Defense Department invests in three microreactor designsBWX Technologies, Westinghouse, and X-energy will have two years for design engineering before one mobile reactor could qualify for demonstration.Nuclear NewsPower & OperationsMarch 16, 2020, 11:16AM|Nuclear News StaffThree reactor developers got a boost on March 9 when they were each awarded a contract from the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) to design a reactor that can fit inside a standard shipping container for military deployment. The DOD’s Strategic Capabilities Office (SCO), in partnership with the Department of Energy, proposes to build and demonstrate a 1–10 MWe reactor within four years that, if successful, could be widely deployed to support the DOD’s domestic and operational energy demands.DOD grants to BWX Technologies ($13,500,000), Westinghouse Government Services ($11,953,036), and X-energy ($14,309,000) will fund the engineering design work necessary to evaluate the designs and reduce technical, regulatory, and manufacturing risks. After nine months, the DOD can exercise an option to award each company up to $30 million in additional funds for 12 months. After the 24-month engineering design and review phase is complete, one of the three companies may be selected to build and demonstrate a prototype—if engineering requirements have been met—and a 24-month construction and demonstration phase would begin.The DOD’s mobile microreactor development program, named Project Pele, is led by the SCO in collaboration with the Department of Energy, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and industry partners. In May 2019, a memorandum of understanding on microreactor research, development, and demonstration was signed by the NRC, DOE, and SCO, outlining cooperation and coordination between the three agencies. The MOU specifically states that the DOE and its national laboratories will provide technical, environmental, siting, and safety-basis documentation support. Coordination is seen as key to the rapid development of workable prototype designs that can support evaluation, safety analysis, and ultimately, construction and testing.“The United States risks ceding nuclear energy technology leadership to Russia and China,” said Jay Dryer, SCO director. “By retaking technological leadership, the United States will be able to supply the most innovative advanced nuclear energy technologies.”In February, Oklo’s 1.5-MWe fast spectrum microreactor, designed to power a remote civilian community for up to 20 years without refueling, was selected by Idaho National Laboratory for a demonstration (NN, Mar. 2020, p. 9). The DOD is looking for something a little different with Project Pele: a fueled power plant that can fit inside a standard shipping container and be ready to generate power within a few days of arriving at a destination.“The Pele program’s uniqueness lies in the reactor’s mobility and safety,” said Jeff Waksman, Project Pele program manager. “We will leverage our industry partners to develop a system that can be safely and rapidly moved by road, rail, sea, or air and for quick setup and shutdown, with a design which is inherently safe.”The DOD currently uses more than 10 million gallons of fuel per day and generates about 30 TWh of electricity per year. Reliance on nuclear power at the military’s forward operating bases could reduce dependence on hazardous transportation networks for the delivery of liquid fuels. Mobile microreactors could also be deployed by the military to support civilian communities in war-torn or disaster-ravaged regions or for critical resources like hospitals.In January 2019, the SCO issued a request for information to industry for the development of Project Pele technology, which was followed by a request for solutions (RFS) in April (NN, Mar. 2019, p. 21). A microreactor design that meets the DOD’s five technical objectives would:Generate threshold power of 1–10 MWe for more than three years without refueling.Take less than seven days for a planned shutdown, cooldown, disconnect, prepared transport, and safe transport.Take less than 72 hours from arrival of a unit at its destination to full electric power operations.Fit in an ISO 688–certified 20-foot or 40-foot CONEX box (20-foot preferred).Be semiautonomous and not require manned control by operators to ensure safe operation, with minimal manning needed to monitor the overall reactor and power system and minimal routine preventative maintenance and repair.Westinghouse Electric Company confirmed in a March 9 press release that its eVinci microreactor would be developed using the DOD funding into a design prototype “defense-eVinci” (DeVinci) mobile nuclear power plant.