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Thompson Igunma’s UF-INL research is creating unique models for molten salt reactors
Igunma
American Nuclear Society member Thompson Odion Igunma is a doctoral candidate in materials science and engineering at the University of Florida (UF) conducting research in collaboration with the Computational Mechanics and Materials Group at Idaho National Laboratory. His work focuses on advanced modeling of the complex interplay between molten salt corrosion, irradiation, and changes in alloy microstructure.
“I see molten salt reactors as a pivotal part of the next generation of nuclear energy,” Igunma said. “Their unique combination of safety, efficiency, and fuel flexibility makes them ideally suited to complement renewables in a low-carbon energy mix.”
C. Colterjohn, S. Nagasaki, Y. Fujii
Nuclear Technology | Volume 210 | Number 1 | January 2024 | Pages 23-45
Research Article | doi.org/10.1080/00295450.2023.2217390
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
This paper performs a detailed analysis of the optimized Ontario power mix under impending load and emissions constraints with the consideration of small modular reactor (SMR) deployment. The target of minimizing the total cost of the 2055 power mix while retaining real-world energy requirements was achieved using a semidynamic, recursive linear optimization model with hourly time resolution for the accurate consideration of wind and photovoltaic variable renewable energy. Utilizing IBM’s ILOG CPLEX Optimization Studio’s Flow Control method, dynamic factors such as forecasted demand growth, increasing capacity installations, learning curve applications, and reactor refurbishment and decommissioning schedules were applied to the modeling scenarios. Optimized scenarios have demonstrated that SMR-based capacity should play a vital role in the provincial energy mix in order to minimize cost while meeting emissions reduction goals and responding to increasing demand. Simulations show ideal cost reductions when approximately one-third of generated energy is produced by SMRs in the future energy mix and that the absence of SMRs may lead to up to 29% higher spending. Additional cases have considered the benefits of early SMR investment and direct SMR-CANDU cost comparisons.