Students' Reactor Converts Nuclear Waste into Electricity

Ian Hamilton & Josh Auger test a reactor prototype. (Photo by Hillary Henry/Purdue Research Foundation)

Since the first man-made fission reaction, there has been the question of what society should do with nuclear waste. The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission has reported that about a million barrels of nuclear waste are contained in storage facilities around the world. This waste will take as many as 240,000 years to decay.

However, a few innovative students at Purdue University may have a solution. Josh Ager (Mechanical Engineer Sr.), Ian Hamilton (Materials Engineer Sr.), Kyle Harris (Management Sr.) and Kyle Prendergast (Engineering Alumnus) have created a reactor that harnesses the energy released by nuclear waste into electricity. The team was advised by nuclear engineering professors Robert Bean and Allen Garner.

The reactor works both as a storage device for nuclear waste and as a power plant by using the radioactive decay from the waste to ionize a gas, which is then used to produce electricity.

Auger explains, "Our system converts kinetic energy into electrical energy via gaseous ionization … Conventional processes use heat, including those resulting in the Fukushima and Chernobyl accidents.”

He added, “There is no need for maintenance, unlike other systems. Once it's in place and ready the device will start to convert energy into usable power. Another difference is that as long as the radiation runs, the device will be able to work. The isotope we are looking at now will run about the half-life, which is 28.8 years, compared to five years for current systems."

Addressing the safety of the system, Hamilton said, “Our technology would be able to use the by-product of nuclear waste and generate more electricity from it … this is a safe way to eliminate this waste because it has the potential to be dangerous as it continually releases harmful radioactive particles before it reaches its stable state.”

To assist in the commercialization and development of the project, the team has enlisted Atlas Energy Systems LLC. The company will receive financial assistance for the project from the Purdue Foundry. The foundry is a commercialization and entrepreneurial hub for the university. The project has also received funding from a series of awards.

According to Auger, "The Foundry has helped us with our availability and accountability. Being able to discuss ideas keeps things in perspective of what needs to be done and what the next milestones are.”

Source Purdue