the matter, just a rather in depth curiosity and a lot of ...
3
votes
3answers
221 views
How could a creature derive energy from radioactive elements?
Have a creature that doesn't really need vitamins or minerals, it only requires energy which goes through a energy-matter conversion to build what it needs. Radioactive materials would be great ...
37
votes
19answers
8k views
What would cause a nuclear power plant to break down after 2000 years, but not sooner?
What would cause a nuclear power plant to break down after 2000 years, but not sooner?
The setting is a society in a dark age. Their ancestors were considerably more advanced than earth currently is....
4
votes
3answers
390 views
Fusion powered aircraft methods
I am trying to design a single seat fighter capable of achieving (or getting close to) hypersonic velocities at high altitude. In this universe I am assuming compact fusion is a common technology.
...
10
votes
6answers
1k views
Feasability of miniature nuclear reactors for humanoid cyborgs
The idea is to build a cybernetic body for a human. Only the brain and a few glands related to emotions, like adrenal glands, will be kept. The brain and the glands will be in a closed, plug-and-play,...
-2
votes
1answer
125 views
What happens to hydrogen after burning [closed]
With fusion on the rise we are going to have a lot of helium but what gases are limited in helium burning?
Context: my science teacher did not know the answer and I got curious
-1
votes
1answer
601 views
What would happen if you went swimming in a spent fuel pool?
If one of my modern-day characters, a nuclear power-plant worker decides to take a swim in one of these pools, what will happen?
Would he die, get sick, or not much?
0
votes
4answers
421 views
What would the effects be if all power grids connected to nuclear reactors abruptly suffered catastrophic failure?
To be more specific, I mean what if every wire, every power cable and transformer on the connected grids to the nuclear power plants all ruptured at once. The transformers literally exploding, the ...
0
votes
2answers
243 views
A world where nuclear fission does not produce radioactivity [closed]
I think the title explains it, but I am interested in how a world might differ from our own if fission had no radioactivity associated with the fuel, process, or waste/byproducts. The obvious answers ...
1
vote
3answers
106 views
Repercussions of floating nuclear power station going into meltdown?
Set in an alternate 2010s/2020s, floating nuclear power station are now common as they can provide power to any city it is docked at (think along the lines of this real world example. or this ...
2
votes
2answers
328 views
Would it be safe to assume that solid core nuclear rocket technology advances?
Solid Core Nuclear Thermal rocketry has existed for a while and I was thinking about using it as the primary propulsion in my setting. Now most Solid Core rockets still have fairly long transit times (...
3
votes
4answers
392 views
Heat regulation in an asteroid base powered by a small nuclear reactor
So, I’m writing about the siege of an asteroid base. This asteroid is near the outer edge an asteroid belt at the solar radiation equivalent of Saturn’s orbit from its star (although the raw distance ...
3
votes
1answer
361 views
What will happen to a spent nuclear fuel pool without routine maintenance?
Assuming the human population is decimated (how doesn't matter) such that nuclear power plant maintenance is impossible. What would happen to a spent nuclear fuel rod pool? It seems to me that ...
24
votes
9answers
7k views
Uranium block house heating
I'm thinking of building a very long term heating system for a housing complex.
I want it not to rely on sunlight, wind or other fuels.
And I just need the heat.
The surroundings are pretty cold, so ...
3
votes
4answers
402 views
Lead as a nuclear fuel
On a timescale of 1e11 years, all uranium and thorium will have decayed, but planets will still exist, orbiting red dwarf stars.
Would it be possible to use lead as a nuclear fuel? In principle, the ...
5
votes
4answers
636 views
Nuclear terrorism 4 billion years ago: Was natural uranium enriched enough to create weapons without need for further enrichment?
Natural uranium (NU) is a mixture of about 0.7% $\ ^{235}U$ (fissile) and 99.3% $\ ^{238}U$ (non-fissile). To create uranium-based nuclear weapons NU has to undergo a process called enrichment in ...
-3
votes
1answer
227 views
Can liquid nuclear fuel be injected and ignited like petro from a fuel injector?
[![enter image description here][5]][5]
Model Lightcraft under laser power
While sadly the funding for this research has not been forthcoming, there have been proof of principle flights and open air ...
