SMRs, VSMRs, ΜSMRs and Nuclear Batteries, Overcoming the Challenge to Deployment That They All Share

Abstract

Ten new reactor designs have recently entered the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission’s (CNSC) Vendor Design Review (VDR) process. These new designs include Tristructural Isotropic (TRISO) Fuels in reactors designed so that they can never reach a temperature where the fuel loses structural integrity, molten salt reactors that use a liquid fuel at almost room pressure and fast reactors capable of reusing used CANDU fuel. They span a range of applications from small off-grid communities to manageably sized grid connectable units. All anticipate being cost effective as a result of factory building and repeat construction.But they all suffer from the same challenge to deployment which, although it is not a technical issue, could be mitigated if we take the right actions now.