What is the minimum practical size for buildings heated by small nuclear reactor?If corners were illegal, where would the ghosts live?What material would the hospitable life size inflatable empire state building be made of?Could a nuclear war cause the majority of Earth to be uninhabitable for hundreds or thousands of years?What are the considerations for waterproofing a building's first few floors?What would be the implications of the Great Pacific War I created for the remainder of the 2020s and the next decade?What is the minimum radius of a circular corridor for the walls to appear straight?What would be the effects of a worldwide nuclear disaster?What would the buildings in a city on a marsh be made of?What would architecture and cities be like in a world were everyone was shrunk to the size of a mouse?How much alteration would be needed for the Cuban Missile Crisis to go nuclear?
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What is the minimum practical size for buildings heated by small nuclear reactor?
If corners were illegal, where would the ghosts live?What material would the hospitable life size inflatable empire state building be made of?Could a nuclear war cause the majority of Earth to be uninhabitable for hundreds or thousands of years?What are the considerations for waterproofing a building's first few floors?What would be the implications of the Great Pacific War I created for the remainder of the 2020s and the next decade?What is the minimum radius of a circular corridor for the walls to appear straight?What would be the effects of a worldwide nuclear disaster?What would the buildings in a city on a marsh be made of?What would architecture and cities be like in a world were everyone was shrunk to the size of a mouse?How much alteration would be needed for the Cuban Missile Crisis to go nuclear?
$begingroup$
In the book Early Riser by Jasper Fforde, humans hibernate in large dormitories. These circular buildings range in size from 20 to 60 floors, with around two dozen rooms per floor. While the residents slumber they are kept nice and warm.
The heat is generated by a hot pot. The hot pot is a small nuclear reactor. A lone steward stays awake during the winter operating the hot pot by partially inserting and removing control rods to regulate the temperature. The reactor is set up to produce heat, not electricity.
This seems like a good way to heat a very large building. Even small nuclear reactors have to be quite large and expensive to function properly and safely. The buildings residents are almost always asleep while the building is occupied, so there is almost no energy usage except for heat. What is the smallest building size that would match with the energy output of a small nuclear reactor?
architecture nuclear
asked May 16 at 18:12
Stephen MeschkeStephen Meschke
1262
$endgroup$
add a comment |
$begingroup$
In the book Early Riser by Jasper Fforde, humans hibernate in large dormitories. These circular buildings range in size from 20 to 60 floors, with around two dozen rooms per floor. While the residents slumber they are kept nice and warm.
The heat is generated by a hot pot. The hot pot is a small nuclear reactor. A lone steward stays awake during the winter operating the hot pot by partially inserting and removing control rods to regulate the temperature. The reactor is set up to produce heat, not electricity.
This seems like a good way to heat a very large building. Even small nuclear reactors have to be quite large and expensive to function properly and safely. The buildings residents are almost always asleep while the building is occupied, so there is almost no energy usage except for heat. What is the smallest building size that would match with the energy output of a small nuclear reactor?
architecture nuclear
asked May 16 at 18:12
Stephen MeschkeStephen Meschke
1262
$endgroup$
$begingroup$
What is "small" when you attach it to nuclear reactor?
$endgroup$
– L.Dutch♦
May 16 at 18:42
$begingroup$
Basically any size equal or larger than the reactor, assuming you're requiring the reactor to be in the building.
$endgroup$
– GrandmasterB
May 16 at 18:57
$begingroup$
Interesting article on some of the modern small / portable designs that may be of interest for you: powermag.com/big-gains-for-tiny-nuclear-reactors From the sound of it, these would not need control rod operators. They're basically big batteries.
$endgroup$
– GrandmasterB
May 17 at 6:32
add a comment |
$begingroup$
In the book Early Riser by Jasper Fforde, humans hibernate in large dormitories. These circular buildings range in size from 20 to 60 floors, with around two dozen rooms per floor. While the residents slumber they are kept nice and warm.