14
votes
3answers
409 views
Train-World: Storing RHUs for decades to centuries
...no, I mean, supposedly, I believe there is more about it than mere kans on our part. Installations like this one are found all along the spoorwegs, and yes, around some you should tread lightly. ...
12
votes
2answers
443 views
Train-World: Feasibility of radioisotope steam-electric engines
...It's paradox. They left us these technological marvels, yet with all their might and knowledge they failed to prevent their own doom...
Excerpt from a lecture by the High Historian of Berlin Falls
...
-1
votes
2answers
677 views
What would happen if the world lost all electronic functionality for 24 hours? [closed]
A catastrophic event occurs that sends a disruptive wave around the globe, which renders every electronic device inoperative for 24 hours. It is not an EMP, but something else, so EMP hardened ...
22
votes
11answers
8k views
Why would Fission be used in a world where Fusion reactors exist?
In my world, all terrestrial bodies in the solar-system of over 900 km size have a significant human presence. Earth-moon Travel is as common as an interstate road trip, and Interplanetary travel is ...
-1
votes
2answers
79 views
Repurposing a reactor from space to surface
A colony ship is sent to Enceladus. It has a nuclear reactor to provide power to life support, electric engines etc... Upon arrival, the colonists also need a reactor to melt holes into the ice and to ...
10
votes
4answers
2k views
How to design a zero-g nuclear reactor?
My worldbuilding involves a reasonably near-future, high-realism space station research outpost, and I'd like it to be powered by a nuclear reactor. However, I need as much detail on the actual ...
9
votes
14answers
3k views
Nuclear power for nomads
Is it possible to create a scenario where nuclear power is a practical option for nomads living like in Mongolia?
There's two possible applications of nuclear power. One is to just use it as a heat ...
51
votes
19answers
31k views
How can I build a Nuclear Reactor in my backyard?
In my world, having a nuclear reactor at your own house is legal, in fact government donates money in the form of subsidies ( So no constraints of funds). This might have been practical because of ...
25
votes
6answers
5k views
Would a civilization on a planet with no natural Uranium-235 NEED to first achieve fusion before it can build nukes?
If a much older solar system - say 10 billion years with a slow burning star - would sprout intelligent life at around that age, given the half-life of U-235 and natural Uranium reserves, according to ...
26
votes
5answers
5k views
Practicality of a thorium-powered, superheated-steam car?
At the beginning of the 1900s, the Doble Steam Motors Company built steam cars. Their engineers solved many of the problems steam cars had until then by using superheated steam and a condenser to ...
2
votes
2answers
479 views
Could an entire continent runs on a single fusion reactor plant by 2100?
Affected continent is Asia, the world is running out of coal and natural gas. A major mega structure project is underway, its goal is to provide electricity across the continent with a single fusion ...
5
votes
4answers
387 views
World governments shutting down their nuclear power plants after Chernobyl?
What if in an alternate universe after the Chernobyl incident, the world governments decide to shut down their nuclear power plants and if so how would that affect society?
27
votes
8answers
4k views
Extremely compact nuclear reactor?
Realistically, how small can a nuclear reactor get (fission or fusion)?
Truck sized? Table top? Mr. Fusion? AAA Battery?
Are there other physical limits when we include human safety issues?
Let'...
11
votes
4answers
27k views
What would happen if all 433 nuclear reactors had meltdowns? [closed]
NOTE: This was adapted from another question that I asked recently.
Apparently, a 30km radius around Chernobyl will not be safe for humans for another 20,000 years. The more recent 2011 Fukushima ...
7
votes
3answers
393 views
When and how would Earth's history diverge if uranium/plutonium weren't present?
Let's imagine an Earth clone devoid of naturally occurring fissile materials—and, for comprehensiveness' sake, also devoid of fertile materials like thorium and americium that could be used to produce ...
3
votes
11answers
5k views
How would a pure fusion bomb change modern warfare
Currently most Nukes are actually thermonuclear fusion bombs ignited by a fission (uranium or plutoniom) bomb.
The fission bomb is like a lighting match that s needed to trigger the more powerful ...
4
votes
4answers
497 views
How can nuclear power produce -electricity- in space when energy must be converted differently?
Hear me out before you downvote; It's not as simple as it seems.
On Earth, nuclear reactions produce heat energy. This is used to heat water, creating steam, powering turbines connected to generators ...
