| FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions Hyperion Power Generation Proven Science in a New Package Self-regulating, Fail-Safe Power with no Greenhouse-Gas Emissions |
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What is Hyperion? How is it different from conventional nuclear power and traditional carbon-based fuels? What is Hyperion's output? What are some of the proposed applications for Hyperion? Is Hyperion Power Generation, Inc. (HPG) interested in obtaining investment capital for the development or manufacture of Hyperion? Will HPG be a publicly traded company? Does HPG intend to announce a public stock offering? Who is currently funding the development of Hyperion? When will Hyperion modules be available for sale? When will Hyperion modules be available for delivery? Is HPG looking for a customer or location for installation of a prototype or Beta version? What role does Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) have in the development of Hyperion? Will other laboratories be involved? Why is Hyperion safer than conventional nuclear power? Why is Hyperion cleaner and more environmentally friendly? How is Hyperion Less Expensive? How will Hyperion be transportable? Will Hyperion be a "manufactured" product? Will Hyperion be secure? How does Hyperion work? Will Hyperion be licensed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission? Where can I get more information? |
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What is Hyperion? The Hyperion power reactor is a compact, self-regulating power module (also referred to as a battery or power drive) that complements existing nuclear reactors by filling a niche for moderately sized, distributed, or dedicated power applications How is it different from conventional nuclear power and traditional carbon-based fuels? Hyperion is: Safer Cleaner: devoid of atmospheric (global warming) emissions Environmentally friendly Substantially smaller Transportable Less expensive per unit Dramatically less expensive for power produced Buried out of sight What is Hyperion's output? Approximately 70 megawatts (MW) of heat (thermal energy) and 25 megawatts (MW) of electrical power via steam turbine This is approximately enough power for one Hyperion module to provide electricity for a community of 20,000 average-sized American-style homes. Hyperion modules can also been ?ganged? in multiples to provide even more power. What are some of the proposed applications for Hyperion? Any location where access to a common power grid is: Unavailable ? location is too remote Too expensive for users Unreliable or if independence is desired Requires a back-up source of power Is Hyperion Power Generation, Inc. (HPG) interested in obtaining investment capital for the development or manufacture of Hyperion? Hyperion Power Generation, Inc. (HPG) is a private company and has all the capital needed for the current development phase of Hyperion. However, additional rounds of funding opportunities will be announced in the future. HPG will seek investment from firms and investors that can ?add value? to the project beyond the infusion of cash (i.e., help advance Hyperion into the market). Will HPG be a publicly traded company? Does HPG intend to announce a public stock offering? Hyperion Power Generation, Inc. (HPG) is a private company. Offering the firm?s share to the general public is not part of our current capital plan. If you would like to be notified of developments in HPGs capital structure, please send an email to: Who is currently funding the development of Hyperion? The Hyperion project has been funded thus far by Denver-based Altira Group, one of the nation?s premier venture capital funds focused on alternative energy technologies, and by strategic partners. When will Hyperion modules be available for sale? HPG can begin discussions with interested parties for sale and installation at any time. Actual delivery is still a few years away. When will Hyperion modules be available for delivery? A customer?s proposed location, use, and financial support for an installation will determine the sale and delivery schedule. Is HPG looking for a customer or location for installation of a prototype or Beta version? HPG is already in discussion with customers for early installation. Entities interested in obtaining an early version should contact: info@hyperionpowergeneration and put ?early installation? in the subject line. What role does Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) have in the development of Hyperion? Hyperion was invented by award-winning LANL scientist Dr. Otis Peterson while he was employed full-time by the lab. Under the Technology Transfer program for U.S. national laboratories, LANL will continue to own intellectual property relating to the Hyperion technology, but the rights to commercialization (introduction, manufacturing, licensing, production, marketing, and sales) of the product resulting from Dr. Peterson?s invention are held by Hyperion Power Generation, Inc., (HPG) a Santa Fe, New Mexico-based corporation. HPG is paying for the license to the rights to the intellectual property known as Hyperion (aka Comstar). HPG is also funding further research and engineering of the technology for Hyperion at LANL. Will other laboratories be involved? Possibly. It may be necessary for some research and engineering to be carried out at other laboratories in order to access the most appropriate talent for certain tasks. Why is Hyperion safer than conventional nuclear power? Sealed at the factory, the module is not opened until it has been returned to the factory to be refueled every 7-10 years. This containment, along with the strategy of completely burying the module at the operating site, protects against the possibility of human incompetence, or hostile tampering and proliferation. Why is Hyperion cleaner and more environmentally friendly? Nuclear power produces no greenhouse gases and therefore makes no contribution to global warming. The only water used in the operation is in the power conversion steam cycle, which is not exposed to any radiation. This greatly eliminates the potential for contamination of the environment. How is Hyperion Less Expensive? Hyperion offers a 30% reduction in capital costs from conventional gigawatt reactor installations (from US$2,000 per kW to US$1,400 per kW). Hyperion also offers more than a 50% reduction in operating costs (based on costs for field-generation of steam in heavy oil recovery operations), from US$7 per million BTU for natural gas to US$3 per million BTU for Hyperion. The possibility of mass production, operation and standardization of design for the Hyperion power module allows for significant savings. How will Hyperion be transportable? One of the largest problems in the energy industry today is the transmission of power from large generating facilities to distant locations. Currently, enormous infrastructure costs, reliability and loss issues plague this effort. Initial design efforts for Hyperion indicate that the sealed chamber dimensions of the power modules can be limited in size -- approximately the size of a typical backyard hot tub. This is small enough so that the complete module could be transported via either land or by water to provide the long-awaited answer for the need for cost-efficient, practical power sources in rural or remote locations -- for everything from oil production to water purification. Will Hyperion be a "manufactured" product? The Hyperion design takes advantage of the economy of mass-production instead of the economy of scale (as is done presently with traditional reactors). HPG estimates that approximately 4,000 of the first module design will be needed to meet initial demand. Will Hyperion be secure? The power-producing core of this module will be contained within multiple gas-tight chambers to insure absolute containment of all gases, along with other contaminants in the unlikely event that a single chamber fails. Further, the module will be buried in the ground during its operational life. This will protect the module from almost all conceivable threats, natural or man-made, and make tampering extremely difficult. Additionally, active area security will be provided by the operator. How does Hyperion work? The compact nature and inherent safety open the possibility for low-cost mass production and operation of the reactors. Will Hyperion be licensed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission? The Hyperion Power Module will be licensed by national and international regulatory authorities. Where can I get more information?
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