The heat is generated by a hot pot. The hot pot is a small nuclear reactor. A lone steward stays awake during the winter operating the hot pot by partially inserting and removing control rods to regulate the temperature. The reactor is set up to produce heat, not electricity.
This seems like a good way to heat a very large building. Even small nuclear reactors have to be quite large and expensive to function properly and safely. The buildings residents are almost always asleep while the building is occupied, so there is almost no energy usage except for heat. What is the smallest building size that would match with the energy output of a small nuclear reactor?
architecture nuclear
asked May 16 at 18:12
Stephen MeschkeStephen Meschke
1262
$endgroup$
In the book Early Riser by Jasper Fforde, humans hibernate in large dormitories. These circular buildings range in size from 20 to 60 floors, with around two dozen rooms per floor. While the residents slumber they are kept nice and warm.
The heat is generated by a hot pot. The hot pot is a small nuclear reactor. A lone steward stays awake during the winter operating the hot pot by partially inserting and removing control rods to regulate the temperature. The reactor is set up to produce heat, not electricity.
This seems like a good way to heat a very large building. Even small nuclear reactors have to be quite large and expensive to function properly and safely. The buildings residents are almost always asleep while the building is occupied, so there is almost no energy usage except for heat. What is the smallest building size that would match with the energy output of a small nuclear reactor?
architecture nuclear
architecture nuclear
asked May 16 at 18:12
Stephen MeschkeStephen Meschke
1262
asked May 16 at 18:12
Stephen MeschkeStephen Meschke
1262
asked May 16 at 18:12
Stephen MeschkeStephen Meschke
1262
asked May 16 at 18:12
Stephen MeschkeStephen Meschke
1262
asked May 16 at 18:12
Stephen MeschkeStephen Meschke
1262
1262
$begingroup$
What is "small" when you attach it to nuclear reactor?
$endgroup$
– L.Dutch♦
May 16 at 18:42
$begingroup$
Basically any size equal or larger than the reactor, assuming you're requiring the reactor to be in the building.
$endgroup$
– GrandmasterB
May 16 at 18:57
$begingroup$
Interesting article on some of the modern small / portable designs that may be of interest for you: powermag.com/big-gains-for-tiny-nuclear-reactors From the sound of it, these would not need control rod operators. They're basically big batteries.
$endgroup$
– GrandmasterB
May 17 at 6:32
add a comment |
$begingroup$
What is "small" when you attach it to nuclear reactor?
$endgroup$
– L.Dutch♦
May 16 at 18:42
$begingroup$
Basically any size equal or larger than the reactor, assuming you're requiring the reactor to be in the building.
$endgroup$
– GrandmasterB
May 16 at 18:57
$begingroup$
Interesting article on some of the modern small / portable designs that may be of interest for you: powermag.com/big-gains-for-tiny-nuclear-reactors From the sound of it, these would not need control rod operators. They're basically big batteries.
$endgroup$
– GrandmasterB
May 17 at 6:32
$begingroup$
What is "small" when you attach it to nuclear reactor?
$endgroup$
– L.Dutch♦
May 16 at 18:42
$begingroup$
What is "small" when you attach it to nuclear reactor?
$endgroup$
– L.Dutch♦
May 16 at 18:42
$begingroup$
Basically any size equal or larger than the reactor, assuming you're requiring the reactor to be in the building.
$endgroup$
– GrandmasterB
May 16 at 18:57
$begingroup$
Basically any size equal or larger than the reactor, assuming you're requiring the reactor to be in the building.
$endgroup$
– GrandmasterB
May 16 at 18:57
$begingroup$
Interesting article on some of the modern small / portable designs that may be of interest for you: powermag.com/big-gains-for-tiny-nuclear-reactors From the sound of it, these would not need control rod operators. They're basically big batteries.
$endgroup$
– GrandmasterB
May 17 at 6:32
$begingroup$
Interesting article on some of the modern small / portable designs that may be of interest for you: powermag.com/big-gains-for-tiny-nuclear-reactors From the sound of it, these would not need control rod operators. They're basically big batteries.
