For some context, marine cloud brightening(MCB) is a geoengineering proposal to disperse aerosolized salt water particles into the lower atmosphere using ships. MCB appears to be one of the more promising geoengineering proposals, with more optimistic estimates placing the cost of reversing climate change at ~ $200 million per year.. However, one of the main technical issues with the proposal is how to actually lift and aerosolize the water particles. Current proposals propose using wind powered ships. However, if the power requirements are not sufficient, nuclear power could be used. Estimates for how much power needs to be delivered in order to aerosolize the water are as low as 30MW. This compares favourably to the estimated 60MW from a Russian nuclear icebreaker. Furthermore, the extra 200-300MW of waste heat from the reactor can be used to heat the water before spraying it. When hot aerosolized water comes into contact with the air, it expands and floats up, allowing the salt to rise in the same way that current marine ship exhaust rises into the atmosphere.
I’ve been thinking about 2 things lately:
-Nuclear marine propulsion
-Marine cloud brightening
For some context, marine cloud brightening(MCB) is a geoengineering proposal to disperse aerosolized salt water particles into the lower atmosphere using ships. MCB appears to be one of the more promising geoengineering proposals, with more optimistic estimates placing the cost of reversing climate change at ~ $200 million per year.. However, one of the main technical issues with the proposal is how to actually lift and aerosolize the water particles. Current proposals propose using wind powered ships. However, if the power requirements are not sufficient, nuclear power could be used. Estimates for how much power needs to be delivered in order to aerosolize the water are as low as 30MW. This compares favourably to the estimated 60MW from a Russian nuclear icebreaker. Furthermore, the extra 200-300MW of waste heat from the reactor can be used to heat the water before spraying it. When hot aerosolized water comes into contact with the air, it expands and floats up, allowing the salt to rise in the same way that current marine ship exhaust rises into the atmosphere.