4 ms·

Yes - this is (part of) the motivation for the current idea of "small modular reactors". The idea with SMRs is that if you build the units in a factory, not on

Yes - this is (part of) the motivation for the current idea of "small modular reactors". The idea with SMRs is that if you build the units in a factory, not on site, then things like unexpected ground conditions necessitating costly design changes can be mitigated. Making them smaller might also reduce things like extremely tight tolerances on certain parts leading to potential delays due to having to "throw it out and start again". It's closer to the model used for nuclear submarines which have a better track record in terms of delivery to time and cost than civilian nuclear power.

pfdietz 3y ago
It looks to me like NuScale is staggering toward a shutdown. They have just 15 months of money left and the CFPP project with UAMPS looks doomed.
tuatoru 3y ago
Except that they're not small or modular enough. To get decent learning curve effects they need to be 10 kW to 100 kW each.
- regularfry 3y ago
  It's a fairly easy assumption to make that the current flock of SMR proposals are designed to build on naval reactor experience, given the size range.
- pfdietz 3y ago
  At that size the diseconomies of scale would swamp any experience curve effects.
- ben_w 3y ago
  What's your reason for those numbers? The power output of a normal car engine seems a bit on the low side to me.
- hinkley 3y ago
  I just looked up a typical gas turbine plant. The US Energy Information Administration (what is that, PR for the DOE?) thinks that a 'typical' gas turbine plant is 600MW. The DOE says nuclear plants clock in around 1GW, but is that single reactor or a four reactor core system? I feel like most of this is barking up the wrong tree though. If you're trying to get people to use a new power plant type, you may be looking at small cities and large towns. At which point you might be comparing your situation to how much power you can get from the nearest metropolis via high tension power lines, and how much more secure your winter power supply would be if you didn't rely on those lines working. And a cursory search suggests those can vary from 40MW to just under 600. So can you sell Geneseo a 50 MW reactor/solar/wind farm?

pfdietz 3y ago

It looks to me like NuScale is staggering toward a shutdown. They have just 15 months of money left and the CFPP project with UAMPS looks doomed.

tuatoru 3y ago

Except that they're not small or modular enough. To get decent learning curve effects they need to be 10 kW to 100 kW each.

regularfry 3y ago
It's a fairly easy assumption to make that the current flock of SMR proposals are designed to build on naval reactor experience, given the size range.
pfdietz 3y ago
At that size the diseconomies of scale would swamp any experience curve effects.
ben_w 3y ago
What's your reason for those numbers? The power output of a normal car engine seems a bit on the low side to me.
hinkley 3y ago
I just looked up a typical gas turbine plant. The US Energy Information Administration (what is that, PR for the DOE?) thinks that a 'typical' gas turbine plant is 600MW. The DOE says nuclear plants clock in around 1GW, but is that single reactor or a four reactor core system? I feel like most of this is barking up the wrong tree though. If you're trying to get people to use a new power plant type, you may be looking at small cities and large towns. At which point you might be comparing your situation to how much power you can get from the nearest metropolis via high tension power lines, and how much more secure your winter power supply would be if you didn't rely on those lines working. And a cursory search suggests those can vary from 40MW to just under 600. So can you sell Geneseo a 50 MW reactor/solar/wind farm?