Nuclear reactor one mile below ground to transform energy generation

Rapid energy generation with eco-friendly methods is the need of the hour as the world rushes to find better alternatives to fossil fuels.

In this context, a company has come up with an innovative idea of setting up a nuclear reactor almost a mile deep below Earth’s surface.

The conditions below the ground would remove the need for large pressure vessels, according to Deep Fission, a Berkeley-based producer of nuclear power.

Also, containment structures required in conventional reactor designs won’t be needed in the underground facility.

Deep Fission combined existing nuclear technology with recent innovations

Expected to redefine the future of nuclear power with an unprecedented approach, the company combined existing nuclear technology with recent innovations in drilling.

Deep Fission has developed a design for a modular nuclear microreactor (15 Megawatts-electric) that can be placed at a depth of 1 mile in a 30-inch borehole.

This is a new concept that has not been done before and could prove the right solution to our clean, reliable, affordable, and sustainable energy needs, according to Deep Fission.

New design uses same fuel as standard pressurized water reactors

Based on the technology of the pressurized water reactor (PWR), the design uses the same fuel as standard PWRs, even the same fuel assemblies, and the same methods to control the power (control rods and boron in the coolant fluid).

The innovative design can operate at the same pressure (160 atmospheres) and core temperatures (approximately 315°C, equivalent to 600°F) as a conventional reactor.

The company maintains that safety and security for a borehole reactor are unmatched, as it will be far out of the reach of tornadoes, floods, hurricanes, tsunamis, airplane crashes, and terrorists. 

Conventional process to generate power

To generate power, the reactor follows a process similar to pressurized water reactors.

The heat is transferred to a steam generator at depth to boil water, and the non-radioactive steam rises rapidly to the surface, where a standard steam turbine converts the energy to electricity, according to the company.

The reactor’s similarity with PWR aims to achieve a faster path to regulator approval.

Reactor can be raised to surface in an hour

The inspection of the reactor is easy, as cables attached to it can raise it to the surface in only an hour or two.

Based on the size and configuration of standard PWR, the reactor has no moving parts other than the control rods and the fluid flow of the water coolant.

The major cost of standard nuclear power is not the fuel. Fully developed pellets containing low-enriched uranium cost far less than legacy coal, according to the company.

Low-cost operations

The major expense in a standard PWR is the enormous reactor pressure vessel made of 8 to 12-inch thick steel, the large pressurizer, and the huge containment building with concrete walls 3 to 6 feet thick. The Deep Fission claimed that its design replaces all of this with geology.

A borehole reactor is considerably more economical than large surface structures. The pressure is provided by the depth: the pressure of water at a mile deep is 160 atmospheres, the same as that found in the thick pressure vessel of the standard PWR, as per Deep Fission.

The company has publicly announced its emergence and a $4 million pre-seed round led by 8VC.

“I am thrilled to introduce Deep Fission and present our groundbreaking approach to affordable nuclear power,” said Elizabeth Muller, co-founder and CEO of Deep Fission.

“Climate change has accelerated the need for clean energy, and nuclear must be cheaper in order to compete with coal and natural gas. We’ve innovated beyond other reactor designs and engaged early and often with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to make atomic energy a viable option to power AI, industrial applications, as well as remote communities.”