At age 14, teenage nuclear scientist Taylor Wilson was the youngest person in history to design and build a working fusion reactor. Now 18, Wilson is planning to construct a modular nuclear power plant.
The teenager, who graduates from high school in May, has big plans.
After designing the nuclear fusion reactor, Taylor Wilson began considering nuclear fission. Not one for resting on his laurels, the young nuclear scientist has designed a small, module nuclear fission reactor. This reactor could be built on a factory assembly line and installed anywhere globally.
Wilson’s reactor will be somewhere between 50-100 MW and can power between 25,000 and 100,000 houses. Surpassing existing nuclear power plants, this design would be up to 15% more efficient because it does not use water. Heat exchange occurs in an underground molten salt core. Consequently, this also adds a layer of safety to the reactor’s design.
Wilson believes the design makes the reactor safe enough to place in a developing nation that has little access to power while being secure enough to prevent anyone from accessing the dangerous material within.
One day, the reactor may even make it into space to provide power on another planet.
At this point, the design is merely a diagram, but Wilson has intentions of making the design a reality. After graduation, Wilson aims to start a company with the intention of making his fission reactor a reality.
