Matt Loszak Profile picture
Nov 30, 2023 10 tweets 4 min read Read on X
For every ten likes, I’ll make this person increasingly realize how incredible nuclear power is Image
Here they are, reading that nuclear is statistically just as safe as solar or wind Image
They've just learned that nuclear waste is safe and easy to manage, and that there's a tiny amount of it:
All the nuclear waste (ie spent fuel) ever produced could fit on a single football field stacked only 10 yards high Image
Next they've discovered breeder reactors, which can create more fuel than they consume Image
They've now realized this means that we have enough nuclear fuel on earth to power humanity’s growth for 4 billion years

whatisnuclear.com/nuclear-sustai…
Image
Here they are, visualizing how 1 BARREL of uranium has the same energy content as 2 MILLION BARRELS OF OIL Image
Hearing that France and Ontario essentially FULLY decarbonized their grids by building nuclear power plants in just about 10 years Image
Realizing that not only is nuclear incredibly safe, but it also SAVES MILLIONS OF LIVES PER YEAR BY PRODUCING MEDICAL ISOTOPES FOR HOSPITALS ALL OVER THE WORLD Image
Here they are deciding to drop everything and devote their lives to helping nuclear energy succeed in a world that has totally mischaracterized it as dangerous, slow, and expensive, when in reality it is incredibly clean & safe, quick to build, and economical, when done right. Image
The end! Image

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More from @MattLoszak

Feb 5
When you turn on a light in your house, turbines can feel it!

Normally, steam turns a turbine which produces electricity.

But the grid can also PUSH BACK on the turbine itself.

And this draws MORE power from the turbine, stabilizing the grid.

GRID INERTIA THREAD 🧵👇 Image
When you flip a switch, you're adding load to the grid.

That load has to be balanced instantly: supply must equal demand.
Large generators (coal, gas, nuclear, hydro) use massive spinning turbines.

These have enormous rotational inertia; they store a lot of kinetic energy.
Read 14 tweets
Sep 4, 2025
When a uranium atom splits, you’d think it would split in half.

U-235 splitting into two 117 - 118 nucleon atoms.

But it doesn’t. It splits lopsided: ~95 and ~140.

And it turns out, this is the main reason nuclear reactors work at all.

Why? 🧵 Image
U-235 has 92 protons and 143 neutrons.

An even split would give 46 protons and 71 - 72 neutrons.

That would be palladium (Pd, with atomic number = 46)

But Pd is not stable when it has over 70 neutrons... it's stable at 60.

Why is it unstable at 70+? Image
As nuclei get bigger, they need more neutrons to remain stable.

This can be seen in the chart below.

Neutrons act as the "glue" with the strong atomic force, which combats the electromagnetic repulsion between protons in the nucleus. Image
Read 16 tweets
May 21, 2025
Why did we choose liquid metal (sodium) as our reactor coolant?

Water-based reactors have way more operational history, so are we taking unnecessary risk?

No - it’s the inevitable next step in nuclear.

Here's why! 🧵 Image
Image
First we'll cover advantages of sodium.

Then we'll discuss the challenges.

At the end I'll explain why sodium is the inevitable endgame coolant for fission.
ADVANTAGES 👍

Sodium allows you to make a much more compact reactor and plant design.

This optimizes the plant for mass manufacturing, and economics.

How so? Image
Read 17 tweets
Mar 26, 2025
I asked someone high up in government,

“How would you reform nuclear regulation to maintain safety, while optimizing economics?”

They asked to remain anonymous, but here’s their take: 🧵 Image
1) Fix radiation limits:

Currently, nuclear must not exceed 10 mrem / year in a release to the public.

This is 1% of the threshold known to have any measurable impact on human health.

Measurable impact here means a slightly observable impact in expected lifespan.
Comparing this to the limits for oil and gas plants (for PM2.5, VOCs, NOx) shows that nuclear is held to a much higher standard.

Limits for oil and gas plants are higher relative to the threshold known to have measurable impacts on health.
Read 8 tweets
Feb 24, 2025
Henry J Kaiser was incredible.

He built highways, bridges, and The Hoover Dam.

But most impressively, he built 1,490 ships during WWII, 1/3 of the entire U.S. cargo fleet.

Here's how he reduced the time to build a ship from 8 months, to 4 days 🤯 (🧵) Image
Image
Before Kaiser entered the industry, shipbuilding was a slow, meticulous craft, much like constructing a cathedral.

The process followed a traditional, step-by-step sequence that hadn’t changed much in decades:
1. Keel Laying
2. Frame Construction
3. Plating & Riveting
4. Welding & Outfitting
5. Launch & Finishing Image
Read 20 tweets
Nov 11, 2024
What would it take to create the SpaceX of Nuclear, cutting costs by 10x?

For rockets, the answer was obvious: Make them re-usable.

What is the equivalent insight for reactors? 🧵 Image
One possible answer: Factory mass manufacturing.

Let’s dive into exactly how this would lower costs, and by how much. Image
A major problem with nuclear is: Every plant that’s ever been built was bespoke.

This chart shows different designs (colors) and versions (shades) in the US.

Nobody has built the same reactor more than a few times. Image
Read 23 tweets

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