Dmitry Shadrin, a Chelyabinsk resident, is sure that he knows how to provide everyone with affordable and safe energy, as well as save new generations from the fuel crisis.
We are talking about a nuclear generator that can be placed right in your yard. Dmitry already has a patent for this invention, he dismisses the fears of those who believe that no one will agree to keep a "miniature nuclear power plant" at home, as he is confident in the safety of his invention.
“It's all to blame for everyday radiophobia and the fact that people are really poorly versed in what plutonium is, nuclear reaction, and so on,” Dmitry said. “Besides, we simply do not have elections - the reserves of fuel on Earth are rapidly decreasing.”
Uranus is different
What is the difference between a nuclear generator and conventional nuclear reactors that operate at nuclear power plants in Russia and abroad?
“A typical nuclear reactor works for 10 to 20 years,” says Dmitry Shadrin. - NPPs are always built next to a water source, since the reactor requires water for cooling. When the chain reaction weakens, the material is put into the pool, and after 4-5 years plutonium is produced. Here it is also necessary to clarify that uranium, the source of raw materials for nuclear power plants, is heterogeneous. So, for example, you can't make an atomic bomb out of uranium-238. Uranium-235 was used to make the Malysh bomb, which was dropped on Hiroshima, and plutonium was used to make the Fat Man bomb, which fell on Nagasaki. But uranium, like any other raw material, is running out. There is little uranium-235, but a lot of plutonium has already accumulated. What to do with him? Use in a reactor? As a result, too much temperature is generated, and the risk of destruction increases. Another way out is a fast neutron reactor,which allows plutonium to be converted back to uranium. It turns out to be a closed cycle."
The closed loop is a nuclear scientists dream, but many problems arise. Sodium is used to cool such reactors, but it ignites when it comes into contact with air, and explodes with water. There have already been several accidents in different countries because of this.
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“Especially a lot of uranium-238 remains,” Dmitry continues. - Now it is used in a mixture with uranium-235 or plutonium, but this solution also has its drawbacks. I propose to use uranium-238 for a nuclear generator - we use the energy of its natural decay”.
How to cool? From the water supply
As the inventor explained, the point is that the element uranium-238 is placed in a capsule, which is protected by layers of lead and glass - this protection will absorb all particles that are released during decay. Only heat and electricity are released, which can be used for heating and lighting. The design is deliberately provided such that it is almost impossible to reach the element.
“Of course, here too we need to provide water for cooling,” says Dmitry Shadrin. - For this, you can use dirty water, which appears in any application of the plumbing. Of course, all this will require a revision of the entire communications system."
Such a generator, according to the inventor, will be much cheaper than conventional energy sources - after all, the decay continues for centuries. You will have to pay only for the service.
Don't be afraid?
But what about the radiophobia of people? Radioactive sources cause concern for many.
“There can be no explosion or contamination here,” Dmitry Shadrin believes. - After all, the element itself is reliably isolated, there is a decay inside, there is no chain reaction, which means that there can be no explosion.
According to the inventor, sooner or later, the full use of radioactive materials will still have to come:
“If not our children, then grandchildren will definitely face an energy crisis. Hope for alternative sources? The sun is not everywhere, wind generators also have their drawbacks - they, for example, make noise. My generator is absolutely silent and cheap."
The generator itself exists so far only in the project - Dmitry, who has long been fond of technology, has been working on the project for 20 years.
It is interesting that the Chelyabinsk citizen has already turned to the presidential administration with his proposal. They became interested in the invention, and now calculations are underway to understand how much uranium-238 is needed to provide heat and electricity to this or that object.