NuScale small modular reactor
- See also: Nuclear_power_reconsidered
The NuScale small modular reactor is a smaller version of a standard Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR). This article will address the issues raised in the parent article Nuclear power reconsidered. Information is from the company website [1] and factsheet.[2]
The NuScale Power Module (NPM) is a 250 megawatts thermal (MWt) integral pressurized water reactor (PWR) that employs gravity-driven natural circulation of the primary coolant for both normal operation and shutdown mode. The NPM, including containment, is fully factory-built and shipped to the plant site by truck, rail, or barge.
Safety
Accidental overheating.
• In a station blackout condition, the NPM safely shuts down and self-cools indefinitely—with no operator action,
AC/DC power, or additional water needed.
• Natural circulation for normal operation eliminates the need for large primary piping and reactor coolant pumps.
• Each NPM houses approximately 5 percent of the nuclear fuel of a conventional 1,000 MWe nuclear reactor.
Leakage of Radioactivity
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Sabotage
• NPMs are submerged in a below-grade pool of water housed in a Seismic Category 1, aircraft impact resistant
building that serves as the ultimate heat sink for core cooling.
Waste Management
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Weapons Proliferation
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Cost
Specs for a 500MWe plant:
Plant cost per KW (including building but not land, permits or licensing):
Operating cost per KWh (including fuel and maintenance):
Initial fuel load:
Fuel consumption per day: