Self-designed small nuclear reactors (SMR) are a highly complex and strictly regulated project, involving challenges in nuclear safety, materials science, thermodynamics, legal compliance and other fields. The following are the innovation directions and precautions that need to be focused on, but it must be emphasized:**Any nuclear energy development must comply with the laws and regulations of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the country in which it is located. Unauthorized research and development is an illegal act.**. --- ###1. Core innovation direction 1. **Revolutionary improvements in safety design** -**Passive safety system**: Relies on physical principles (such as gravity and natural convection) rather than active control, such as the molten salt freezing valve of the molten salt reactor (MSR) and the negative temperature coefficient of the high-temperature air-cooled reactor. - **Accident fault-tolerant fuel (ATF)**: Such as uranium silicide or coated fuel particles (TRISO), it can withstand extreme conditions. -* *Modular isolation design**: The failure of a single module does not affect the whole, such as NuScale's submerged containment shell. 2. **Fuel and recycling innovation** -**Thorium-based fuels**: Reduce the risk of nuclear proliferation and improve resource utilization (such as AHWR in India). -**Fast reactor technology**: Realize the transmutation of nuclear waste (such as traveling wave reactor TWR). -**Hydrogen isotope fusion-fission hybrid reactor** (long-term exploration direction). 3. **Improved energy conversion efficiency** -**Supercritical CO布雷Breton cycle**: Instead of traditional steam turbines, it is smaller and more efficient (such as eSMR design in the United States). -**Direct thermoelectric conversion**: radioisotope batteries suitable for deep space exploration (such as NASA's RTG). 4. **Miniaturization and deployment flexibility** -**Mobile design**: shipboard, polar or remote area applications (such as the Russian KLT-40S icebreaker reactor). -**Underground encapsulated**: reduce external threats (such as Oklo's Aurora micro-stack). --- ###2. Key limitations and challenges 1. **Legal and regulatory framework** -Need to pass an IAEA safety review (such as the "Nuclear Safety Convention"). -Countries have strict controls on nuclear materials (for example, uranium enrichment technology is restricted by the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons). 2. **Economy and supply chain** -It is difficult to obtain high-concentration nuclear fuel (civilian-grade uranium usually requires 3-5% abundance). -Radiation-resistant materials (such as zirconium alloys and silicon carbide) are expensive. 3. **Social acceptance** -Public concerns about nuclear waste (such as the long-life isotopes technetium-99 and iodine-129) need to be addressed. -Small banks may face more decentralized regulatory pressure. --- ###3. Alternative suggestions If the goal is only for scientific research or educational purposes, you can consider： 1. **Subcritical devices** (such as neutron source accelerators driving subcritical systems). 2. **Simulation simulation**: Use Monte Carlo code (MCNP) or OpenMC for virtual design. 3. **Participate in legal projects**: such as the International Thermonuclear Fusion Experiment Reactor (ITER) or SMR pilots in various countries. --- ###4. Serious reminder The development of nuclear technology involves national security, and any unauthorized attempt may violate the Criminal Law or the Anti-terrorism Law. It is recommended to participate in research through formal academic or industrial channels, and always put safety and ethics first.