Laying the Foundation for New and Advanced Nuclear Reactors in the United States (2023) / Chapter Skim
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Pages 23-42
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Luque-Gutierrez, et al., 2020, Advances in Small Modular Reactor Technology Developments: A Supplement to IAEA Advanced Reactors Information System (ARIS) , Austria: International Atomic Energy Agency, https://aris.iaea.
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Hill, J Gehin, et al., 2017, "A Summary of the Department of Energy's Advanced Demonstration and Test Reaction Options Study," Nuclear Technology 199:111–128, https://doi.org/10.1080/00295450.2017.1336029; Nuclear Energy Agency -- Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, 2021, "Advanced Nuclear Reactor Systems and Future Energy Market Needs," NEA No.
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used in advanced reactor designs affect the inherent safety of the system through the basic material properties, neutronics designs, and chemical characteristics of system components. Non-LWR advanced reactor designs have the potential to improve safety by a combination of the following safety attributes that minimize the challenges to their systems for a wide range of transients and accidents (see Table 2-3)
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• Strong fission product retention in sodium, molten salts, and graphite moderator reduces the amount of radioactive material release from the reactor system. TABLE 2-3 Safety Characteristics of Advanced Reactors Reactor Type Passive and Inherent Safety Characteristics Example Reactor Designs Small modular LWR (SMR)
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, sodium fast reactors must consider the possibility of air or water ingress and the resultant effects of sodium fires, and the safety systems needed to mitigate these effects. Such unique design features for any of the advanced reactors must be considered and analyzed to ensure safe operation.
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The safety risks associated with small and advanced reactors differ from those for conventional LWRs and require new testing facilities and demonstration facilities. Recommendation 2-1: The Department of Energy should evaluate the need for common experimental facilities that would help provide the required testing to support licensing and long-term operations across multiple reactor concepts within a reactor class (e.g., gas-cooled or molten-salt-cooled concepts)
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Liquid metal cooled fast Several small sodium- High technology readiness Qualification of annular metal fuel as a reactor (sodium) cooled fast reactors for small SFR transition from sodium-bonded metal fuel operating worldwide.
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. If the engineering designs of advanced reactors are limited to these six code-qualified high-temperature reactor materials, significant performance limitations will result (Zinkle et al.
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This high-assay low-enriched uranium, while one of many new supply chains that need to be established to support advanced reactors, is critical across many of the advanced concepts. Finding 2-4: Advanced reactor concepts, while innovative in some aspects of their designs, are generally based on relatively conventional fuels, materials, and manufacturing methods.
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. In addition, several organizations around the world have examined the technology readiness of advanced nuclear reactor technologies, and each has applied its own specific technology readiness scales in its evaluation (GIF 2014; Gougar et al.
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The success in getting concepts ready for regulatory review, build ing a demonstration plant in a timely and predictable manner, and proving operational excellence with demonstration plants will determine potential broader commercial deployment. OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE OF ADVANCED REACTORS Operation During the committee's information gathering, several reactor manufacturers presented on the concept of operations for the various advanced reactor designs.
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• Operation in non-electricity markets. New reactor designs may allow for use of the reactor for non-electricity purposes, such as providing heat for hydrogen production when the nuclear output is not needed for the grid.
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Maintenance Maintenance of any facility and its components is a critical element in safe operations, as well as reliability and sustainability in performance of the physical plant. Configurations of advanced reactors could include a range of designs, such as a fleet of two, four, or eight smaller reactors scaled to MWe requirements or a more conventional single-reactor design with a larger MWe output capacity.
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Compared to large LWRs, advanced reactors will likely use different deployment models, such as providing dedicated electricity to single users, process heat for industry or building heating, or heat for storage for future distribution. The non-technical challenges associated with these new deployment scenarios are addressed in subsequent chapters.
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2022. Merits and Viability of Different Nuclear Fuel Cycles and Technology Options and the Waste Aspects of Advanced Nuclear Reactors.
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Key to the discussion is a recognition that the drivers of change are interdependent, and the prominence of each is affected by location -- regulations, markets, power system topology, and local attitudes play a large role in shaping the extent of the drivers for change and the speed at which changes might unfold. Moreover, these changes to the electric power system could either bolster or reduce the competitiveness of advanced nuclear power: the fact that advanced reactors are not yet commercialized makes reliable assessments of their role in the future power system difficult.
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Advanced nuclear reactors could have substantial market opportunities for supplying reliable and flexible electricity generation, as well as in supporting the further expansion of the electrification of end uses in other sectors (transportation, buildings, and industry)
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Without decarbonization policies or high fossil fuel prices, developing and deploying advanced nuclear reactors could remain difficult. Estimates of the role for advanced nuclear energy in this mix is highly dependent on assumptions.
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. In this case, nuclear is competitive regardless of other factors such as decarbonization policies, timing of advanced nuclear's commercial availability, and assumptions about renewable energy (RE)
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2021) employed more than 15 models to evaluate reliability, distribution grid interactions, and environmental justice, among other questions that are central to planning.4 Broadly, studies show that while nuclear capital costs are an important driver for nuclear's deployment, there remain situations in which nuclear generation can be competitive.
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