Small, Modular Advanced High Temperature Reactor-Carbonate Thermochemical Cycle
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Holcomb, David Eugene↗
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Results for “Small Modular Reactors”
Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.
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Development of Seismic Isolation Systems Using Periodic Materials
Advanced fast nuclear power plants and small modular fast reactors are composed of thin-walled structures such as pipes; as a result, they do not have sufficient inherent strength to resist seismic loads. Seismic isolation, therefore, is an effective solution for mitigating earthquake hazards for these types of structures. Base isolation, on which numerous studies have been conducted, is a well-defined structure protection system against earthquakes. In conventional isolators, such as high-damping rubber bearings, lead-rubber bearings, and friction pendulum bearings, large relative displacements occur between upper structures and foundations. Only isolation in a horizontal direction is provided; these features are not desirable for the piping systems. The concept of periodic materials, based on the theory of solid-state physics, can be applied to earthquake engineering. The periodic material is a material that possesses distinct characteristics that prevent waves with certain frequencies from being transmitted through it; therefore, this material can be used in structural foundations to block unwanted seismic waves with certain frequencies. The frequency band of periodic material that can filter out waves is called the band gap, and the structural foundation made of periodic material is referred to as the periodic foundation. The design of a nuclear power plant, therefore, can be unified around the desirable feature of a periodic foundation, while the continuous maintenance of the structure is not needed. In this research project, three different types of periodic foundations were studied: one-dimensional, two-dimensional, and three-dimensional. The basic theories of periodic foundations are introduced first to find the band gaps; then the finite element methods are used, to perform parametric analysis, and obtain attenuation zones; finally, experimental programs are conducted, and the test data are analyzed to verify the theory. This procedure shows that the periodic foundation is a promising and effective way to mitigate structural damage caused by earthquake excitation.
22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
Generation and Use of Thermal Energy in the U.S. Industrial Sector and Opportunities to Reduce its Carbon Emissions
This report quantifies greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the industrial sector and identifies opportunities for non-GHG-emitting thermal energy sources to replace the most significant GHG-emitting U.S. industries based on targeted, process-level analysis of industrial heat requirements. The intent is to provide a basis for projecting opportunities for clean energy use. This provides a prospectus for small modular nuclear reactors (including nuclear-renewable hybrid energy systems), solar industrial process heat, and geothermal energy. This report provides a complement to analysis of process-efficiency improvement by considering how clean energy delivery and use by industry could reduce GHG emissions.
29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
Electron Linear Accelerator Additive Manufacturing
Superconducting electron linear accelerators open up new opportunities for advanced materials processing. High energy electrons penetrate deeper within materials, increase the processing depth and rate and enables production of far-from-equilibrium materials and selective processing within a material surface and subsurface. With support from the Office of Naval Research, NASA, and DoE, Mainstream Engineering commissioned a superconducting linear electron accelerator to investigate advanced materials processing and additive manufacturing. The goal of Mainstream's Electron Beam Enabled Advanced Manufacturing (EBEAM) center is to develop unique, far-from-equilibrium materials and alleviate significant technological deficiencies. We will present results of irradiating various metals and their unique material properties. Monte Carlo simulations electron beam and sample interaction were used to optimize the processing parameters and study far-from-equilibrium processing conditions. Applications include stainless steel additive manufacturing for small modular nuclear reactors and dissimilar metal bonding of corrosion-resistant cladding for next-generation molten salt reactors.
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
Digital Engineering and Cybersecurity Decision Analysis in Early Phases of SMR-Driven IES Projects
Considerable efforts are underway to ensure cybersecurity is integrated into the systems engineering lifecycle. Cyber-informed engineering and security-by-design frameworks are intended to identify and engineer out cybersecurity risks throughout the lifecycle. While these approaches are valuable for promoting the need to include cybersecurity considerations in early design phases to create more secure systems, they may not consider the entirety of digital risks. Digital risks in a digital instrumentation and control system include adversarial and unintentional risks from internal and external factors, such as human performance errors, design flaws, environmental conditions, and equipment degradation or failure. This report provides a detailed discussion on digital risk prior to describing the background and concept of operations for a small modular reactor-driven integrated energy system connected to industrial applications. The challenges of competing objectives and competing stakeholder requirements are discussed and the impacts on digital engineering, security considerations, and interdependencies are evaluated for mission-level, facility-level, and system-level decisions.
