NuScale
Encyclopedia
NuScale Power LLC is a company formed to construct and sell dedicated design of relatively small (160 MW thermal, 45 MW electric, hence 28% efficient) nuclear reactor
s, which they claim will be modular
, inexpensive
, inherently safe
, and proliferation-resistant
.
(OSU) in the early 2000s, in cooperation with the Idaho National Laboratory
. OSU licensed the technology to NuScale, and owns 1 to 3 percent of the private company as of 2011. OSU operates a small nuclear reactor
at its campus in Corvallis
where NuScale is headquartered.
In March 2011, the company announced most employees would be laid off as it sought funds to continue operations after their biggest investor, Michael Kenwood Group, went bankrupt. The investment group had been sued by the Federal government, while the fund manager had been indicted by the Federal government on fraud charges for allegedly running a Ponzi scheme
. However, in July 2011, NuScale Power announced it will restore operations and will bring back workers, as the company has received bridge-financing from individual investors. In October 2011, Fluor Corporation purchased 55 percent of NuScale in a $30 million deal, ending the financial crisis created by the Michael Kenwood Group ordeal.
Nuclear reactor
A nuclear reactor is a device to initiate and control a sustained nuclear chain reaction. Most commonly they are used for generating electricity and for the propulsion of ships. Usually heat from nuclear fission is passed to a working fluid , which runs through turbines that power either ship's...
s, which they claim will be modular
Modular design
Modular design, or "modularity in design" is an approach that subdivides a system into smaller parts that can be independently created and then used in different systems to drive multiple functionalities...
, inexpensive
Economics of new nuclear power plants
The economics of new nuclear power plants is a controversial subject, since there are diverging views on this topic, and multi-billion dollar investments ride on the choice of an energy source...
, inherently safe
Inherent safety
Inherent safety is a concept particularly used in the chemical and process industries. An inherently safe process has a low level of danger even if things go wrong. It is used in contrast to safe systems where a high degree of hazard is controlled by protective systems...
, and proliferation-resistant
Nuclear proliferation
Nuclear proliferation is a term now used to describe the spread of nuclear weapons, fissile material, and weapons-applicable nuclear technology and information, to nations which are not recognized as "Nuclear Weapon States" by the Treaty on the Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons, also known as the...
.
History
The basic design is based on the MASLWR (Multi-Application Small Light Water Reactor) developed at Oregon State UniversityOregon State University
Oregon State University is a coeducational, public research university located in Corvallis, Oregon, United States. The university offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees and a multitude of research opportunities. There are more than 200 academic degree programs offered through the...
(OSU) in the early 2000s, in cooperation with the Idaho National Laboratory
Idaho National Laboratory
Idaho National Laboratory is an complex located in the high desert of eastern Idaho, between the town of Arco to the west and the cities of Idaho Falls and Blackfoot to the east. It lies within Butte, Bingham, Bonneville and Jefferson counties...
. OSU licensed the technology to NuScale, and owns 1 to 3 percent of the private company as of 2011. OSU operates a small nuclear reactor
Oregon State University Radiation Center
The Oregon State University Radiation Center is a research facility that houses a nuclear reactor at Oregon State University in Corvallis, Oregon, United States. The Oregon State TRIGA Reactor serves the research needs of the OSU nuclear engineering department along with other departments...
at its campus in Corvallis
Corvallis, Oregon
Corvallis is a city located in central western Oregon, United States. It is the county seat of Benton County and the principal city of the Corvallis, Oregon Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Benton County. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 54,462....
where NuScale is headquartered.
In March 2011, the company announced most employees would be laid off as it sought funds to continue operations after their biggest investor, Michael Kenwood Group, went bankrupt. The investment group had been sued by the Federal government, while the fund manager had been indicted by the Federal government on fraud charges for allegedly running a Ponzi scheme
Ponzi scheme
A Ponzi scheme is a fraudulent investment operation that pays returns to its investors from their own money or the money paid by subsequent investors, rather than from any actual profit earned by the individual or organization running the operation...
. However, in July 2011, NuScale Power announced it will restore operations and will bring back workers, as the company has received bridge-financing from individual investors. In October 2011, Fluor Corporation purchased 55 percent of NuScale in a $30 million deal, ending the financial crisis created by the Michael Kenwood Group ordeal.
Technology
NuScale's technology has the following attributes:- Thermal capacity – 160 MWth
- Electrical capacity – 45 MWe
- Capacity factor – 90 percent
- Dimensions – 18 x 4.3 meters cylindrical containment vessel module containing reactor and steam generator
- Weight – ~ 500 tons as shipped from fabrication
- Transportation – Barge, truck or train
- Manufacturing – Can be forged and fabricated at any mid-size facility
- Cost – Numerous advantages due to simplicity, modular design, volume manufacturing and shorter construction times
- Fuel – Standard LWR fuel in 17 x 17 configuration, each assembly 6 feet in length; 24-month refueling cycle with fuel enriched less than 4.95 percent
Competing designs
- mPower by Babcock & Wilcox CompanyB&W mPowerThe B&W mPower is a proposed 125 MW modular, advanced light water nuclear reactor. The reactor is to be built by Babcock & Wilcox Co. in North America, and shipped by rail to generating sites. The reactor's power output is approximately 125 MWe, or approximately 10% of a typical reactor...
- Toshiba 4SToshiba 4S- General description :The plant design is offered by a partnership that includes Toshiba and the Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry of Japan.The technical specifications of the 4S reactor are unique in the nuclear industry...
- Hyperion Power GenerationHyperion Power GenerationHyperion Power Generation, Inc. is a privately held corporation formed to construct and sell several designs of relatively small nuclear reactors, which they claim will be modular, inexpensive, inherently safe, and proliferation-resistant...
External links
- NuScale Power
- IAEA Advanced Reactors Information System: NuScale Power Modular and Scalable Reactor
- NRC Advanced Reactors Info—Official Nuclear Regulatory Commission page about the NuScale design.
- "Science Illustrated: A New Scale for Nuclear Power" - The New York Times
- "Mini Reactors Show Promise for Clean Nuclear Power's Future" - Popular Mechanics