The genius of the Transatomic design is that, according to Mark’s simulations,
their reactor could make use of almost all of the energy remaining in the rods that have
been removed from the old light water reactors,
while producing almost no waste of their own
—just 2.5 percent as much as produced by a typical light water reactor.
If they built enough molten salt reactors,
Transatomic could theoretically consume not just the roughly 70,000 metric tons of nuclear waste
currently stored at U.S. nuclear plants, but also the additional 2,000 metric tons that are produced each year.
Like all molten salt reactors, the Transatomic design is extraordinarily safe as well.
That is more important than ever after the terror inspired by the disaster that occurred
at the Fukushima light water reactor plant in 2011.
When the tsunami knocked out the power for the pumps that provided the water required for coolant,
the Fukushima plant suffered a partial core meltdown.
In a molten salt reactor, by contrast, no externally supplied coolant would be needed,
making it what Transatomic calls “walk away safe.”
That means that, in the event of a power failure,
no human intervention would be required;
the reactor would essentially cool itself without water or pumps.
With a loss of external electricity, the artificially chilled plug at the base of the reactor would melt,
and the material in the core (salt and uranium fuel) would drain to a containment tank and cool within hours.