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.
13
questions
77
votes
12
answers
20k
views
Can Average Joe reboot the nuclear power plant?
Setup: The year is 2018. Malicious virus escaped secret lab and managed to kill 99% of all humans between January and April 2016. Not-so-average Joe spent his last two years of basic survival with the ...
- 45k
53
votes
19
answers
33k
views
How can I build a Nuclear Reactor in my backyard? [closed]
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 ...
- 817
52
votes
10
answers
68k
views
Will unattended nuclear power plants actually cause damage to their surroundings?
Scenario: Deadly virus wiped out 80 - 90% world population and it did it pretty quickly (in 2 months)
Although it is plausible that among these 10 - 20% of survivors will be people who actually know ...
- 523
23
votes
11
answers
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 ...
user15036
14
votes
2
answers
613
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
...
- 12.1k
37
votes
19
answers
9k
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....
- 2,329
26
votes
5
answers
6k
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 ...
- 488
17
votes
6
answers
3k
views
Is it possible for an organism to evolve to generate its own nuclear power?
Is it possible for an organism to evolve to biologically generate its own nuclear power? If so, how would this evolution occur?
- 271
10
votes
14
answers
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 ...
- 801
6
votes
1
answer
225
views
How self-sufficient a fast breeder nuclear power plant can be in a post-apocalyptic setting?
Setting
The full society collapse is starting, and a group of people know it. It may or may not lead to a total extinction event. They can't protect a whole city but a couple of hectares is doable. ...
- 257
6
votes
8
answers
1k
views
Running a nuclear power plant in the post-apocalypse: is it possible?
So, the apocalypse has occurred, and for about 150 years humanity spent its time wallowing in misery, sorrow, and so on.
So moving on, in the northwest of Nevada there’s an abandoned nuclear reactor, ...
- 11.2k
4
votes
1
answer
496
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 ...
- 41
-3
votes
1
answer
256
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 ...
- 1