PRISM: A Competitive Small Modular Sodium-Cooled Reactor

Triplett, Brian; Loewen, Eric P.; Dooies, Brett

doi:10.13182/nt178-186

Cited by 59 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…The economies of heat production are process industry dependent (e.g., temperature requirements for primary and secondary heat cycles, availability requirements, capacities, processing durations, etc.). Considering specifically GEN IV reactors, they can also recycle waste from other reactors to produce electricity [35]. One of the most promising designs is the molten salt reactor.…”

Section: Figure 6 Required Temperature For Industrial Processes (Adapmentioning

confidence: 99%

Small modular reactors: A comprehensive overview of their economics and strategic aspects

Locatelli

Bingham

Mancini

2014

Progress in Nuclear Energy

174

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A key challenge for engineers and scientists over the coming decades is to develop and deploy power plants with sufficient capacity and flexibility to meet the growing demand for energy (mainly electrical) whilst simultaneously reducing emissions (primarily greenhouse gases). With fusion-based power plants not currently being considered viable for large-scale deployment for at least 40 years, other technologies must to be considered. Renewable and high efficiency combined gas-fired plants, along with nuclear solutions, are regarded as the most suitable candidates, with Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) developing as a favoured choice. However, two main impediments to the current deployment of SMRs exist: (1) safety concerns, particularly following the Fukushima accident, and (2) their economic models, with high capital costs only being available through a limited number of investors. The goal of this paper is to provide a review and a holistic assessment of this class of nuclear reactor, with specific focus on the most common technology: the Light Water Reactor (LWR). In particular, the paper provides a state-of-the-art assessment of their life cycle, along with a comparison of their relative merits with other base-load technologies. It is shown that SMRs are a suitable choice when the power to be installed is in the range 1-3 GWe and the social aspects of the investment, such as the creation of new employment positions, is a goal of policy makers. The paper thereby provides governments and stakeholders with key economic and social boundaries for the viable deployment of SMRs.

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Section: Figure 6 Required Temperature For Industrial Processes (Adapmentioning

confidence: 99%

Small modular reactors: A comprehensive overview of their economics and strategic aspects

Locatelli

Bingham

Mancini

2014

Progress in Nuclear Energy

174

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“…In contrast to these recent light-water-reactor projects, the General Electric-Hitachi PRISM (Power Reactor Innovative Small Module)-the blueprint of a commercial design for an IFR reactor-is an entirely modular system, with components that can be mass-produced in factories and trucked or shipped to the power plant site [77]. The diameter of the reactor vessel of the PRISM IFR (nameplate capacity of 311 MWe, though capable of 380 MWe) is about 10 m, compared with~6 m for a large wind turbine with a nameplate capacity of 3 MWe [78].…”

Section: Integral Fast Reactors-an Exemplar "Silver Bullet" Clean-enementioning

confidence: 99%

Silver Buckshot or Bullet: Is a Future “Energy Mix” Necessary?

Brook

Blees²,

Wigley

et al. 2018

Sustainability

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Abstract:To displace fossil fuels and achieve the global greenhouse-gas emissions reductions required to meet the Paris Agreement on climate change, the prevalent argument is that a mix of different low-carbon energy sources will need to be deployed. Here we seek to challenge that viewpoint. We argue that a completely decarbonized, energy-rich and sustainable future could be achieved with a dominant deployment of next-generation nuclear fission and associated technologies for synthesizing liquid fuels and recycling waste. By contrast, non-dispatchable energy sources like wind and solar energy are arguably superfluous, other than for niche applications, and run the risk of diverting resources away from viable and holistic solutions. For instance, the pairing of variable renewables with natural-gas backup fails to address many of the entrenched problems we seek to solve. Our conclusion is that, given the urgent time frame and massive extent of the energy-replacement challenge, half-measures that distract from or stymie effective policy and infrastructure investment should be avoided.

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“…• "Concept of operation": This term is used only where it refers to, or forms part of the title of an existing publication, such as entry [130] and [131] in the Reference section.…”

Section: 2 T Terminologymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…With the exception of the review in Nuclear Technology presented by Triplett et al (2012), most of the information available was generated during the 1980s and 1990s. In their earlier efforts, General Electric (GE) was assisted by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).…”

Section: Ge/hitachi Prism Designmentioning

confidence: 99%

Draft Function Allocation Framework and Preliminary Technical Basis for Advanced SMR Concepts of Operations

Hugo¹,

Forester²,

Gertman³

et al. 2013

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARYThis report presents preliminary research results from the investigation into the development of new models and guidance for Concepts of Operations in advanced small modular reactor (aSMR) designs. aSMRs are nuclear power plants (NPPs), but unlike conventional large NPPs that are constructed on site, aSMRs systems and components will be fabricated in a factory and then assembled on site. aSMRs will also use advanced digital instrumentation and control systems, and make greater use of automation. Some aSMR designs also propose to be operated in a multi-unit configuration with a single central control room as a way to be more cost-competitive with existing NPPs. These differences from conventional NPPs not only pose technical and operational challenges, but they will undoubtedly also have regulatory compliance implications, especially with respect to staffing requirements and safety standards.For example, the impact of aSMR designs on operational and regulatory considerations, such as workload, situation awareness, human reliability, staffing levels, and the appropriate allocation of functions between the crew and various plant systems that are likely to be highly automated is largely uncertain and will remain uncertain until empirical research data become available to support the development of sound technical bases. Experience with aSMRs outside of the US Navy is limited, existing human factors and systems engineering design standards are not current in terms of human interaction basics for automated systems, and there is a lack of a good functional allocation and staffing model that takes into account static or dynamic allocation.Given these uncertainties and other issues, new Concepts of Operations models must be researched and developed for aSMRs. Concepts of Operations describes the characteristics of a proposed system from the viewpoint of an individual who will use that system. It is used to communicate the quantitative and qualitative system characteristics of the plant to all stakeholders, provides the basis for procedures, and serves as input to Human Factors analyses. New Concepts of Operations models are developed by conducting an in-depth analysis of the characteristics and attributes of the concepts of operations of future aSMR. By doing this, insights into how the role and function of humans in the plant might be affected by advanced aSMR technologies, and, conversely, how the operation of these plants might be influenced by the need to integrate human factors principles in the design are revealed.objective of this research is to establish the technical bases for non-traditional concepts of operations for aSMRs (i.e., Develop new models and guidance for Concepts of Operations), with the goal of addressing specific human factors challenges related to non-traditional concepts of operations, and the associated changes in the allocation of functions to human and system agents. This includes the development of functional allocation principles as one of the primary decision criteria for ...

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PRISM: A Competitive Small Modular Sodium-Cooled Reactor

Cited by 59 publications

References 19 publications

Small modular reactors: A comprehensive overview of their economics and strategic aspects

Small modular reactors: A comprehensive overview of their economics and strategic aspects

Silver Buckshot or Bullet: Is a Future “Energy Mix” Necessary?

Draft Function Allocation Framework and Preliminary Technical Basis for Advanced SMR Concepts of Operations

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