Small reactors could help with climate and energy a lot

 

Atomic Insights blog has a good look at why small nuclear reactors are something to consider as we (collectively) go forward, as it is, into the future.

Why are smaller reactors attracting so much interest?

I've been touting smaller reactors as the way to go for years (I'm not alone and it's not my unique idea, of course).  The main thing that they need as a standard plug-and-play design.  That saves tremendously both on design and installation.  Furthermore, with the same reactor design used over and over again, all of the potential failure modes should be well-known.   They don't take as big a land footprint, and they don't need as much cooling water (a big deal right now with rivers in Europe running very low).

So, a couple of excerpts from the article here:

A. "No fission product wastes need to be routinely removed to allow the reaction to continue operating for its design fuel cycle. None need to be discharged to the environment. Fission reactors are clean enough, safe enough and independent enough to operate inside sealed submarines carrying crews of several dozen people. Those submarines have gone to every part of every ocean on the planet."

B. "One advantage of smaller systems is the improved ability to use factory manufacturing techniques. Of course, the components used in conventional large reactors are produced in factories, but then they are individually shipped to the site to be assembled into an operating plant. With reactors that have the size and complexity closer to that of large ships or commercial aircraft, it is possible to assemble and transport complete or nearly complete products."

And C. "Small reactors also have some advantages in fuel and nuclear plant material systems that include recycling. They are going to be easier to disassemble for some of the same reasons that they will be easier to assemble. Recycling factories can be less costly when designed to handle a more steady flow of smaller pieces and parts."

So ... all good reasons to consider the modular, reproducible, easy-to-install and easy-to-operate small nuclear reactors.