Strategies to Enhance Reliability of SMR Deployments and the Trade-offs Involved

Abstract

Small modular reactors (SMRs) generate less than 300 MW of electricity per reactor, while traditional commercial reactors often exceed 1 GW per reactor. The smaller size of SMRs is intended to support a wider range of locations and users than traditional large nuclear power plants. When considering applications that require a high degree of reliability with limited periods of planned and unplanned downtime, SMRs may provide a potential solution.In many of the potential SMR use cases, such as semiconductor manufacturing, datacenters, petrochemical facilities, military bases,etc., even a short-term power disruption can have severe consequences.

The objective of the paper is to explore potential means of enhancing deployment reliability and ultimately support decision-makers in finding an optimal deployment strategy. Enhanced reliability comes at a cost, and it is important to understand the trade-offs associated with potential strategies. For instance, co-siting a greater number of smaller reactor units tends to increase reliability however the smaller unit size may also increase the cost per unit energy.