Editing Pebble-bed reactor (section)

===Adams Atomic Engines===
Adams Atomic Engines (AAE) design was self-contained so it could be adapted to extreme environments such as space, polar and underwater environments. Their design was for a nitrogen coolant passing directly though a conventional low-pressure gas turbine,<ref name="Adams1994">
{{Cite patent
| inventor-last = Adams
| inventor-first = Rodney M.
| inventorlink = Adams Atomic Engines
| publication-date = 1994-05-03
| issue-date = 1993
| title = Control for a closed cycle gas turbine system
| country-code = US
| patent-number = 5309492
| postscript = . Patent expired on 2006-05-03 due to failure to pay maintenance fees.[http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/com/sol/og/2006/week26/patexpi.htm]
}}</ref> and due to the rapid ability of the turbine to change speeds, it can be used in applications where instead of the turbine's output being converted to electricity, the turbine itself could directly drive a mechanical device, for instance, a propeller aboard a ship. 

Like all high temperature designs, the AAE engine would have been inherently safe, as the engine naturally shuts down due to [[Doppler broadening]], stopping heat generation if the fuel in the engine gets too hot in the event of a loss of coolant or a loss of coolant flow.{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}}

The company went out of business in December 2010.<ref>{{cite web |date=2011-06-29 |title=Company formerly known as Adams Atomic Engines |url=http://www.atomicengines.com/ |access-date=2013-09-05 |publisher=Atomicengines.com}}</ref>