G. T. Mays

Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, USA

Notice: This submission was written by the author acting in his own independent capacity and not on behalf of UT-Battelle, LLC, or its affiliates or successors.

14.1 Introduction

This chapter presents an overview of the research and development (R&D) underway in the US on small modular reactors (SMRs) including all reactor technologies. R&D on SMRs sponsored by the US government is presented first, followed by R&D being conducted by the commercial nuclear power industry on SMRs.

The responsibility for conducting SMR R&D within the US government is that of the US Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy (DOE-NE). Presently, DOE-NE’s programs include a spectrum of activities spanning support for near-term deployment with emphasis on (1) licensing support to secure design certification approval from the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC); (2) first-of-a-kind design, engineering, and construction; and (3) generic issues such as source terms, staffing requirements, siting, economics, etc., to longer-term initiatives aimed at developing advanced technologies and conceptual designs for advanced SMRs (A-SMRs) employing coolants other than water.

The SMR R&D highlighted in this chapter being conducted by the nuclear industry is in support of the near-term light-water SMR designs (LW-SMR). Note that the LW-SMR designation used here includes the integral pressurized water-cooled reactor (iPWRs) designs as well as other non-integral SMR designs. Given that these designs are based on well-understood LWR technology, the R&D in support of the LW-SMRs as conducted by the nuclear industry is obviously applied R&D as opposed to longer-term R&D, which is typically the role of the government. More specifically here, the emphasis is on R&D being conducted at any commercial test and/or experimental facilities.

Finally, comments are offered as to the direction and content of future A-SMR R&D in the US as might be indicated by R&D initiatives currently underway.

Please refer to Chapter 2 for additional descriptions of SMR designs under commercial development in the US as well as those under development at various universities and DOE national labs.

Handbook of Small Modular Nuclear Reactors. http://dx. doi. Org/10.1533/9780857098535.4.353

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