$endgroup$
– GrandmasterB
May 17 at 6:32
add a comment |
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
$begingroup$
Any size would be practical, including a single individual
Though we don't call them such, Radioisotope heater units are technically small nuclear reactors, which only give out about a watt of heat. The description that you gave requiring an operator and control rods does imply a larger unit, but there is no reason to believe that this single purpose nuclear heater type reactor couldn't be designed at a variety of small sizes.
answered May 16 at 18:34
MathaddictMathaddict
5,733736
$endgroup$
1
$begingroup$
Great, didn't know about those, seems obvious they should exist in retrospect. +1
$endgroup$
– Hoyle's ghost
May 16 at 18:36
$begingroup$
I was going to answer "a pup tent", but you got there first. Radiothermal generators come in power ratings from a few watts to a few kilowatts, and of course can be ganged to produce more heat if needed.
$endgroup$
– Zeiss Ikon
May 16 at 18:37
$begingroup$
If the "control rods" were in fact neutron reflectors, they'd be an excellent way of turning up the heat when needed. All those pictures of a plutonium ingot glowing red hot were taken after it had been covered up in exactly that way for a little while.
$endgroup$
– Starfish Prime
May 16 at 18:38
$begingroup$
I am not a specialist, but in a nuclear reactor the fission is accelerated by modulating the neutron flux, while in the device you propose it is all left to nature. I don't think they can qualify as reactors.
$endgroup$
– L.Dutch♦
May 16 at 19:01
1
$begingroup$
@L.Dutch The definition of nuclear reactor is "An apparatus or structure in which fissile material can be made to undergo a controlled, self-sustaining nuclear reaction with the consequent release of energy." While it doesn't correlate to what we expect from modern nuclear reactors, Jasper Fforde was not incorrect to classify them as such in his book with the description he gave, and they can indeed be made smaller than what he described.
$endgroup$
– Mathaddict
May 16 at 20:21
add a comment |
$begingroup$
Using the decay calculation of plutonium 238: we must use ~1.75 grams of P-238 per watt. This seems to be inline with the heat production of typical radioisotope heater units
... (providing) about one watt of heat each, derived from the decay of a few grams of plutonium-238
Let's assume: each room is 7 feet x 7 feet x 7 feet (the minimum bedroom size in NYC), each floor has 24 rooms (we can pretend heating systems, stairs, and hallways don't take up volume). This means a 20 floor facility would be 164,640 cubed feet. Using this map I'm going to guess we are in zone 3 (because that's where NYC is). This means to heat our facility we need ~7 Million BTUs or ~2 Million watts.
To produce 2 Million watts through radioactive decay, we need 3500 Kg of P-238.
The mass of P-238 is 0.019 kg/cm3, so we need ~66.5 cm3 in Plutonium alone.
I think that since the plutonium is just naturally decaying, it doesn't need to be cooled (someone please confirm). However I have no idea how to go about shielding the radiation produced by the Plutonium. I think you would be pretty safe with something about the size of 7 feet x 7 feet x 7 feet.
Suggestion: look into how many rooms this could supply with power https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S8G_reactor
answered May 16 at 20:57
Andrew MellorAndrew Mellor
413
$endgroup$
1
$begingroup$
If you need 3.5t of plutonium and it weighs ~19g/cc, you'll need a bit more than 66.5cc... 3'500'000g/(19g/cc) = (3'500'000/19)cc = 184'210cc which is a cube nearly 60cm on a side, other than that, looks ok. Although I wouldn't want to be in a building with a 2MW space heater with no off switch...
$endgroup$
– Samwise
May 16 at 22:59
$begingroup$
Great sources! In the book the dormitories were circular. The elevators and ventilation was in the center core.
$endgroup$
– Stephen Meschke
May 17 at 16:07
add a comment |
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2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
$begingroup$
Any size would be practical, including a single individual
Though we don't call them such, Radioisotope heater units are technically small nuclear reactors, which only give out about a watt of heat. The description that you gave requiring an operator and control rods does imply a larger unit, but there is no reason to believe that this single purpose nuclear heater type reactor couldn't be designed at a variety of small sizes.
answered May 16 at 18:34
MathaddictMathaddict
5,733736
$endgroup$
1
$begingroup$
Great, didn't know about those, seems obvious they should exist in retrospect. +1
$endgroup$
– Hoyle's ghost
May 16 at 18:36
$begingroup$
I was going to answer "a pup tent", but you got there first. Radiothermal generators come in power ratings from a few watts to a few kilowatts, and of course can be ganged to produce more heat if needed.
$endgroup$
– Zeiss Ikon
May 16 at 18:37
$begingroup$
If the "control rods" were in fact neutron reflectors, they'd be an excellent way of turning up the heat when needed. All those pictures of a plutonium ingot glowing red hot were taken after it had been covered up in exactly that way for a little while.
$endgroup$
– Starfish Prime
May 16 at 18:38
$begingroup$
I am not a specialist, but in a nuclear reactor the fission is accelerated by modulating the neutron flux, while in the device you propose it is all left to nature. I don't think they can qualify as reactors.
$endgroup$
– L.Dutch♦
May 16 at 19:01
1
$begingroup$
@L.Dutch The definition of nuclear reactor is "An apparatus or structure in which fissile material can be made to undergo a controlled, self-sustaining nuclear reaction with the consequent release of energy." While it doesn't correlate to what we expect from modern nuclear reactors, Jasper Fforde was not incorrect to classify them as such in his book with the description he gave, and they can indeed be made smaller than what he described.
$endgroup$
– Mathaddict
May 16 at 20:21
add a comment |
$begingroup$
Any size would be practical, including a single individual
Though we don't call them such, Radioisotope heater units are technically small nuclear reactors, which only give out about a watt of heat. The description that you gave requiring an operator and control rods does imply a larger unit, but there is no reason to believe that this single purpose nuclear heater type reactor couldn't be designed at a variety of small sizes.
answered May 16 at 18:34
MathaddictMathaddict
5,733736
$endgroup$
1
$begingroup$
Great, didn't know about those, seems obvious they should exist in retrospect. +1
$endgroup$
– Hoyle's ghost
May 16 at 18:36
$begingroup$
I was going to answer "a pup tent", but you got there first. Radiothermal generators come in power ratings from a few watts to a few kilowatts, and of course can be ganged to produce more heat if needed.
$endgroup$
– Zeiss Ikon
May 16 at 18:37
$begingroup$
If the "control rods" were in fact neutron reflectors, they'd be an excellent way of turning up the heat when needed. All those pictures of a plutonium ingot glowing red hot were taken after it had been covered up in exactly that way for a little while.
$endgroup$
– Starfish Prime
May 16 at 18:38
$begingroup$
I am not a specialist, but in a nuclear reactor the fission is accelerated by modulating the neutron flux, while in the device you propose it is all left to nature. I don't think they can qualify as reactors.
$endgroup$
– L.Dutch♦
May 16 at 19:01
1
$begingroup$
@L.Dutch The definition of nuclear reactor is "An apparatus or structure in which fissile material can be made to undergo a controlled, self-sustaining nuclear reaction with the consequent release of energy." While it doesn't correlate to what we expect from modern nuclear reactors, Jasper Fforde was not incorrect to classify them as such in his book with the description he gave, and they can indeed be made smaller than what he described.
