The US Department of Energy (DOE) supports five advanced nuclear reactor design projects to be built in the United States by private industry. As part of the Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program (ARDP), the initial funding for the DOE nuclear office is expected to grow from $ 30 million over seven years to $ 600 million, with industry providing an additional 20 percent.
Although nuclear power has been very unpopular in the West over the past few decades, the need for a carbon neutral future seems to spawn a new generation of advanced reactors that will be very different from the light water pressure reactors that have dominated the world nuclear power industry since the 1950s.
The goal of the recent DOE grants is to promote the development of reactors for use in 10-14 years that are not only more efficient and economical to operate, but are inherently safer to operate, with designs that use more robust fuels use and cooling systems that can passively prevent a reactor from melting down, even when no electricity is available.
One of the five reactor concepts under development is the Hermes Reduced-Scale Test Reactor from Kairos Power in Alameda, California. This advanced test reactor, which will lead to the construction of the commercial Kairos Power Fluoride Salt-Cooled High Temperature Reactor (KP-FHR), is based on Tri-structural ISOtropic (TRISO) particle fuel and is cooled by a low pressure fluoride salt coolant.
TRISO fuel comes in particulate form and is made up of uranium, carbon and oxygen that are formed into nuclei and then encapsulated in three layers of carbon and a ceramic layer to prevent radioactive waste from being released. These poppy-sized grains are then collected into cylindrical pellets or billiard ball-sized balls that can withstand high temperatures in gas or salt-cooled reactors.
TRISO fuel particles are coated with three layers of carbon and a ceramic layer to prevent radioactive waste from being released
US Department of Energy, Office of Nuclear Energy
The second project is the Westinghouse Electric Company’s eVinci Microreactor, a heat-tube cooled microreactor as part of a technology demonstrator that is slated to be completed by 2024 holes in the block. Heat pipes contain a liquid that extracts heat from the core as it evaporates and then directs the heat to a heat exchanger for cooling and power generation.
The purpose of the demonstration is to assess the risks of such a design and how to improve the manufacture and efficiency of the heat pipe system.
The third is the BWXT Advanced Nuclear Reactor (BANR) from BWXT Advanced Technologies in Lynchburg, Virginia. This is a portable microreactor that also uses TSIRO fuel to achieve higher concentrations of uranium, as well as an improved core design that uses a silicon carbide matrix.
The fourth is the Holtec SMR-160 reactor from Holtec Government Services in Camden, New Jersey. This is a small modular reactor based on the design of a light water reactor. Modular reactors have the advantages of mass production in factories as well as scalability by adding additional modules on site.
Finally, there is the Molten Chloride Reactor Experiment from Southern Company Services, Inc. in Birmingham, Alabama. In this critical 1,200 MW high-speed spectrum salt reactor design, the fuel is mixed with the molten salt coolant. The reaction takes place in the salt and keeps it melted. Molten salt reactors are more efficient because they can be operated at higher temperatures than conventional reactors.
“All of these projects will put the US on an accelerated schedule for deploying advanced nuclear reactors domestically and globally that are safer and affordable to build and operate,” said US Secretary of Energy Dan Brouillette. “Taking the lead in cutting-edge technology is so important to the country’s future because nuclear energy plays such an important role in our clean energy strategy.”
Source: DOE
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