Small Modular Reactors Explained - Nuclear Power's Future?

Small Modular Reactors Explained - Nuclear Power's Future?

Small Modular Reactors Explained - Nuclear Power's Future?

Small Modular Reactors Explained - Nuclear Power’s Future? Get Surfshark VPN at https://surfshark.deals/undecided and enter promo code UNDECIDED for 84% off and 4 extra months for free! With the growing popularity of solar and wind, we sometimes forget another powerful low-carbon energy source: nuclear. It can be a divisive topic, but there’s a really interesting alternative to building out massive, expensive nuclear plants that’s worth talking about: Small Modular Reactors. What are they? What are the benefits? And do they really address the downsides of nuclear energy?

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Content

0.38 -> Sponsored by SurfShark VPN.
1.63 -> Click on the link in the description and enter promo code UNDECIDED for 84% off and 4 extra
6.46 -> months for FREE!
7.7 -> With the growing popularity of solar and wind, we sometimes forget another powerful low-carbon
12.32 -> energy source: nuclear.
14.15 -> It can be a divisive topic, but there's a really interesting alternative to building
17.859 -> out massive, expensive nuclear plants that's worth talking about: Small Modular Reactors.
23.949 -> What are they?
24.949 -> What are the benefits?
25.949 -> And do they really address the downsides of nuclear energy?
28.06 -> I'm Matt Ferrell.
29.769 -> Welcome to Undecided.
37.528 -> When the word nuclear comes up, most people think of mushroom clouds, wars, and disasters.
41.71 -> But, even though there is a scary history behind nuclear energy, many consider it essential
45.99 -> for establishing a reliable carbon-free energy supply.
49.34 -> We've been producing nuclear energy since the first nuclear power plant was connected
52.64 -> to the Soviet power grid in 1954 . It's widely considered to be a stable, carbon-friendly
57.51 -> energy source that can be used to support the intermittency of renewables such as wind
61.489 -> and solar.
62.84 -> Some countries, like France (71.7%), Slovakia (55%), Ukraine (53%), and Hungary (50.6%)
66.579 -> rely on nuclear to produce electricity.
68.069 -> And it accounted for 10.3% of the world’s electricity generation in 2019.
73.21 -> However, that number was higher in the past.
76.27 -> In 1996, nuclear accounted for 17.7% of the global power generation . Only a net of 2.4
82.069 -> GW of new nuclear generation capacity came online in 2019, compared to 98 GW of solar
87.79 -> PV and 59.2 GW of wind.
90.92 -> What's caused that sizable decrease?
92.499 -> And why aren't we building out more nuclear?
94.549 -> The major events of Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, and the more recently Fukushima certainly
98.569 -> made people fear nuclear energy and stalled the industry’s growth.
102.159 -> But, the safety threat and nuclear waste aren't the only causes of nuclear energy being left
106.219 -> out in the cold by governments and investors.
108.719 -> The intermittency of renewables needs to be supported by fast and responsive energy production.
113.639 -> Nuclear power plants could be a stable and low-carbon solution for this problem, but
116.909 -> they're complex, expensive, and usually take about 6 years to build ... and some have some
122.619 -> significant delays during construction . The time it takes varies project to project, but
127.17 -> one report gave a cost estimate for a new US nuclear power plant of $5,945/kW . On the
133.94 -> other hand, the average cost of natural gas generators installed in 2018 was $837/kW,
140.4 -> and the construction of those come in around two years , . So you can see why natural gas
144.45 -> power plants are more appealing to a utility, even though they're not as carbon-friendly
148.73 -> as nuclear.
150.08 -> According to the World Nuclear Industry Status Report 2020, the Levelized Cost of Energy
154.63 -> (LCOE) from nuclear power rose from around $117/MWh in 2015 to $155 by 2019.
162.42 -> In comparison the LCOE of solar and wind reached $40/MWh and $41/MWh, respectively.
167.43 -> The report stated: “What is remarkable about these trends, is that the costs of renewables
171.79 -> continue to fall due to incremental manufacturing and installation improvements while nuclear,
176.9 -> despite over half a century of industrial experience, continues to see costs rising,”
182.03 -> . The nuclear industry needs an escape route ... something to make it more financially
185.87 -> attractive, reduce construction time, but still comply with all the numerous safety
189.73 -> standards that are needed.
191.03 -> That escape route has been to invest in new reactor technology.
194.82 -> I have another video about Thorium Reactors on my channel, showing its advantages and
198.46 -> challenges, but the other trend I've seen in my research, and the comments from a lot
202.51 -> of you, has been around Small Modular Reactors (SMRs).
205.29 -> It promises to reduce construction cost and time, as well as improve safety.
209.48 -> Many people believe they can be the future of nuclear power, but what is it exactly?
214.38 -> Compared to "regular" sized reactors that are really big, Small Modular Reactors have
220.27 -> a much smaller footprint, which means that they can be built more quickly and safely
224.36 -> in factories, and then shipped to the installation site.
228.22 -> But how small is "small?