“We are honored to participate in this strategically important program,” said Patrick Fragman, president and chief executive officer of Westinghouse. “Mobile nuclear reactors offer clean, flexible, and reliable power for our customers. We are now developing technology to provide energy security for the Department of Defense, bringing our exciting concept to realization.”BWX Technologies issued a press release on March 17 that included a statement from Ken Camplin, president of BWXT’s Nuclear Services Group. “BWXT has shipped 400 nuclear reactor cores to the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program and has led and/or supported the design of more than 40 nuclear reactor systems,” he said. “We believe this experience will provide us a solid platform from which to complete a robust and innovative approach that will support the Defense Department’s front-line power needs for its service members.”All three vendors have not been forthcoming with design details, but their selection for Project Pele indicates they have met the minimum technical requirements in the RFS. These include a weight of less than 40 tons, a core designed to use high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) advanced gas reactor (AGR) tristructural isotropic (TRISO) fuel, and passive cooling capabilities.The DOD announced its intention to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) for the construction and demonstration of a prototype advanced mobile nuclear microreactor in the March 2 Federal Register, with a 30-day comment period ending April 1. A draft EIS would be available for a 45-day public review and comment period in 2021, the notice said. An online public scoping meeting was scheduled for March 18 to provide information about the proposed project and the National Environmental Policy Act process and to invite public comments on the scope of the EIS. Both INL and Oak Ridge National Laboratory were named as potential hosts for a Project Pele demonstration.Tags:bwxtdodmicroreactorswestinghousex-energyShare:LinkedInTwitterFacebook
INL’s MARVEL could demonstrate remote operation on a micro scaleThe Department of Energy launched a 14-day public review and comment period on January 11 on a draft environmental assessment for a proposal to construct the Microreactor Applications Research Validation & EvaLuation (MARVEL) project microreactor inside Idaho National Laboratory’s Transient Reactor Test (TREAT) Facility.The basics: The MARVEL design is a sodium-potassium–cooled thermal microreactor fueled by uranium zirconium hydride fuel pins using high-assay, low-enriched uranium (HALEU). It would be a 100-kWt reactor capable of generating about 20 kWe using Stirling engines over a core life of about two years.The DOE proposes to install the MARVEL microreactor in a concrete storage pit in the north high bay of the TREAT reactor building. Modifications to the building to accommodate MARVEL are anticipated to take five to seven months. Constructing, assembling, and performing preoperational testing are expected to take another two to three months prior to fuel loading.Go to Article
Hitachi sunsets HorizonHitachi Ltd. plans to close Horizon Nuclear Power, its U.K. nuclear development subsidiary, early this spring, according to weekend news reports. Horizon is the firm behind Wylfa Newydd, the proposed nuclear new-build project in Wales.On January 10, citing a story that appeared earlier that day in The Times, Yahoo reported that Hitachi will close Horizon by March 31—a move, Yahoo said, that “could scupper a sale of the [Wylfa Newydd] site, which has attracted interest from bidders, including a U.S. consortium of Bechtel, Southern Company, and Westinghouse, and dent [the] U.K.’s clean energy goals.”However, a January 11 item on a Welsh online news service stated, “It is understood that if a sale of the site is not secured before Horizon shuts, the sale process will be continued by Hitachi.”Go to Article
Baranwal departs Office of Nuclear EnergyBaranwalRita Baranwal, the Department of Energy’s assistant secretary for the Office of Nuclear Energy, announced today via Twitter that she will be leaving her position at the end of the day. “It has been an absolute honor to serve in this capacity to help advance our U.S. nuclear energy R&D,” she tweeted. “I plan to continue to use my talents to promote, lead, and advance our nation’s largest source of clean energy so that our nation and my family will have a cleaner and more sustainable planet to protect.”Baranwal previously directed the Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear (GAIN) initiative at Idaho National Laboratory. Before joining the DOE, Baranwal served as director of technology development and application at Westinghouse. She is a Fellow of the American Nuclear Society.Go to Article
The year in review 2020: Waste ManagementHere is a look back at the top stories of 2020 from our Waste Management section in Newswire and Nuclear News magazine. Remember to check back to Newswire soon for more top stories from 2020.Waste Management sectionFirst-ever cleanup of uranium enrichment plant celebrated at Oak Ridge: The completion of the decades-long effort to clean up the former Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant was celebrated on October 13, with Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette joining U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander, U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, and other state and community leaders at the East Tennessee Technology Park, where the uranium enrichment complex once stood. Read more.Go to Article
