Nuclear vendors field questions, provide overview of technologies – Fairbanks Daily News-Miner
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Updated: October 16, 2022 @ 12:38 am
Eielson Air Force Base will be the site of the first modern nuclear micro-reactor by the U.S. Air Force. News-Miner file photo
Eielson Air Force Base will be the site of the first modern nuclear micro-reactor by the U.S. Air Force. News-Miner file photo
Five companies took a tour of Eielson Air Force Base and the location for its planned commercial nuclear micro-reactor program this week. The reactor is slated to be completed by 2027 and would serve as a model project.
Those companies — NuScale Power, Westinghouse Electric, BWX Technologies, Ultra Safe Nuclear Company (UNSC) and Oklo — also participated in a crowded town hall presentation Thursday night hosted by the Alaska Center for Energy and Power. Representatives from the company gave a snapshot of their advanced micro-reactor concepts and answered questions from the crowd.
All five companies are currently working to deploy test micro-reactors within the next five or six years.
Advanced nuclear reactors have been proposed as a possible solution to rural Alaska energy needs, something Jomo Stewart, president/CEO of the Fairbanks Economic Development Corporation, said has been a challenge in the Interior for decades.
“The cost of energy can act as a floor to build on for a more prosperous future or act as a sea anchor that can hold us back and down, and for too long it has been a sea anchor,” Stewart said. “I’m not sure if nuclear is the solution, but I do believe it will have a role a to play.”
Technologies
All five companies present are developing their own version of advanced micro-reactors, some expected to launch in a test phase in the next few years at university sites in the U.S. or Canada.
Cristian Rabati, USNC’s vice president of business development, said it’s an exciting time for technology.
“We are ready for prime time,” Rabati said. “They are becoming a reality, are CO2-free and will follow the demand of the local grid.”
Some of the companies are targeting advanced technology for space-based missions, whether for propulsion or extra-planetary applications.
Most of their designed projects would generate between 1 and 10 megawatts of power. All were classified as “walk-away safe,” having features designed to trigger a power-down in the event of an emergency or evacuation with minimal threat to surrounding locations. Heat would be dissipated passively into the environment.
Cooling is done using heat pipes or natural circulation; none of the reactors require an active source or supply of water.
Some of the micro-reactors would use TRISO fuel, uranium kernels in a carbon-ceramic-based capsule that prevents the release of radioactive fission products. NuScale utilizes a liquid metal for fuel and coolant, designed to have passive heat removal. Many of the reactors are designed to generate thermal energy as well.
All nuclear micro-reactor projects are required to be licensed by the NRC, said Ken Irwin, with the NRC.
“We would be responsible for licensing any commercial nuclear power plant in Alaska,” Irwin said. “Our mission is to protect the public health and safety, and we have a very involved licensing and outreach program.”
Specific reactors
Lisa Morgan, a systems engineer with NuScale, said her company is doing market research on micro-reactor technology that could benefit smaller grids, off-grid communities and mining operations, military bases and disaster sites, or for space-based missions.
It’s considered a stationary reactor, with no moving parts needed for power production. NuScale’s micro-reactor targets between 1 and 10 megawatts of power.
Josh Parker, BWX’s business development director, said his company’s background comes from developing nuclear technologies used on Navy vessels.
“We aren’t going to design anything we can’t build, so we invest in advanced manufacturing techniques that are necessary to bring these reactors to market,” Parker said.
The BWX reactor intends to generate 1-to-5 megawatts, and utilizes high temp gas reactor technology for cooling, and will use TRISO fuel. It plans to deploy a demonstration at the Idaho National Laboratory. Commercial micro-reactors would be transported in shipping containers the size of CONEX boxes.
Rabati, with USNC, said his company’s micro-reactor would be installed underground fully fueled and would produce between 5 and 10 megawatts of power/15-30 thermal megawatts. It will use TRISO fuel and would need to be refueled between 10 and 20 years, depending on level of use.
“It’s an energy container, and the time it lasts really depends on how long you want to drain it,” he said. UNSC and Copper Valley Electric Association in Glenallen are conducting a commercial micro-reactor into its grid.
UNSC plans to deploy two micro-reactors for testing, one in Canada and one in University of Illinois, in 2025 and 2026.
Oklo siting lead Emma Redfood said her company’s micro-reactors are designed to be housed in A-Frame powerplants. Its first micro-reactor will come online at Idaho National Lab in 2025 using existing technology. Like NuScale, it’ll use liquid metal fuel, with an expected 10-to-20 year refueling cycle. It would generate between 1.5 and 15 megawatts of power. Oklo also recycles its own fuel to be used in future power projects. Oklo has its own plants and offers competitive energy agreements to its customers.
Mike Valore, Westinghouse advanced reactor senior director, said his company has been quietly studying advance reactor possibilities for six years, starting with visits to remote Alaska communities.
Westinghouse’s design intends to cogenerate power and heat, with 5 megawatts of power. It uses TRISO-based fuel and would need to be refueled every eight years. Westinghouse intends to deploy its test reactor at Idaho National Lab.
Questions answered
Gwen Holdmann with University of Alaska Fairbanks fielded several written audience questions for the company representatives, including the novelty of the technology.
From a technical point, they noted it’s not a new technology “because it’s been around since the 1950s,” according to Redfood from Oklo. It’s instead an improvement on existing technologies developed or used over several decades.
The NRC currently regulates 31 research or test reactors in the nation, which are used by labs and universities to produce medical isotopes or as technology testbeds.
The micro-reactors also create new job opportunities, from construction of plants to operations.
“Because of this discussion of advanced reactors, there is now a huge demand for both nuclear engineers and mechanical engineers,” said Valore. Valore himself started as a mechanical engineer at a coal plant before moving to nuclear power.
Oklo reactor monitors may only need a high school diploma, said Oklo’s Morgan. BWX’s Parker added operation policies will be set with NRC, and micro-reactor plants will need support services around it for safety response and security.
In terms of power-to-cost ratios, Valore said early projections show about 25 cents a kilowatt hour, before inflation, but the economical factory production could push power production costs into the teens. He added the recent Inflation Reduction Act provides nuclear-specific tax credits.
“You can see a path where it can be competitive in most markets,” he said, adding that European markets are trending toward 50 cents a kilowatt hour.
The definition of “walk-away safe” was discussed, including a response to natural disasters like earthquakes or large-scale storms.
The companies have their own method of removing spent nuclear material produced, whether by dry casks or removal of the complete module, and have experience transporting the fuel. Valore said the small reactor size makes it ideal in seismically-active areas, and NRC requires seismic safety precautions for reactors before they’re licensed.
Rabati with UNSC said the reactors are designed to power down as soon as cooling stops. Any restarting process requires a full evaluation.
“The concept is that the margin of safety is so large and forgiving that even if no one is reacts, the reactor will not only be safe for the surrounding population but preserve itself without being damage,” Rabati said.
Contact reporter Jack Barnwell at 907-459-7587 or jbarnwell@newsminer.com.