229.98 -> Well, they're small enough to fit in trucks and shipping containers.
233.95 -> Compared to conventional large-scale nuclear reactors that have to be built on-site and
237.43 -> have unique designs, SMRs can be manufactured in factories with standardized designs.
243.1 -> This means you can scale production, reduce costs, and lower the risk of delays in the
247.52 -> construction of nuclear power plants.
249.68 -> The World Nuclear Association defines SMRs as nuclear reactors generally 300 MW equivalent
254.9 -> or less, designed with modularity in mind.
257.85 -> To round off the SMR terminology, there are also units called "very small modular reactors,"
262.5 -> or VSMRs, of up to 15 MW . Compared to the world’s largest reactor that have topped
268.71 -> 1.6 GW of power capacity, this new technology is pretty small, isn’t it ? NuScale Power,
275.46 -> one of the front-runners in SMR development has designed a small modular reactor (SMR)
278.94 -> that would take up 1% of the space of a conventional reactor.
282.2 -> Whereas a typical commercial reactor cranks out a gigawatt of power, each NuScale SMR
286.76 -> would generate just 60 MW.
289.02 -> The in-factory fabrication feature of SMRs can significantly reduce on-site preparation
293.13 -> and construction cost, as well as make it possible to set them in remote locations that
297.23 -> wouldn't normally be possible with a larger power plant.
299.91 -> Also, SMRs can be linked with other energy sources, including renewables and fossil fuels,
305.24 -> to increase grid stability and security .
307.02 -> Talking about money, for about $3 billion, NuScale would install multiple 12 MW SMRs
313.58 -> to build a 720 MW nuclear power plant.
316.28 -> That's about 20% cheaper per-megawatt than the $14 billion quoted for two traditional
322.01 -> 1.25GW units currently being installed near Waynesboro, Georgia.
326.98 -> And that construction has been hit by delays and a ballooning cost up to $28 billion.
334.139 -> What about safety?
335.79 -> Nuclear power plants are complex buildings that rely on external power systems such as
339.09 -> AC power, backup generators, and batteries to cool down the reactor’s fuel in the case
343.65 -> of a power loss, which increases accident risks.
347.4 -> Suppose something that wasn't considered in the design happens.
349.44 -> In that case, it may cause the system to fail, similar to what happened in the Fukushima
354.11 -> Daiichi nuclear disaster in 2011 when a second tsunami that wasn't expected hit the nuclear
358.389 -> plant.
359.66 -> On top of that, maintenance and refueling are an additional complexity for nuclear power
363.169 -> plants.
364.169 -> Every 18 to 24 months, these power plants are shut down for refueling, which usually
367.48 -> takes a month without energy production, and SMRs can be a promising candidate to reduce
372.59 -> these downsides.
373.59 -> When we talk about nuclear reactors, we refer to a containment building with large walls,
377.86 -> safety measures, and cooling.
379.13 -> But, with SMRs, it's different.
381.04 -> These small-sized reactors fit right into other structures or come with their own containment
385.04 -> structure.
386.04 -> And some of these designs have a long refueling cycle.
388.75 -> For example, the 5 MW Micro Modular Reactor, from Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation (USNC)
393.939 -> ... you gotta love that name ... requires no refueling in its 20-year operating lifetime,
399.5 -> and the 100 MW ARC-100 small modular reactor would have a refueling cycle of a similar
404.55 -> 20 years.
405.71 -> SMRs enhance safety and security through lower thermal power of the reactor core and use
410.72 -> of passive safety systems.
412.11 -> That means they have less reliance on active safety systems like additional pumps and AC
416.22 -> grid power, generators, and batteries.
418.39 -> NuScale’s SMR employs natural water circulation to passively cool its reactor down.
423.68 -> The thermal safety system incorporates an on-site water reservoir located on the sides
427.53 -> of the outer vessel, which removes the heat from the core, avoiding a complete meltdown.
432.79 -> In an eventual emergency, specialized valves open automatically, which allows steam to
436.94 -> be released from the reactor vessel into the containment vessel.
439.85 -> The steam then condenses, and water flows back down into the core through the second
443.65 -> set of valves at the bottom of the reactor vessel.
446.76 -> This helps cool the reactor down.
448.71 -> The steam generated by boiling water recirculates, setting up a passive safety cooling process
453.76 -> that lasts until the heat and pressure finally stabilizes.
457.24 -> All this cooling and power control happens with no external interference, no AC or DC
462.01 -> power, no operator, and no additional water, similar to proposed molten-salt thorium reactors.
467.91 -> Considering all these advantages, many countries have been investing a lot of money in research
472.5 -> and development of SMRs.
473.56 -> The Oregon-based NuScale, for example, has spent more than $800 million on its SMR design
479.069 -> . In 2010, the company estimated a capital cost for a 12-module, 540 MW NuScale plant
484.34 -> would be about $4,000/kW, which rose to $5,078/kW net in 2014 and an LCOE presumed to be about
493.12 -> $100/MWh for the first unit.
495.26 -> In June 2018, the company declared that its reactor could produce 20% more power than
499.75 -> originally planned.
