[Cialug] no more UPS needed

Fri Jan 4 17:02:53 CST 2008

That would be nice but. . . . . . . . . . 

If it's 6' X 9' X 18' that would be 36 cubic yards.  I cut it back from
20 to 18 feet because there would be some void (airspace).  I wouldn't
object if you cut it back to 15' or 30 cubic yards due to voids.  Let's
just assume that this shipping container has an average density of
concrete, nuclear materials would be denser that concrete so this might
be a safe assumption.  Remember it needs to be shielded so there would
be substantial amount of lead or concrete or something similar.
(Although that may be expected to be on the outside of the package size
specified in the article, which would make it too large to be road
legal.)  It would be the size of a small semi and weigh more than a
legal semi driving around, and I'm not sure that it is designed to be
portable while in operation.  

200 KW would be about 260 HP so it's not an over powered vehicle.  I'm
afraid that the chassis, frame, and suspension would wear out before the
power plant.  

Can you imagine getting in a wreck with one of these?  I don't think
that the constabulary, or the EMS, or the tow truck driver, or the EPA
would be very happy with you.

But you could go a long ways between "fill ups."  

And then there is the initial cost.

$.05 X 200 X 24 X 365.25 X 40 (Cents / kilowatt hour * Kilowatts * hours
in 40 years) would be a smidge over $3.5 million.  OK, that doesn't
compute net present value, interest, depreciation, alternative fuel tax
credits, or maintenance.  Let's just round it off and say that the power
plant is going to set you back a million.  Of course to that you have to
add the vehicle and propulsion system and any additional safety
equipment that might be needed.

Of course that's assuming continuous usage, and my car spends most of
the time shut off.  Of course this would mean that you wouldn't have to
worry about letting it "idle" all night so that it would be warm when
you got in it in the winter, or all day so it would be cool in the
summer.

You would be real popular in the winter too.  You'd have plenty of amps
to jump start about anything.  (A service man I knew had a vehicle
powered by several 12V batteries and he said every time it got cold some
neighbor would call on him to help them get something started.  The
output could be diverted from the electric motor to jumper cables and
the voltage set to 13V.  As the starter engaged the computer upped the
power to hold at 13V and what ever it was would crank as if it was
hooked up to a really good battery.)

Murray McKee
Data Analyst
LI Data Modeling, Mapping, and Analysis
Wells Fargo Lending Information Systems - TIG (Technology Information
Group) 
Mail: 1 Home Campus
MAC X2301-03G
Des Moines, IA 50328
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MurrayMcKee at WellsFargo.com 
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  _____  

From: cialug-bounces at cialug.org [mailto:cialug-bounces at cialug.org] On
Behalf Of Matthew Nuzum
Sent: Friday, January 04, 2008 3:54 PM
To: Central Iowa Linux Users Group
Subject: [Cialug] no more UPS needed

Toshiba is now selling micro nuclear reactors capable of powering an
apartment complex or city block. 200kw in only 20ftx6ft.
http://www.nextenergynews.com/news1/next-energy-news-toshiba-micro-nucle
ar-12.17b.html

Maybe we should just put one of these in our cars. When the fuel runs
out just get a new car.

-- 
Matthew Nuzum 
newz2000 on freenode 

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