$endgroup$
– Mathaddict
May 16 at 20:21
add a comment |
$begingroup$
Any size would be practical, including a single individual
Though we don't call them such, Radioisotope heater units are technically small nuclear reactors, which only give out about a watt of heat. The description that you gave requiring an operator and control rods does imply a larger unit, but there is no reason to believe that this single purpose nuclear heater type reactor couldn't be designed at a variety of small sizes.
answered May 16 at 18:34
MathaddictMathaddict
5,733736
$endgroup$
Any size would be practical, including a single individual
Though we don't call them such, Radioisotope heater units are technically small nuclear reactors, which only give out about a watt of heat. The description that you gave requiring an operator and control rods does imply a larger unit, but there is no reason to believe that this single purpose nuclear heater type reactor couldn't be designed at a variety of small sizes.
answered May 16 at 18:34
MathaddictMathaddict
5,733736
answered May 16 at 18:34
MathaddictMathaddict
5,733736
answered May 16 at 18:34
MathaddictMathaddict
5,733736
answered May 16 at 18:34
MathaddictMathaddict
5,733736
5,733736
1
$begingroup$
Great, didn't know about those, seems obvious they should exist in retrospect. +1
$endgroup$
– Hoyle's ghost
May 16 at 18:36
$begingroup$
I was going to answer "a pup tent", but you got there first. Radiothermal generators come in power ratings from a few watts to a few kilowatts, and of course can be ganged to produce more heat if needed.
$endgroup$
– Zeiss Ikon
May 16 at 18:37
$begingroup$
If the "control rods" were in fact neutron reflectors, they'd be an excellent way of turning up the heat when needed. All those pictures of a plutonium ingot glowing red hot were taken after it had been covered up in exactly that way for a little while.
$endgroup$
– Starfish Prime
May 16 at 18:38
$begingroup$
I am not a specialist, but in a nuclear reactor the fission is accelerated by modulating the neutron flux, while in the device you propose it is all left to nature. I don't think they can qualify as reactors.
$endgroup$
– L.Dutch♦
May 16 at 19:01
1
$begingroup$
@L.Dutch The definition of nuclear reactor is "An apparatus or structure in which fissile material can be made to undergo a controlled, self-sustaining nuclear reaction with the consequent release of energy." While it doesn't correlate to what we expect from modern nuclear reactors, Jasper Fforde was not incorrect to classify them as such in his book with the description he gave, and they can indeed be made smaller than what he described.
$endgroup$
– Mathaddict
May 16 at 20:21
add a comment |
1
$begingroup$
Great, didn't know about those, seems obvious they should exist in retrospect. +1
$endgroup$
– Hoyle's ghost
May 16 at 18:36
$begingroup$
I was going to answer "a pup tent", but you got there first. Radiothermal generators come in power ratings from a few watts to a few kilowatts, and of course can be ganged to produce more heat if needed.
$endgroup$
– Zeiss Ikon
May 16 at 18:37
$begingroup$
If the "control rods" were in fact neutron reflectors, they'd be an excellent way of turning up the heat when needed. All those pictures of a plutonium ingot glowing red hot were taken after it had been covered up in exactly that way for a little while.
$endgroup$
– Starfish Prime
May 16 at 18:38
$begingroup$
I am not a specialist, but in a nuclear reactor the fission is accelerated by modulating the neutron flux, while in the device you propose it is all left to nature. I don't think they can qualify as reactors.
$endgroup$
– L.Dutch♦
May 16 at 19:01
1
$begingroup$
@L.Dutch The definition of nuclear reactor is "An apparatus or structure in which fissile material can be made to undergo a controlled, self-sustaining nuclear reaction with the consequent release of energy." While it doesn't correlate to what we expect from modern nuclear reactors, Jasper Fforde was not incorrect to classify them as such in his book with the description he gave, and they can indeed be made smaller than what he described.
$endgroup$
– Mathaddict
May 16 at 20:21
1
1
$begingroup$
Great, didn't know about those, seems obvious they should exist in retrospect. +1
$endgroup$
– Hoyle's ghost
May 16 at 18:36
$begingroup$
Great, didn't know about those, seems obvious they should exist in retrospect. +1
$endgroup$
– Hoyle's ghost
May 16 at 18:36
$begingroup$
I was going to answer "a pup tent", but you got there first. Radiothermal generators come in power ratings from a few watts to a few kilowatts, and of course can be ganged to produce more heat if needed.
