Captain Bill Emslie will explain nuclear fission, current U.S. reactor technologies, advanced cooling methods and HALEU fuel; and highlight the TerraPower Natrium Reactor project in Kemmerer along with Colorado’s outlook on nuclear energy as a future power source.
Captain Emslie will start with nuclear fission basics and the current nuclear reactor types in the USA. He will discuss the use of liquid sodium and molten salt for nuclear power generation heat transfer including advantages and disadvantages. He will also discuss the advantages of using High-Assay, Low Enriched Uranium nuclear fuel (HALEU) in the reactor core. The last half of the presentation is devoted to the Terra Power Natrium Reactor under construction in Kemmerer, Wyoming. He will lead off with a descriptive 2.5 minute Terra Power video followed by an explanation of how the Terra Power nuclear reactor works and site specific considerations. The final slide deals with how the state of Colorado views nuclear energy as a future power generation resource.
Captain Bill Emslie was born in Denver, Colorado and raised in Fort Collins. He graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1971. As an Electrical Engineering major in the top ten percent of his class, he was selected as a Trident Scholar. Captain Emslie completed his master’s degree in electrical engineering at Michigan State University in 1972. Following this, he completed one year of Nuclear Power training prior to reporting on board the nuclear submarine USS Benjamin Franklin (SSBN-640) where he held all Engineering Department Division Officer billets. His next boat was the USS Alexander Hamilton (SSBN-617), where he served as Weapons Department Head. In total he completed seven SSBN Nuclear Submarine patrols, five as a nuclear engineering division officer and two as a nuclear weapons department head.
He left active duty in April 1978. Captain Emslie’s Naval Reserve tours included six tours as a Reserve Unit Commanding Officer. He retired from Naval Service in July 2001.
In his civilian career Mr. Emslie spent 34 years with Platte River Power Authority which included Engineering Manager at the Rawhide Energy Station and Project Manager and Project Engineer for the construction of five natural gas combustion turbines at the Rawhide Energy Station.
He is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District. He also represents the Naval Academy as a Blue and Gold officer interviewing candidates for the Naval Academy.
Captain Emslie is married to Tracey P. Emslie. They have four children and reside and work on a hay farm north of Fort Collins, Colorado.