Prospects for small nuclear reactors

After years of funding for the research, Fluor decided to deploy a compact Nuscale nuclear reactor and invest in this project for $ 30 million. Maybe another decade it will be a competitor in the energy market.

Fluor has actively researched small reactors, with capacities of less than 300 megawatts, about one-third the capacity of conventional nuclear power plants. Their compact reactor technology was noticed again after the disaster of the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant, which spread widely radioactive substances to the surrounding environment.

NuScale nuclear reactor is 18x4.3m in size and only needs to be refilled once a year.

The International Atomic Energy Commission also places hope on small reactors, especially for poor countries and agricultural regions, where there is not enough infrastructure and the demand for electricity is not large.

The structure of the NuScale reactor is based on the technology developed by the US Department of Energy and the University of Oregon. It is a low-pressure water-water reactor, which is currently one of the most popular reactors.

Currently, the Nuscale kiln is in the process of finalizing the detailed design and preparing to approve it for quality assessment papers next year. One of the Nuscale reactor modules can generate up to 40-46 megawatts of electricity, which is much smaller than conventional reactors with a capacity of over 1,000 megawatts. But the modules can be installed in series for greater capacity and it is also an advantage of this technology.

NuScale modules can be placed in series.

Traditional nuclear power plants often build big to save common costs. If using the NuScale module, the construction and assembly will be much faster at the required location, timely operation, in accordance with local electricity consumption needs.

It is possible to compare the price of 1 kilowatt of capacity if using the reactor modules of 4,000-4,500 dollars, this target for nuclear power plants with a large capacity of 1,000 to 2,500 dollars (while for thermal power plants) from gas is $ 500). Although the price is higher, NuScale is faster to build and is suitable for remote areas, islands and military bases.

Opponents of compact nuclear power plants often cite the reasons that these plants are likely to fall into the hands of terrorists and be dangerous to politically unstable countries. They thought that it would be better to develop solar and wind power. But considering that, in the next 10 years, these types of compact reactors will start to appear in the energy market, they will create a new competitive power and the unknown part will tilt the opponent.