7 votes

Small modular reactors and the future of energy

1 comment

  1. nukeman
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    Disclaimer: I have not watched the video, but I have followed the news regarding X-Energy (world-nuclear-news.org and exchangemonitor.com are great sources for nuke sector news). I’m not as...

    Disclaimer: I have not watched the video, but I have followed the news regarding X-Energy (world-nuclear-news.org and exchangemonitor.com are great sources for nuke sector news).

    I’m not as bullish on their reactor as I am on some of the others. Pebble-bed reactors have had issues in the past (namely the pebbles getting crushed), they don’t have the same deployment history (Germany and only now China) versus prismatic block-type reactors (US, UK, Japan; the latter has an operating unit), and the reactor size doesn’t seem to carve out a niche. I’m more optimistic on Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation’s MMR. It still uses TRISO particles in the fuel, but in a fuel form more like prismatic blocks. The reactor is far smaller (5 MW), but remains gas-cooled and high-temperature, allowing for use in remote environments (mines, small Arctic towns, etc), thus carving out a niche for itself.

    1 vote