For the research project, I have contributed by:
The article, “NuScale SMR Technology: An Ideal Solution for
Repurposing U.S. Coal Plant Infrastructure and Revitalizing Communities.” by
NuScale Power (2021), introduces their NuScale Small Modular Reactor (SMR) as
part of their innovative project to create “modular light water reactor power
plants” to replace coal-powered plants by providing power for generating
electricity and supplying energy for various applications. (NuScale Power,
2021, p. 1) The SMR is able to produce “77 megawatts of electricity (MWe)” with
pressurised water reactor technology that is more secure, compact and scalable.
(NuScale Power, 2021, p. 2) The device uses the concept of “buoyancy-driven
natural circulation” to move water throughout the reactor without the need for
pumps. (NuScale Power, 2021, p. 4) With regards to safety, the device has a
“fully passive safety system design” ensuring that reactors will shut down
safely and “self-cool, indefinitely” without the assistance of an operator or a
computer. (NuScale Power, 2021, p. 5) Pertaining to environmental impact, it
has a lower output of sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and greenhouse gases
compared to an average coal power plant. (NuScale Power, 2021) Lastly, its
compact and modular design allows the size of an SMR power plant to be adjusted
by changing the amount of SMR modules it uses based on the application’s energy
needs, limited at 12 modules, as approved by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission (NRC). (NuScale Power, 2021) NuScale SMR, given its safety features,
modular design, and greater environmental sustainability, should replace
traditional nuclear reactors completely.
An advantage that NuScale SMR holds over
traditional nuclear reactors is its reduced fuel consumption. NuScale SMR uses
“approximately 5 percent of
the nuclear fuel of a conventional 1,000 MWe nuclear reactor”. (NuScale Fact Sheet, n.d).
Considering that the average output of power from NuScale SMR is “77 megawatts
of electricity (MWe)”, (NuScale Power,
2021, p. 2), a total of 12 modules placed together would only require 40
percent less nuclear fuel, such as low-enriched uranium (LEU), than that of
conventional nuclear reactors. As LEU may be used in the creation of possible
nuclear weapons, the reduced amount of nuclear fuel needed for the NuScale SMR
will ensure that nuclear proliferation would be as serve of a risk when
compared to the nuclear fuel needed for a conventional reactor.
Additionally, NuScale SMR’s robust Passive Safety Features ensures accidents
can be prevented before spiralling out of control. In the event of loss of
power, NuScale has a set of five emergency core cooling system (ECCS) valves,
which pushes coolant into the heat sink, reducing the reaction in the reactor,
effectively shutting down the process. (Weber & Mullin, 2020) Since
NuScale SMR work in modularity, it enables the operator to shut down individual
reactors, allowing others to continue functioning in event of an emergency.
This is in stark contrast to conventional reactors, where an emergency could
lead to shutting down the entire process, which will result in a loss of power
generated. As a result, NuScale SMR would be a more economical option, ensuring
operation can continue in any event, whereas conventional reactors may cause
loss of capital due to the shutdown of operation and if not contained, may lead
to nuclear meltdowns, similar in scale to the Chernobyl and Three Mile Island
nuclear power plants.
However, there are factors that hinder major
deployments of NuScale SMR, such as public perception of nuclear energy. The
horrific bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki have been engrained into the soul
of humanity after the end of the Second World War. With recent disasters in
Chernobyl, Fukushima and many others, many people argue against the use of
nuclear energy as an alternative to fossil fuels. Such sentiment has caused the
closure of many nuclear power plants, especially in Germany, where by the end
of 2022, they planned to shut down their final nuclear power plants (Fekete, 2022), ending almost 60 sixty years of nuclear
power in the country. Though in the short-term, moving away from the dangers of
nuclear power may seem beneficial to the safety of people, it will not last as
climate change and the rise of fuel prices may outweigh the constraints of
using nuclear energy.
Therefore, we must make a concerted effort to
develop nuclear energy into a safer, more economical option to challenge our
growing consumption of electricity. NuScale SMR offers such a solution and
should be poised to replace traditional nuclear reactors to ensure that nuclear
energy will be harnessed for future generations without the failures of the
past.
References
NuScale Power (2021). NuScale Power | Small Modular Reactor (SMR) nuclear technology. NuScale SMR Technology: An Ideal Solution for Repurposing U.S. Coal Plant Infrastructure and Revitalizing Communities.
2.
NUSCALE Small Modular Reactor [Review of
NUSCALE Small Modular Reactor].
https://www.nuscalepower.com/-/media/nuscale/pdf/fact-sheets/about-nuscale-fact-sheet.pdf
3.
Weber, S. J., &
Mullin, E. M. (2020). Severe accident phenomena: A comparison among the NuScale
smr, other advanced lwr designs, and operating LWRs. Nuclear Technology, 206(9),
1351-1360.
https://doi.org/10.1080/00295450.2020.1756160
4.
Fekete, A. (2022).
Phasing out of nuclear-Phasing out of risk? Spatial assessment of social vulnerability
and exposure to nuclear power plants in Germany. Progress in Disaster
Science, 15, 100242.
