Inside Nuclear Reactor Control Software
Step inside the Aalo control panel as Hill demonstrates exactly how our operators run the reactor, from startup through criticality to shutdown.
Using the full mockup in our panel shop, he walks through the shim switch, explains how safety rods, control rods, and shim rods throttle neutron activity in the core, and shows the three indications operators watch to confirm criticality.
The demonstration covers startup rate on a logarithmic scale, shim and wait procedures, steady-state operation, and finishes with a manual scram, showing why this is designed as a turnkey facility.
0:00 Inside Aalo's Reactor Control Panel
0:17 Reactor Startup Demonstration Begins
0:35 The Shim Switch (Navy-Style Controls)
0:52 Safety Rods, Control Rods & Shim Rods Explained
1:18 How Neutrons Move Inside the Core
1:47 What Criticality Actually Means
2:14 Raising the Rods
2:32 Reading Startup Rate (Decades Per Minute)
3:11 Approaching Criticality
3:28 Three Indications of Criticality
4:13 Confirming Critical & Arresting Startup Rate
4:51 Monitoring Temperature & Pressure
5:08 The SRO's Role & When to Scram
5:43 A Cautious Approach to Criticality
6:20 Shim and Wait Procedures
6:48 The Reactor Is Critical
7:32 Steady-State Operation
8:08 Verifying Nuclear Instruments
8:34 Scramming the Reactor
9:10 Post-Scram Monitoring & Delayed Neutrons
9:30 A Turnkey Nuclear Facility
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We build mass-manufactured nuclear plants that will power anything from a datacenter to a city. Our mission is to eventually achieve 3¢ / kWh electricity. Our first product will be the Aalo Pod, a 50 MWe power plant purpose-built for data centers. We've raised $136M to help us get started.
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