DOE selects 11 SMR prototype pilot reactors

Industry Discussions Nuclear Power
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The Department of Energy is fast-tracking development of several SMR designs. From what I can see, most of them are in the 1 to 10 MW range, with one of them around 20 MWe.

From the link:

“Reactors built and operated pursuant to the DOE pilot program will not require Nuclear Regulatory Commission licensing,” the June request for applications said. “Nevertheless, DOE-approved reactor designs can and will be fast tracked for future NRC licensing. … [The pilot will] provide a fast track to an NRC license, and hence, commercialization for authorized reactor design.”

DOE on Tuesday named 10 companies that could access a “fast-tracked approach to future commercial licensing activities.” They are: Aalo Atomics; Antares Nuclear; Atomic Alchemy; Deep Fission; Last Energy; Oklo; Natura Resources; Radiant Industries; Terrestrial Energy; and Valar Atomics.

Each company will be responsible for all costs associated with designing, manufacturing, constructing, operating, and decommissioning their test reactors, the DOE said.

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More information on the reactor designs from World Nuclear News…

Aalo is developing the Aalo-1 factory-fabricated 10 MWe sodium-cooled microreactor; Antares is developing the 500-kW sodium heat pipe-cooled R1. Atomic Alchemy Inc - a subsidiary of Oklo - is developing the Versatile Isotope Production Reactor - or VIPR - 15-MWt light water reactor.

Deep Fission’s Deep Fission Borehole Reactor-1 is a 15 MWe pressurised water reactor that would be located about a mile underground via a 30-inch borehole. Last Energy is developing the 20 MWe PWR-20. Natura Resources’ LF-MSR is a 1 MWt molten salt research reactor. Oklo’s Aurora powerhouse is a based on a fast neutron reactor that uses heat pipes to transport heat from the reactor core to a supercritical carbon dioxide power conversion system.

Radiant Industries is developing the 1 MWe Kaleidos high-temperature gas-cooled portable microreactor. Terrestrial is developing the Integral Molten Salt Reactor (IMSR). Valar is developing a reactor based on high-temperature gas reactor technology.

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Perhaps the strangest one on the list is DeepFission’s Borehole reactor. To repeat from above: Borehole Reactor-1 is a 15 MWe pressurised water reactor that would be located about a mile underground via a 30-inch borehole. I guess the idea here is you operate the reactor in its final fuel disposal location deep underground. The high level waste is already in place when the plant first starts up. I would think the first prototype will be built and operated above ground, to make sure it runs as designed and to work out any bugs.

The DOE evidently wants to get at least three of these pilot reactors running next summer. That sounds like a crazy fast schedule, but we are talking about micro-reactor sized units, so it may be possible for a few of the companies.

_ Pete

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Here are some very brief descriptions of the reactors these companies are developing. If you are interested, the companies’ websites are linked to each name on the list.

Aalo Atomics: Reactor is 10 MWe, using sodium coolant and Uranium-Zirconium-Hydride (UZrH) fuel.

Antares Nuclear: 100 to 500 KWe (0.1 to 0.5 MWe) using TRISO fuel and a nitrogen Brayton cycle for power generation.

Atomic Alchemy: 15 MWt reactor intended for isotope production, rather than power generation. Radioactive isotopes are often used in the medical field and other industries. Reactor is a light water pool-type reactor.

Deep Fission: This company was discussed in the previous post. The 15 MWe light water reactor (PWR) is intended to be lowered into a mile-deep borehole, where the reactor operates.

Last Energy: 20 MWe Pressurized Water Reactor. The website says it uses standard PWR fuel, and air cooling to reduce water consumption.

Oklo: Two different projects are approved, but they are probably similar, using molten sodium for cooling. Size is between 15 MWe and 75 MWe. The Oklo website says their technology is based on the Experimental Breder Reactor (EBR-II) that operated in Idaho for several years.

Natura: This is one of the molten salt reactors with the fuel in a liquid form. Natura is currently building a 1 MW test reactor at Abilene Christian University in Texas.

Radiant Nuclear: The Kaleidos reactor uses TRISO fuel and helium cooling. Capacity is 1 MWe.

Terrestrial Energy: This is the largest reactor on the list, at 195 MWe. The Integral Molten Salt Reactor (IMSR) uses molten fuel in a salt coolant. They plan to build a reactor at Texas A&M university.

Valar Atomics: A High Temperature Gas-cooled Reactor (HTGR) using TRISO fuel and helium cooling. They are planning a 100 kw test reactor in the Philippines.

_ Pete

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Some progress already. Whether or not they can get this new reactor critical by next summer is another question.

At first, I thought there was an error in the above article, where is says the Aalo reactor will use uranium dioxide fuel. Other sources say the Aalo plan is to use uranium-zirconium-hydride fuel, which I believe is in a metallic form. This would make sense, since they also plan to use molten sodium as the coolant.

However, I then found the following link. They have moved away from UZrH fuel to the more common UO2 ceramic form.

Ceramic fuel isn’t as good for heat transfer as metallic fuel. On the other hand, UO2 also has a higher melting temperature, and, as stated, is more commonly available. If they want to get their reactor critical next year, developing a new fuel type would be difficult.

_Pete

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Oklo has started construction of its Aurora powerhouse in Idaho. This is a sodium cooled microreactor, and one of the designs selected by the DOE for its pilot reactor program.

From the link:

Oklo’s Aurora powerhouse is a fast neutron reactor that uses heat pipes to transport heat from the reactor core to a supercritical carbon dioxide power conversion system to generate electricity. Building on the design and operating heritage of the Experimental Bre*der Reactor II (EBR-II), which ran in Idaho from 1964 to 1994, it uses metallic fuel to produce electricity and usable heat, and can operate on fuel made from fresh HALEU or used nuclear fuel.

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Eventually, Oklo plans to use reprocessed fuel for its reactors. This way, it can consume much of the spent fuel waste produced by other power reactors.

_ Pete

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