The year in review 2020: Power and OperationsHere is a look back at the top stories of 2020 from our Power and Operations section in Newswire and Nuclear News magazine. Remember to check back to Newswire soon for more top stories from 2020.Power and Operations section Defense Department invests in three microreactor designs: Three reactor developers got a boost on March 9 when they each were awarded a contract from the U.S. Department of Defense to design a reactor that can fit inside a standard shipping container for military deployment. Read more.Go to Article
ASLB established for North Anna SLR applicationThe North Anna nuclear power plant. Photo: Dominion EnergyThe Nuclear Regulatory Commission has announced the establishment of an Atomic Safety and Licensing Board to address a hearing request filed last month concerning Dominion Energy’s subsequent license renewal (SLR) application for the two reactors at its North Anna plant. The application, submitted in August of last year, was docketed by the NRC in October.The contention: Filed by three anti-nuclear groups—Beyond Nuclear, the Sierra Club, and the Alliance for a Progressive Virginia—the 71-page hearing request argues that Dominion’s environmental report, submitted in support of its application, “fails to satisfy” the National Environmental Policy Act, as well as 10 CFR 51.53(c)(2) and 51.45(a), “because [the report] does not address the environmental impacts of operating North Anna Units 1 and 2 during the extended SLR term under the significant risk of an earthquake that exceeds the design basis for the reactors.”Go to Article
Five advanced reactor designs get DOE risk reduction fundingThe Department of Energy today announced $30 million in initial fiscal year 2020 funding—with the expectation of more over the next seven years—for five companies selected for risk reduction for future demonstration projects. The chosen reactor designs from Kairos Power, Westinghouse, BWX Technologies, Holtec, and Southern Company collectively represent a range of coolants, fuel forms, and sizes—from tiny microreactors to a molten salt reactor topping 1,000 MWe. They were selected for cost-shared partnerships under the Office of Nuclear Energy’s Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program (ARDP) through a funding opportunity announcement issued in May 2020.“All of these projects will put the U.S. on an accelerated timeline to domestically and globally deploy advanced nuclear reactors that will enhance safety and be affordable to construct and operate,” said Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette. “Taking leadership in advanced technology is so important to the country’s future, because nuclear energy plays such a key role in our clean energy strategy.”Go to Article
Congress set to pass year-end funding billThe final text of the approximately 5,600-page Consolidated Appropriations Act 2021 was released on December 22. While the timing of final passage is still fluid, the Senate was expected to approve it and send it on to President Trump to sign into law, according to John Starkey, American Nuclear Society government relations director.Below are some key funding highlights from the legislation pertaining to nuclear energy.Go to Article
New U.S. space nuclear policy releasedAn artist's concept of a fission power system on the lunar surface. Image: NASAA national strategy for the responsible and effective use of space nuclear power and propulsion (SNPP)—Space Policy Directive-6 (SPD-6)—was released by the White House on December 16 as a presidential memorandum.Space nuclear systems include radioisotope power systems and nuclear reactors used for power, heating, or propulsion. Nuclear energy can produce more power at lower mass and volume compared to other energy sources and can shorten transit times for crewed and robotic spacecraft, thereby reducing radiation exposure in harsh space environments. SPD-6 establishes a road map for getting space nuclear systems into service and sets up high-level goals, principles, and federal agencies’ roles and responsibilities.Go to Article
Advanced reactors take center stage in Popular MechanicsThe January/February 2021 issue of Popular Mechanics hit subscriber mailboxes this week with a stark cover image of a single small reactor under the headline, “Tiny nuclear reactors are about to revolutionize American energy.” The story looks at advanced reactors as a pivotal step to “redeem nuclear’s stature in American energy.”A good primer: The article does a good job introducing the casual reader to the idea that “bigger is no longer better” and that the future of nuclear power in the United States will most likely be “a combination of traditional large plants and smaller, safer megawatt reactors.”Advanced reactors, including small modular reactors, show that nuclear is no longer a one-size-fits-all operation, the article notes. The industry now “is all about personalization,” says Ken Canavan, Westinghouse’s chief technical officer, who is quoted in the article. The capacity and scalability of SMRs “is just irreplaceable,” he adds.The article explains that SMRs, microreactors, and other advanced reactor designs will be able to bring reliable, carbon-free power to small or remote locations, replacing fossil fuel power plants and supplementing the “resource-sucking downtimes left by renewables.”Go to Article