Released July 05, 2011 | SUGAR LAND
en
Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--The future of nuclear power may not consist exclusively of 800-megawatt (MW) and larger nuclear power plants, but rather smaller, modular nuclear reactors of less than 300 MW, similar to those that have been used on U.S. Navy ships for more than 50 years.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI), International Atomic Energy Association (IAEA) and other nuclear organizations have been studying small modular reactors (SMRs) to compete with natural gas- and coal-fired power plants for base-load power generation. This technology could be used in cities and communities throughout the world that do not have access to natural gas or fuel oil, where construction costs are prohibitive, and where electrical transmission systems are not as robust as developed nations.
Russia, China and India are already moving forward with SMR programs of their own to address the energy needs of their economic expansions and population growth. In the U.S., the electricity demand is expected to increase 28% by 2035.
In the keynote speech at PowerGen International 2010, Terry Michaske, the director of the Savannah River National Laboratory (Aiken, South Carolina), spoke about the development of SMRs in order to reduce carbon emissions, while meeting increasing global energy demands. For details, see December 28, 2010, article - POWER-GEN: Small Modular Nuclear Reactors Could Create U.S. Jobs, Cut Global Carbon Emissions.
In the U.S., companies such as the Babcock & Wilcox Company (NYSE:BWC) (B&W) (Charlotte, North Carolina) and NuScale Power (Corvallis, Oregon) have entered the SMR arena. B&W's mPower design is a 125-MW pressurized water reactor (PWR) using small modular technology, and NuScale Power has designed a 45-MW PWR. The company that can first obtain approval from the NRC for its will have a huge advantage on their competitors, which is why companies are investing millions of dollars to pursue this technology.
B&W intends to apply for a design certification in 2013 and combined construction and operating license (COL) in 2012. NuScale intends to apply for a design certification in 2012 and have the first operating SMR by 2018.
Globally, China has the most advanced SMR project, being developed by Chinergy Limited (Guangzhou,China), a joint venture of Tsinghua Holding Company Limited (Beijing) and state-owned China Nuclear Engineering and Construction Corporation (Beijing). Chinergy is preparing to build the 210-MW HTR-PM modular pebble bed design SMR, which could be connected to the country's electrical grid by 2013.
Modular plants can be built and connected together to increase generation as needed. Major components are shipped to the site of the SMR, and when refueling is needed, the reactor is shipped back to the complex, refueled along other needed maintenance, and then shipped back. Costs of using SMRs would be much lower than a conventional nuclear power plant because of the shorter construction times using the modular components.
Site work would consist mainly of building a containment structure, a switchyard, instrumentation and controls, and balance-of-plant components. In addition, decommissioning costs, which must be included on most power projects, would be relatively low, consisting of dismantling and removing the modules for shipment back to the manufacturing complex, and returning the site to its initial state.
Fuels for the reactors range from thorium, a naturally occurring radioactive material more abundant than uranium; a thorium-uranium mix; uranium-zirconium-hydride; waste fuel from conventional reactors; and transuranic waste such as neptunium, plutonium, americium and curium with differing percentages of uranium.
The time to construct an SMR power plant from first concrete to fuelling is about 36 months. Refueling is required every two years on average. The lifespan of the power plant would be 50 to 60 years, and fuel costs could be competitive with conventional fuels and renewable generation, if prices continue to rise globally and a carbon tax is implemented.
View Plant Profile - 3029982
View Project Report - 300037472
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. IIR's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI), International Atomic Energy Association (IAEA) and other nuclear organizations have been studying small modular reactors (SMRs) to compete with natural gas- and coal-fired power plants for base-load power generation. This technology could be used in cities and communities throughout the world that do not have access to natural gas or fuel oil, where construction costs are prohibitive, and where electrical transmission systems are not as robust as developed nations.
Russia, China and India are already moving forward with SMR programs of their own to address the energy needs of their economic expansions and population growth. In the U.S., the electricity demand is expected to increase 28% by 2035.
In the keynote speech at PowerGen International 2010, Terry Michaske, the director of the Savannah River National Laboratory (Aiken, South Carolina), spoke about the development of SMRs in order to reduce carbon emissions, while meeting increasing global energy demands. For details, see December 28, 2010, article - POWER-GEN: Small Modular Nuclear Reactors Could Create U.S. Jobs, Cut Global Carbon Emissions.
In the U.S., companies such as the Babcock & Wilcox Company (NYSE:BWC) (B&W) (Charlotte, North Carolina) and NuScale Power (Corvallis, Oregon) have entered the SMR arena. B&W's mPower design is a 125-MW pressurized water reactor (PWR) using small modular technology, and NuScale Power has designed a 45-MW PWR. The company that can first obtain approval from the NRC for its will have a huge advantage on their competitors, which is why companies are investing millions of dollars to pursue this technology.
B&W intends to apply for a design certification in 2013 and combined construction and operating license (COL) in 2012. NuScale intends to apply for a design certification in 2012 and have the first operating SMR by 2018.
Globally, China has the most advanced SMR project, being developed by Chinergy Limited (Guangzhou,China), a joint venture of Tsinghua Holding Company Limited (Beijing) and state-owned China Nuclear Engineering and Construction Corporation (Beijing). Chinergy is preparing to build the 210-MW HTR-PM modular pebble bed design SMR, which could be connected to the country's electrical grid by 2013.
Modular plants can be built and connected together to increase generation as needed. Major components are shipped to the site of the SMR, and when refueling is needed, the reactor is shipped back to the complex, refueled along other needed maintenance, and then shipped back. Costs of using SMRs would be much lower than a conventional nuclear power plant because of the shorter construction times using the modular components.
Site work would consist mainly of building a containment structure, a switchyard, instrumentation and controls, and balance-of-plant components. In addition, decommissioning costs, which must be included on most power projects, would be relatively low, consisting of dismantling and removing the modules for shipment back to the manufacturing complex, and returning the site to its initial state.
Fuels for the reactors range from thorium, a naturally occurring radioactive material more abundant than uranium; a thorium-uranium mix; uranium-zirconium-hydride; waste fuel from conventional reactors; and transuranic waste such as neptunium, plutonium, americium and curium with differing percentages of uranium.
The time to construct an SMR power plant from first concrete to fuelling is about 36 months. Refueling is required every two years on average. The lifespan of the power plant would be 50 to 60 years, and fuel costs could be competitive with conventional fuels and renewable generation, if prices continue to rise globally and a carbon tax is implemented.
View Plant Profile - 3029982
View Project Report - 300037472
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. IIR's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities.
