Small Modular Reactor Design Approved

[peakbagger]

US nuclear regulator greenlights its first small modular reactor

The first small modular reactor (SMR) design has been approved for certification by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). NuScale's tidy reactor design promises safe, clean energy at radically reduced cost, land use and installation time.

newatlas.com

It will be interesting to see if they can get one built. Good size for repowering old large coal facilities (assuming any are left standing by then)

 

[woodgeek]

Cool. How does refueling and decommissioning work? Do they just run the module until its spent and ship it back to the factory for refitting? At decommissioning, do they just pull the module and ship it to a facility to have the core removed and stored (presumably after a lengthy shut down cool off period on site)?

 

[peakbagger]

Cool. How does refueling and decommissioning work? Do they just run the module until its spent and ship it back to the factory for refitting? At decommissioning, do they just pull the module and ship it to a facility to have the core removed and stored (presumably after a lengthy shut down cool off period on site)?

The prior PR was that the modules would be shipped by rail to and from a central facility.

 

[vinny11950]

Looks great. If the containment vessel works the way it is supposed to, with the safety valves working properly.

I wonder what type of nuclear material is used?

I really hope they work.

 

[peakbagger]

I think its a conventional fuel cycle. Not very efficient but proven. The big improvement is the inclusion of natural cooling. With the existing fleet there has to be power available to cool them down. With the new design if there is no power they shut down and cool themselves with no need for external power.

I think its a given that any new power plant design will have passive shutdown and cooling and it may be incorporated in the new next generation design that China is using. I am unsure if there is size limitation to natural cooling, it makes sense with SMR but wondering with 1000 plus MW plant is it possible?

 

[EbS-P]

77Mw core…. Typical boiling water reactor is 900Mw. I really hope we see them adopted purchased and installed. Design approval is still a long way from generating power for the grid.

 

[peakbagger]

Two presidential administrations to final approval, lots of time for another big nuclear accident (probably Ukraine) to scare folks off.

 

[begreen]

US nuclear regulator greenlights its first small modular reactor

The first small modular reactor (SMR) design has been approved for certification by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). NuScale's tidy reactor design promises safe, clean energy at radically reduced cost, land use and installation time.

newatlas.com

It will be interesting to see if they can get one built. Good size for repowering old large coal facilities (assuming nay are left standing by then)

Interesting. We have an old coal system just decommissioned in WA state and another source in Montana due to close soon.

 

[Poindexter]

I think Eielson AFB is getting one of those up here. They are about 30 miles out of town and I don't know how old their fossil fuel plant is. I guess they might need two of them. The runway is near about 2 miles long with hot water radiant heat in it so they don't have to plow as often.

I am confident both the Russians and the Chinese know the B52s in North Dakota will need mid air refueling from the tankers at Eielson to make the round trip home from either of Moscow or Beijing - which is why my life expectancy in a limited nuclear exchange is about 27 minutes.

All of the above has been published repeatedly in the local newspaper - not classified.

 

[woodgeek]

Noah Smith is sanguine: https://noahpinion.substack.com/p/solar-is-happening-nuclear-is-mostly

He cites an Ars Technica article: https://arstechnica.com/science/202...-project-having-difficulty-retaining-backers/

That argues that the approved govt financing model is not very generous or risk-free, and investors are not lining up.