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> Recent experience suggest that the SMR producers could face the same cost overruns and delays that have plagued makers of utility-scale reactors. An even bigg

> Recent experience suggest that the SMR producers could face the same cost overruns and delays that have plagued makers of utility-scale reactors. An even bigger challenge could be convincing industries and utilities to forgo cheap natural gas. Off-the-grid remote locations is the obvious market for electricity generation currently addressed with diesel fuel. Combined electricity/heat for large campuses and remote communities seems like another popular use case. This article makes the case for high temperature industrial processes like the manufacture of Portland cement. I'd like to see an economic analysis but I can't see this being a viable option unless carbon emissions regulation penalizes fossil fuels. Geography not only determines what is and is not available on-grid (electricity and/or natural gas) but the regulatory regime which can significantly impact design decisions.

sandworm101 6y ago
>> Off-the-grid remote locations is the obvious market The difficulty is that while these reactors are, somewhat, portable they are still massive heavy things. Any "remote location" with a road that could carry one of these things probably has a power line running alongside that road too. It would be great to have one of these at any number of high arctic communities, but getting them there is probably not possible other than by ship to coastal ports. Even then, the crane requirements probably preclude most ports. They need to be lighter if they want to push into remote communities.
- sradman 6y ago
  Great point. Do we have a comparison point with diesel generators in terms of the largest module that cannot be broken down further? I suspect that there is a seasonality to the roads too and let's not forget that some communities may be accessible by ship/barge.
  - sandworm101 6y ago
    Ship/barge still require cranes and piers capable of handling such loads. Diesel engines come in literally any size one wants, from suitcase to aircraft carrier. Seasonal roads, soft surfaces roads, probably won't be able to handle such loads even when open.
    - sradman 6y ago
      Seasonal sometimes means ice roads: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_road https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_road

sandworm101 6y ago

>> Off-the-grid remote locations is the obvious market The difficulty is that while these reactors are, somewhat, portable they are still massive heavy things. Any "remote location" with a road that could carry one of these things probably has a power line running alongside that road too. It would be great to have one of these at any number of high arctic communities, but getting them there is probably not possible other than by ship to coastal ports. Even then, the crane requirements probably preclude most ports. They need to be lighter if they want to push into remote communities.

sradman 6y ago
Great point. Do we have a comparison point with diesel generators in terms of the largest module that cannot be broken down further? I suspect that there is a seasonality to the roads too and let's not forget that some communities may be accessible by ship/barge.
- sandworm101 6y ago
  Ship/barge still require cranes and piers capable of handling such loads. Diesel engines come in literally any size one wants, from suitcase to aircraft carrier. Seasonal roads, soft surfaces roads, probably won't be able to handle such loads even when open.
  - sradman 6y ago
    Seasonal sometimes means ice roads: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_road https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_road