501.57 -> Subject to Nuclear Regulatory Commission approval, this would lower the overall capital cost
506.07 -> to about $4,200/kW and lower the LCOE by 18% . Other American SMR developers include GE
513.149 -> Hitachi Nuclear Energy, Bill Gates-backed TerraPower, X-Energy, and Hyperion Power Generation.
518.719 -> China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) announced in 2019 it would start building
522.159 -> a demonstration of its 125 MW ACP100 small modular reactor on the north-west side of
526.89 -> the existing Changjiang Nuclear Power Plant by the end of the year.
530.64 -> Canadian ARC Nuclear is also developing an exportable, factory-produced, 100 MW sodium
535.46 -> coolant nuclear reactor with fuel costs fixed for more than 20 years.
540.11 -> They also have a company called Terrestrial Energy that's been developing and integrating
543.32 -> components from two existing designs; the Denatured Molten Salt Reactor (DMSR) and Small
547.921 -> Modular Advanced High Temperature Reactor (smAHRT) ... yeah, smart .
550.87 -> Russia is also dabbling in this area.
553.279 -> The nuclear engineering company OKBM Afrikantov launched the first floating nuclear power
556.61 -> plant.
557.61 -> Akademik Lomonosov, is a power barge that employs 2 35MW SMRs.
561.54 -> It started operation in December 2019 in its permanent location in the Chukotka district,
565.95 -> and by May 2020 was fully commissioned and had delivered 47.3GWh of energy, covering
572.48 -> 20% of demand in the region , .
574.01 -> But, is this all to good to be true?
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629.55 -> So are SMRs too good to be true?
632.08 -> Although progress has been made in SMR technology, licensing and certification are a major stumbling
636.55 -> block for SMRs, as well as potential design changes and increased security.
640.62 -> NuScale design, for example, is still in the licensing stage and faces important security
644.94 -> questions, which include potential problems with the system that automatically shuts down
648.93 -> its reactors in eventual emergencies . Normally, convection circulates water laced with boron
653.98 -> to control the nuclear reaction through the core of NuScale’s reactor.
656.8 -> As I mentioned earlier, if the reactor overheats, it shuts down and valves release steam into
661.33 -> the containment vessel, where it condenses and flows back into the core.
664.839 -> However, the condensed water can be low in boron, and reviewers are concerned that low
668.9 -> boron level might mean it wouldn't be able to stop the core.
672.54 -> This has complicated their approval process .
675.16 -> In addition to that, even though SMRs can be cheaper and safer, they still have to contend
678.77 -> with economies of scale.
680.91 -> Conventional power plants have thousands of Megawatts of power production capacity compared
684.32 -> to dozens or hundreds of Megawatts for SMRs.
687.7 -> An analysis performed by Energy Strategies for the Healthy Environment Alliance of Utah
691.05 -> in 2019 showed an SMR LCOE range of $46.66/MWh to $90.48/MWh, and that's with a lot of uncertainty
697.399 -> around resource costs.
699.43 -> Nuclear power's biggest rival, natural gas, had an LCOE of $45.56/MWh .
705.6 -> Another issue that's pointed out by critics of nuclear power is the unresolved problem
708.721 -> of what to do with long-lived radioactive waste.
711.43 -> SMRs that use a pressurized water reactor will still generate highly radioactive fuel,
716.43 -> and no country has proposed a permanent solution for how to safely store this type of waste
721.1 -> , . Dr. Gordon Edwards, The president of the Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility
724.769 -> (CCNR) wrote:
725.86 -> “Radioactive left-over used fuel from the new (SMR) reactors will still require safe
729.31 -> storage for hundreds of thousands of years.”
731.48 -> -Gordon Edwards, president of the Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility (CCNR)
732.48 -> The International Atomic Energy Agency has also written about this topic.
735.639 -> > “Solutions for managing spent fuel and radioactive waste arising from SMRs will be
739.519 -> one of the most important factors to take into account when choosing a technology, along
744.149 -> with the security of fuel supply.”
745.149 -> -Christophe Xerri, IAEA Director of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology
746.55 -> Despite the challenges, SMR supporters look at it as a potential solution for nuclear
749.589 -> power to be more cost-effective, safe, and competitive against other fast response power
754.47 -> sources to balance an increasingly intermittent power supply that comes from wind and solar
758.61 -> power.
759.61 -> They may be right; but there are still concerns about SMR technology that need to be addressed,
764.019 -> and unresolved problems with nuclear power in general that need solutions before this
768.42 -> carbon-free power source can be considered a viable, worldwide option.
772.81 -> Jump into the comments and let me know what you think.
774.27 -> And if there's anything I missed with SMRs.
776.38 -> If you liked this video be sure to check out one of the ones I have linked right here.
779.66 -> Be sure to subscribe and hit the notification bell if you think I’ve earned it.
782.74 -> And as always, thanks so much for watching, I’ll see you in the next one.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbrT3m89Y3M