Thermal Utilization Opportunities With a Small-to-Medium Sized BWE

Abstract

Hitachi-GE Nuclear Energy Ltd. (Hitachi-GE) has developed a conceptual design for a Double MS: Modular Simplified & Medium Small Reactor (DMS) under the sponsorship of The Japan Atomic Power Company. Recent efforts have yielded enhancements for improved safety and reactor core performance. The DMS is an innovative small-to-medium sized Boiling Water Reactor (BWR), which, based only on electricity generation, has been estimated to almost overcome economy of scale concerns when compared to proven conventional Advanced Boiling Water Reactor (ABWR) technologies.In order to make the DMS more attractive, the University of Saskatchewan (U of S), Hitachi-GE and Hitachi Ltd. (Hitachi) have collaborated on a joint research and development (R&D)initiative to study the utilization of heat and steam from the Balance of Plant (BOP) associated with the DMS for thermal utilization (TU) applications. In this paper, the advanced features of the DMS and the individual projects of the R&D program will be described.