$endgroup$
– Zeiss Ikon
May 16 at 18:37
$begingroup$
I was going to answer "a pup tent", but you got there first. Radiothermal generators come in power ratings from a few watts to a few kilowatts, and of course can be ganged to produce more heat if needed.
$endgroup$
– Zeiss Ikon
May 16 at 18:37
$begingroup$
If the "control rods" were in fact neutron reflectors, they'd be an excellent way of turning up the heat when needed. All those pictures of a plutonium ingot glowing red hot were taken after it had been covered up in exactly that way for a little while.
$endgroup$
– Starfish Prime
May 16 at 18:38
$begingroup$
If the "control rods" were in fact neutron reflectors, they'd be an excellent way of turning up the heat when needed. All those pictures of a plutonium ingot glowing red hot were taken after it had been covered up in exactly that way for a little while.
$endgroup$
– Starfish Prime
May 16 at 18:38
$begingroup$
I am not a specialist, but in a nuclear reactor the fission is accelerated by modulating the neutron flux, while in the device you propose it is all left to nature. I don't think they can qualify as reactors.
$endgroup$
– L.Dutch♦
May 16 at 19:01
$begingroup$
I am not a specialist, but in a nuclear reactor the fission is accelerated by modulating the neutron flux, while in the device you propose it is all left to nature. I don't think they can qualify as reactors.
$endgroup$
– L.Dutch♦
May 16 at 19:01
1
1
$begingroup$
@L.Dutch The definition of nuclear reactor is "An apparatus or structure in which fissile material can be made to undergo a controlled, self-sustaining nuclear reaction with the consequent release of energy." While it doesn't correlate to what we expect from modern nuclear reactors, Jasper Fforde was not incorrect to classify them as such in his book with the description he gave, and they can indeed be made smaller than what he described.
$endgroup$
– Mathaddict
May 16 at 20:21
$begingroup$
@L.Dutch The definition of nuclear reactor is "An apparatus or structure in which fissile material can be made to undergo a controlled, self-sustaining nuclear reaction with the consequent release of energy." While it doesn't correlate to what we expect from modern nuclear reactors, Jasper Fforde was not incorrect to classify them as such in his book with the description he gave, and they can indeed be made smaller than what he described.
$endgroup$
– Mathaddict
May 16 at 20:21
add a comment |
$begingroup$
Using the decay calculation of plutonium 238: we must use ~1.75 grams of P-238 per watt. This seems to be inline with the heat production of typical radioisotope heater units
... (providing) about one watt of heat each, derived from the decay of a few grams of plutonium-238
Let's assume: each room is 7 feet x 7 feet x 7 feet (the minimum bedroom size in NYC), each floor has 24 rooms (we can pretend heating systems, stairs, and hallways don't take up volume). This means a 20 floor facility would be 164,640 cubed feet. Using this map I'm going to guess we are in zone 3 (because that's where NYC is). This means to heat our facility we need ~7 Million BTUs or ~2 Million watts.
To produce 2 Million watts through radioactive decay, we need 3500 Kg of P-238.
The mass of P-238 is 0.019 kg/cm3, so we need ~66.5 cm3 in Plutonium alone.
I think that since the plutonium is just naturally decaying, it doesn't need to be cooled (someone please confirm). However I have no idea how to go about shielding the radiation produced by the Plutonium. I think you would be pretty safe with something about the size of 7 feet x 7 feet x 7 feet.
Suggestion: look into how many rooms this could supply with power https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S8G_reactor
answered May 16 at 20:57
Andrew MellorAndrew Mellor
413
$endgroup$
1
$begingroup$
If you need 3.5t of plutonium and it weighs ~19g/cc, you'll need a bit more than 66.5cc... 3'500'000g/(19g/cc) = (3'500'000/19)cc = 184'210cc which is a cube nearly 60cm on a side, other than that, looks ok. Although I wouldn't want to be in a building with a 2MW space heater with no off switch...
