Nuclear Engineering and Technology

Korean Nuclear Society (한국원자력학회)
권호 표지
DOI QR코드

DOI QR Code

A central facility concept for nuclear microreactor maintenance and fuel cycle management

  • Faris Fakhry (Advanced Nuclear & Production Experts Group, Massachusetts Institute of Technology) ;
  • Jacopo Buongiorno (Advanced Nuclear & Production Experts Group, Massachusetts Institute of Technology) ;
  • Steve Rhyne (Advanced Nuclear & Production Experts Group, Massachusetts Institute of Technology) ;
  • Benjamin Cross (Advanced Nuclear & Production Experts Group, Massachusetts Institute of Technology) ;
  • Paul Roege (Advanced Nuclear & Production Experts Group, Massachusetts Institute of Technology) ;
  • Bruce Landrey (Advanced Nuclear & Production Experts Group, Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
  • Received : 2023.06.08
  • Accepted : 2023.10.15
  • Published : 2024.03.25
Download PDF
⟨ Previous Next ⟩

Abstract

Commercial deployment of nuclear microreactors presents an opportunity for the industry to rethink its approach to manufacturing, siting, operation and maintenance, and fuel cycle management as certain principles used in grid-scale nuclear projects are not applicable to a decentralized microreactor economy. The success of this nascent industry is dependent on its ability to reduce infrastructure, logistical, regulatory and lifecycle costs. A utility-like 'Central Facility' that consolidates the services required and responsibilities borne by vendors into one or a few centralized locations will be necessary to support the deployment of a fleet of microreactors. This paper discusses the requirements for a Central Facility, its implications on the cost structures of owners and suppliers of microreactors, and the impact of the facility for the broader microreactor industry. In addition, this paper discusses the pre-requisites for eligibility as well as the opportunities for a Central Facility host site. While there are many suitable locations for such a capability across the U.S., this paper considers a facility co-located with the Vogtle Nuclear Power Plant and Savannah River Sites to illustrate how a Central Facility can leverage the existing infrastructure and stimulate a local ecosystem.

Keywords

References

  1. Brookhaven National Laboratory, Regulatory Review of Micro-reactors-initial Considerations; BNL-212380-2019-INRE, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Brookhaven, NY, USA, 2020. 
  2. A. Abou-Jaoude, Y. Arafat, A. Foss, B. Dixon, An Economics-By-Design Approach Applied to a Heat Pipe Microreactor Concept, INL/EXT-21-63067, Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho Falls, ID, USA, July 2021 [Online]. Available: https://inldigitallibrary.inl.gov/sites/sti/sti/Sort_46104.pdf. 
  3. eVinciTM Micro Reactor, Westinghouse. https://www.westinghousenuclear.com/energy-systems/evinci-micro-reactor. 
  4. J. Conca. "Atomic Chickens: Texas Lawmakers Reject Proven Plan To Store Nuclear Waste." Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesconca/2021/09/13/with-nuclear-waste-vote-texas-anti-science-cowardice-on-display-from-both-parties/?sh=43f694cd536a. 
  5. S. Bryan. "New Mexico sues US over proposed nuclear waste storage plans." Associated Press.. https://apnews.com/article/us-news-environment-new-mexico-nuclear-waste-3b9b5078e6d4661d6d4255200a5bcd55. 
  6. "Map of Power Reactor Sites,", U.S. NRC. https://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/map-power-reactors.html. 
  7. "Mission," Citizens for Nuclear Technology Awareness. https://cntaware.org/.. 
  8. Personal Communication from Benjamin Cross, May 2021. 
  9. Rail, Georgia Ports. https://gaports.com/rail/. 
  10. U.S. Rail, Access," colonial terminals. https://colonialterminals.com/rail-network/. 
  11. Savannah River Regional Diversification initiative, Savannah River site. https://www.srs.gov/general/busiops/rdi1.htm. 
  12. E. Hoffman, FY20 LDRD ANNUAL REPORT, SRNL-STI-2021-00138, Savannah River National Laboratory, Aiken, SC, USA, 2020 [Online]. Available: https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1776689.