The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission(NRC) has finally approved the first generation-IV nuclear reactor design for certification, as reported first by New Atlas.
This small modular reactor technology from NuScale aims to provide clean energy at significantly lower costs, acreage requirements, and installation times.
Small Modular Reactor
The NuScale reactor design has been certified for use in the US, according to information provided by the NRC last week. This is the first of a new generation of technologies that will make the use of nuclear power in a more affordable, simple, and secure way than ever before.
According to New Atlas, this is only the seventh design that the NRC has approved since it was founded in 1974.
The advantages of this small modular reactor are largely due to its small size and modular design. This means that light water reactor modules from NuScale can be mass produced in a factory and shipped anywhere in the world for an easy and quick installation.
With a 9-foot (2.7-m) diameter and a height of about 65 feet (20 meters), each roughly cylindrical module can generate 77 megawatts of power by forcing steam through a turbine.
An overall power station will be capable of between 308 and 924 MW if four to twelve of these modules are used in a given power plant and are submerged in a water tank, according to New Atlas.
For many regions' renewables-based power grids, nuclear power will serve as a crucial baseline generator. According to NuScale, its capacity for mass production will make it cost-competitive even with the presence of several fossil fuel alternatives.
Read also: 'Flying Hotel That Never Lands': AI Sky Cruise Ship Will Use Nuclear Energy to Fly in Luxury
NuScale's Safety System
The NuScale plant, like the majority of other generation IV nuclear designs, is built to safely shut itself down in an emergency without the need for operator input or power.
In case of an emergency, the feedwater and steam exit valves will close, and an additional set of valves will open to release pressure from the reactor core's steam into the containment vessel near the reactor.
This steam will be pumped back into the core and distributed through the procedure once more as it cools and condenses. The source added that this would put the plant into a steady and protected shut down.
The massive water tank where the reactor modules are found will serve as the last line of defense in the event of a catastrophic failure and is built to be earthquake-proof and impenetrable to aircraft effects.
With all six of its modules expected to be operational by 2030, the first NuScale power plant is scheduled to start producing electricity in 2029.
The 462 MW-producing Carbon Free Power Project, which is situated at the Idaho National Laboratory, has a 40-year contract to sell a large portion of its output to power distribution companies.
Related Article: Beijing Researchers Devise Modular Nuclear Reactor that can Fit Inside a Long-Range Torpedo
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Written by Joaquin Victor Tacla
