Gripon series nuclear reactors

The Gripon series nuclear reactors are a series of Lead-cooled fast reactor designed and developed in Tarsas primarily for use as marine power plants. Design and development began in 1961 at the Duratus Nuclear Research Laboratory and was first utilized in the XX. The project was spearheaded by a team lead by Doctor Alsefae Vela and had working reactor models by 1966. The final models were settled to be cooled by lead-bismuth rather than plain lead. The advantages of the coolant meant that the reactor could be run at a higher temperature due to the extreme boiling point of the coolant; therefore increasing thermal efficiency and power generation. Significant thought was given to reactor safety. The Gripon series has multiple failsafes that prevent meltdown. The coolant itself acts as a failsafe device. The lead shields against gamma radiation and the coolant quickly hardens when exposed to the outside air. Lead also doesn't react significantly with external water or air, creating a more safer shutdown procedure. Rather than refueling, the entire core on Gripon units can be replaced. Despite the fact that lead-bismuth is more expensive to obtain and the reactor is significantly heavier, the coolant allows for a easier, cheaper and safer containment and heat exchanger/steam generator design. This offsets the increased cost of building the reactor's base. The Gripon series has been developed and constructed throughout the 20th and 21st centuries and the reactors are still utilized today.

Reactors

Template:Standard table ! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Name ! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Number Built ! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Ships Featured On ! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Year Introduced ! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Notes |- |GR-1 |XX |TBD |1974 | |- |GR-2 |XX |TBD |1981 |Improvements to the reactor base for greater noise dampening along with noise deadening measures built into the reactor itself. |- |GR-3 |XX | |1983 | |- |GR-4 |2 |None |1982 |Experimental design constructed to push the reactor to the point of near meltdown. |- |GR-5 |3 |None |1985 |Designation for experimental reactor series with increased capability cooling systems to allow it to run hotter than previous generation Gripons. |- |GR-6 |1 | |1990 |Test reactor designed to run quieter and more efficiently. |- |GR-7 |4 | |2000 |Introduced for use aboard the Apsotle-class carrier |- |GR-8 | | |2007 |Further development of the GR-7 in an attempt to shrink the size of the unit. |- |GR-9 |4 |Apostle-class carrier |2015 |Block II Apostle-class reactors with further improvements for cooling mechanisms. |- |----- |}