$endgroup$
– Samwise
May 16 at 22:59
$begingroup$
Great sources! In the book the dormitories were circular. The elevators and ventilation was in the center core.
$endgroup$
– Stephen Meschke
May 17 at 16:07
add a comment |
$begingroup$
Using the decay calculation of plutonium 238: we must use ~1.75 grams of P-238 per watt. This seems to be inline with the heat production of typical radioisotope heater units
... (providing) about one watt of heat each, derived from the decay of a few grams of plutonium-238
Let's assume: each room is 7 feet x 7 feet x 7 feet (the minimum bedroom size in NYC), each floor has 24 rooms (we can pretend heating systems, stairs, and hallways don't take up volume). This means a 20 floor facility would be 164,640 cubed feet. Using this map I'm going to guess we are in zone 3 (because that's where NYC is). This means to heat our facility we need ~7 Million BTUs or ~2 Million watts.
To produce 2 Million watts through radioactive decay, we need 3500 Kg of P-238.
The mass of P-238 is 0.019 kg/cm3, so we need ~66.5 cm3 in Plutonium alone.
I think that since the plutonium is just naturally decaying, it doesn't need to be cooled (someone please confirm). However I have no idea how to go about shielding the radiation produced by the Plutonium. I think you would be pretty safe with something about the size of 7 feet x 7 feet x 7 feet.
Suggestion: look into how many rooms this could supply with power https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S8G_reactor
answered May 16 at 20:57
Andrew MellorAndrew Mellor
413
$endgroup$
1
$begingroup$
If you need 3.5t of plutonium and it weighs ~19g/cc, you'll need a bit more than 66.5cc... 3'500'000g/(19g/cc) = (3'500'000/19)cc = 184'210cc which is a cube nearly 60cm on a side, other than that, looks ok. Although I wouldn't want to be in a building with a 2MW space heater with no off switch...
$endgroup$
– Samwise
May 16 at 22:59
$begingroup$
Great sources! In the book the dormitories were circular. The elevators and ventilation was in the center core.
$endgroup$
– Stephen Meschke
May 17 at 16:07
add a comment |
$begingroup$
Using the decay calculation of plutonium 238: we must use ~1.75 grams of P-238 per watt. This seems to be inline with the heat production of typical radioisotope heater units
... (providing) about one watt of heat each, derived from the decay of a few grams of plutonium-238
Let's assume: each room is 7 feet x 7 feet x 7 feet (the minimum bedroom size in NYC), each floor has 24 rooms (we can pretend heating systems, stairs, and hallways don't take up volume). This means a 20 floor facility would be 164,640 cubed feet. Using this map I'm going to guess we are in zone 3 (because that's where NYC is). This means to heat our facility we need ~7 Million BTUs or ~2 Million watts.
To produce 2 Million watts through radioactive decay, we need 3500 Kg of P-238.
The mass of P-238 is 0.019 kg/cm3, so we need ~66.5 cm3 in Plutonium alone.
I think that since the plutonium is just naturally decaying, it doesn't need to be cooled (someone please confirm). However I have no idea how to go about shielding the radiation produced by the Plutonium. I think you would be pretty safe with something about the size of 7 feet x 7 feet x 7 feet.
Suggestion: look into how many rooms this could supply with power https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S8G_reactor
answered May 16 at 20:57
Andrew MellorAndrew Mellor
413
$endgroup$
Using the decay calculation of plutonium 238: we must use ~1.75 grams of P-238 per watt. This seems to be inline with the heat production of typical radioisotope heater units
... (providing) about one watt of heat each, derived from the decay of a few grams of plutonium-238
Let's assume: each room is 7 feet x 7 feet x 7 feet (the minimum bedroom size in NYC), each floor has 24 rooms (we can pretend heating systems, stairs, and hallways don't take up volume). This means a 20 floor facility would be 164,640 cubed feet. Using this map I'm going to guess we are in zone 3 (because that's where NYC is). This means to heat our facility we need ~7 Million BTUs or ~2 Million watts.
