Small and Medium Nuclear Reactors: Is Our Future Downsizing? Highlights

What is an SMR?
Small and Medium Nuclear Reactors (SMRS) are smaller than typical 1GWe-rated nuclear reactors. The IAEA defines "small" reactors as less than 300MWe, and "medium" rectors as less than 700MWe. "Modular" refers to those reactors which can be built in clusters, to ultimately provide more power from a single site.
 See: International Atomic Energy Agency, Status of Innovative Small and Medium Sized Reactor Designs 2005: Reactors with Conventional Refueling Schemes, IAEA TECDOC-1485. Vienna (March 2006)

Most of the worlds' approximately 400 operating reactors are of the typical size of 1GWe-rated, but the needs of small grids and challenges financing large reactors may favor reactors that are physically smaller, easier to manufacture, produce less electricity per year, and cost less Note that SMRs are not simply downsized versions of traditional reactors.

Advantages include:
     - potentially cheaper (factory manufacturing of reactors)
     - shorter construction time, ostentially 2 years vs. 4+ years
     - Applications for small electric grids and remote locations
     - Some offer innovative features:
        -safety through combination of passive and active features
        -Proliferation protection through modularity and infrequent refueling
        -Waste management through flexible cycle options (eg. in-core actinide burn)

Challenges:
        -New, or substantially revised, regulations are necessary
        -The lack of experience with SMRs creates uncertainty for investors
        -Loss of economices of scale associated with large reactors.

IAEA Assessment for Future Deployment

# of SMR units worldwide (high case) - 96 by 2030
# of SMR units worldwide (low case) - 43 by 2030
# of SMR units in USA - 0 by 2030
Most advanced project: Chinergy 210 MWe HTR-PM, twin reactors in development.


SMRs Under Deveopment:

VK-300MWe PWR by Atomenergoproekt, Russia To begin operation 2017-2020

IRIS 100-335MWe PWR - Wetinghouse led international - Pre-application for license

mPower 125MWe PWR - Babcock and Wilcox, USA, Submit license 20`12, ops by 2018

SMART 100MWe PWR - KAERI, South Koreac, Licensing by 2012

NuScale 45MWe PWR - NuScale Power, USA, Submit license 2012, ops by 2018

HTR-PM 2x105MWe HTR - INET & Huaneng, China, Demo plant startup in 2013

PBMR 80MWe HTR - Eskom, S. Aftrica, now Mitsubishi, S. African demo cancelled 2010

BREST 300 MWe LMR - RDIPE, Russia - pilot unit planned

Hyperion 25MWe LMR - Hyperion Power Generation (LANL) Submit license 2012, demo 2015

ARC-100 !00MWe LMR - Advanced Reactor Concepts - tech development