Patent Number: 
Section: claims

1. A method of operating a modular nuclear fission deflagration wave reactor, the method comprising: shielding at least a portion of a nuclear fission deflagration wave reactor module; installing the shielded nuclear fission deflagration wave reactor module in a modular nuclear fission deflagration wave reactor, removing the installed shielding from at least a portion of the shielded nuclear fission deflagration wave reactor module, and neutronically coupling the previously-shielded nuclear fission deflagration wave reactor module with at least one adjacent nuclear fission deflagration wave reactor module in the modular nuclear fission deflagration wave reactor, wherein neutronically coupling includes initiating a nuclear fission deflagration wave in the previously-shielded nuclear fission deflagration wave reactor module. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein shielding at least a portion of the nuclear fission deflagration wave reactor module includes removably disposing nuclear shielding material proximate the nuclear fission deflagration wave reactor module. 3. The method of claim 2, wherein removably disposing the nuclear shielding material proximate the nuclear fission deflagration wave reactor module includes removably installing the nuclear shielding material adjacent the nuclear fission deflagration wave reactor module. 4. The method of claim 1, further comprising propagating at least one nuclear fission deflagration wave in the previously-shielded nuclear fission deflagration wave reactor module. 5. The method of claim 1, wherein shielding at least a portion of a nuclear fission deflagration wave reactor module attenuates at least one radiation type chosen from neutron radiation and γ radiation.