To produce 2 Million watts through radioactive decay, we need 3500 Kg of P-238.
The mass of P-238 is 0.019 kg/cm3, so we need ~66.5 cm3 in Plutonium alone.
I think that since the plutonium is just naturally decaying, it doesn't need to be cooled (someone please confirm). However I have no idea how to go about shielding the radiation produced by the Plutonium. I think you would be pretty safe with something about the size of 7 feet x 7 feet x 7 feet.
Suggestion: look into how many rooms this could supply with power https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S8G_reactor
answered May 16 at 20:57
Andrew MellorAndrew Mellor
413
edited May 16 at 21:04
answered May 16 at 20:57
Andrew MellorAndrew Mellor
413
answered May 16 at 20:57
Andrew MellorAndrew Mellor
413
answered May 16 at 20:57
Andrew MellorAndrew Mellor
413
413
1
$begingroup$
If you need 3.5t of plutonium and it weighs ~19g/cc, you'll need a bit more than 66.5cc... 3'500'000g/(19g/cc) = (3'500'000/19)cc = 184'210cc which is a cube nearly 60cm on a side, other than that, looks ok. Although I wouldn't want to be in a building with a 2MW space heater with no off switch...
$endgroup$
– Samwise
May 16 at 22:59
$begingroup$
Great sources! In the book the dormitories were circular. The elevators and ventilation was in the center core.
$endgroup$
– Stephen Meschke
May 17 at 16:07
add a comment |
1
$begingroup$
If you need 3.5t of plutonium and it weighs ~19g/cc, you'll need a bit more than 66.5cc... 3'500'000g/(19g/cc) = (3'500'000/19)cc = 184'210cc which is a cube nearly 60cm on a side, other than that, looks ok. Although I wouldn't want to be in a building with a 2MW space heater with no off switch...
$endgroup$
– Samwise
May 16 at 22:59
$begingroup$
Great sources! In the book the dormitories were circular. The elevators and ventilation was in the center core.
$endgroup$
– Stephen Meschke
May 17 at 16:07
1
1
$begingroup$
If you need 3.5t of plutonium and it weighs ~19g/cc, you'll need a bit more than 66.5cc... 3'500'000g/(19g/cc) = (3'500'000/19)cc = 184'210cc which is a cube nearly 60cm on a side, other than that, looks ok. Although I wouldn't want to be in a building with a 2MW space heater with no off switch...
$endgroup$
– Samwise
May 16 at 22:59
$begingroup$
If you need 3.5t of plutonium and it weighs ~19g/cc, you'll need a bit more than 66.5cc... 3'500'000g/(19g/cc) = (3'500'000/19)cc = 184'210cc which is a cube nearly 60cm on a side, other than that, looks ok. Although I wouldn't want to be in a building with a 2MW space heater with no off switch...
$endgroup$
– Samwise
May 16 at 22:59
$begingroup$
Great sources! In the book the dormitories were circular. The elevators and ventilation was in the center core.
$endgroup$
– Stephen Meschke
May 17 at 16:07
$begingroup$
Great sources! In the book the dormitories were circular. The elevators and ventilation was in the center core.
$endgroup$
– Stephen Meschke
May 17 at 16:07
add a comment |
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$begingroup$
What is "small" when you attach it to nuclear reactor?
$endgroup$
– L.Dutch♦
May 16 at 18:42
$begingroup$
Basically any size equal or larger than the reactor, assuming you're requiring the reactor to be in the building.
$endgroup$
– GrandmasterB
May 16 at 18:57
$begingroup$
Interesting article on some of the modern small / portable designs that may be of interest for you: powermag.com/big-gains-for-tiny-nuclear-reactors From the sound of it, these would not need control rod operators. They're basically big batteries.
$endgroup$
– GrandmasterB
May 17 at 6:32