98 NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT, SAFEGUARDS, AND PHYSICAL P↗
Flexible Nuclear-Based Integrated Energy System
Presentation on a conceptual study of combining a small modular nuclear reactor (SMR) with a solid oxide fuel cell, solid oxide electrolysis cell, and a gas turbine as an integrated energy system with high operational flexibility and rapid load following. Virtually presented at the MILLENNIUM CLEAN and SUSTAINABLE POWER workshop 2025, University of Genoa, Italy.
flexibility↗
Nek5000/RS performance on advanced GPU architectures
The authors explore performance scalability of the open-source thermal-fluids code, NekRS, on the U.S. Department of Energy's leadership computers, Crusher, Frontier, Summit, Perlmutter, and Polaris. Particular attention is given to analyzing performance and time-to-solution at the strong-scale limit for a target efficiency of 80%, which is typical for production runs on the DOE's high-performance computing systems. Several examples of anomalous behavior are also discussed and analyzed.
97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
A Prototyping Environment for Research on Human-Machine Interfaces in Process Control: Use of Microsoft WPF for Microworld and Distributed Control System Development
Operators of critical processes, such as nuclear power production, must contend with highly complex systems, procedures, and regulations. Developing human-machine interfaces (HMIs) that better support operators is a high priority for ensuring the safe and reliable operation of critical processes. Human factors engineering (HFE) provides a rich and mature set of tools for evaluating the performance of HMIs, but the set of tools for developing and designing HMIs is still in its infancy. Here we propose that Microsoft Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) is well suited for many roles in the research and development of HMIs for process control.
99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗
Ultrasonic Scattering Inspection Approach for Improved Methods Of Additive Manufacturing
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36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
Innovations in Renewable Energy Technologies, Systems, and Energy Analysis
Costs for renewable energy technologies have declined rapidly in the past decade and their use for residential, commercial, and utility scale electricity has therefore grown exponentially. As the energy mix diversifies, energy analysis becomes increasing important, requiring renewable energy to integrate with other reduced emission energy sources, such as small modular nuclear reactors and carbon capture and utilization. Energy analysis can also explore the expansion of clean energy into new sectors, such as industrial processes and electrification. The U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and the Joint Institute for Strategic Energy Analysis (JISEA), which is a partnership of NREL and universities, study the integration and application of clean energy technologies into existing and new sectors. This presentation includes an overview of NREL and JISEA and summarizes innovations in renewable energy technologies and energy systems analysis.
29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
Renewable Energy for Industrial Environmental Management
Costs for renewable energy technologies have declined rapidly in the past decade and their use for residential, commercial, and utility scale electricity has grown exponentially as they become cost competitive. Simultaneously, industrial and manufacturing processes have been increasingly seeking ways to reduce emissions and operational costs in highly competitive sectors. With these combined drivers of lower cost and reduced environmental impact, renewable energy may become a viable energy provider for industrial processes such as oil and gas, mining, chemical refining, food production, and manufacturing. Renewable energy technologies may also partner with other reduced emission energy sources, such as small modular nuclear reactors and carbon capture and utilization, to create cleaner and circular industrial systems for reduced resource use. The Joint Institute for Strategic Energy Analysis (JISEA), which is a partnership of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and five universities and others, has been studying to potential for application of clean energy technologies to the heterogenous energy demands in industry. Dr. Jill Engel-Cox will present an overview of NREL and JISEA, the status and potential future of renewable energy technologies, and collaborations with the oil and gas industry and other industrial sectors to improve their environmental performance and reduce operational costs.
ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
Advanced Technology and a Resilient Electric Grid
Making the electric grid cleaner and more resilient will require investing in a variety of new and emerging technologies. Advanced technologies including hydrogen, small modular nuclear reactors, and energy storage will all have a role to play in modernizing the electric grid. A diverse energy supply helps to keep the lights on and protects critical infrastructure, however it will also be important to assess the potential vulnerabilities and risks that come with unfamiliar and new technologies. This webinar will feature experts on resilience planning around advanced technologies from multiple sectors and share resources for states as they seek to modernize and decarbonize their electric grid.
advanced technology↗
Modeling Predictive Maintenance for NuScale’s Condensate and Feedwater System Using EMRALD
Event Modeling Risk Assessment using Linked Diagrams (EMRALD) is used to model of NuScale’s feedwater and condenser system to capture component degradation and repairing process. To model the reliability of the components, a three-stage failure rate is used contrary to a constant rate leading to component failure. Results from EMRALD will be used to compare different maintenance strategies to reduce system downtime. The outcome of the project will assist in maximizing remaining useful life of the overall system and increasing the availability and revenue of the plant.
46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
Compact Ceramic Heat Exchangers for MMR
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Small modular reactors, compact heat exchangers, a↗
Nuclear-Renewable-Storage Systems: Enhancing Planning and Operations of Integrated Energy Systems
Nuclear-renewable-storage integrated energy systems (IES) are multi-carrier energy systems that include not only electricity but also other forms of demands. Because individual IES components must observe their thermo-physical limits, including ramp rates, start-up, and shut-down time, we formulate operations of the IES as an optimization model by minimizing the total operations costs subject to physical limits of all constituent components. In addition, we develop a data-driven approach to improve the computational performance of the economic dispatch model by using reinforcement learning, where an agent is rewarded by meeting demands and penalized otherwise when shifting to the next state.
25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
Public Perception of Low-Dose Radiation: New Approaches of Study - 19113
Public attitudes towards nuclear power are influenced by social learning and the public perception of risk related to low-dose radiation. While the public has concerns about radiation, it is particularly concerned about the health risks resulting from exposures to anthropogenic sources arising from the use of nuclear power technologies. Low-dose radiation exposure through air travel or medical treatments is often associated with the same type of exposure that might occur by living in close proximity to nuclear power plants. Over the past several decades, many surveys and qualitative research studies exploring public attitudes have been conducted. This paper reviews literature relating to public attitudes to nuclear issues to understand and address public perception of risk of all types of radiation exposures. Lessons learned from this literature review regarding social learning and engagement are summarized. Although there have been many studies on public attitudes, specific focus on low-dose anthropogenic exposure has not been a focus of research. Much of the research has been done in relation to power production and not attitudes and opinions to low-dose anthropogenic exposure and exposure that provides certain health benefits. Further, new nuclear technologies including small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs) provide the opportunity for health benefits in remote communities in Canada that may be on the edge of power production transmission and distribution grid or off the grid. By bridging the divide of this literature, new communication pathways can be identified that may help address the polarized nature of the public debate over nuclear energy. (authors)
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
The study on overall I and C system scheme for floating nuclear power plant ACP100S and ACP25S - 189
Floating nuclear power plant (FNPP) is built on the offshore platform and it is defined as a kind of Small and Modular Reactor (SMR) due to its power level. The FNPP can provide power supply, fresh water and high temperature steam and other products. So it can be used as special energy sources, such as regional power supply, district heating and offshore oil exploitation. At present, two types of FNPP, named ACP100S and ACP25S, are developed by China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC). In this paper, the overall technical parameters and overall technical scheme of ACP100S and ACP25S are introduced firstly. On the basis of these schemes, the different arrangements of nuclear power plant which are used for meeting the different energy demands are discussed. Due to the different configuration of nuclear power plant, the requirements for the Instrument and Control (I and C) system are different, so the paper discusses some overall configurations of I and C system under the several typical arrangements models, i.e., the single reactor and the single turbine, the double reactors and double turbines, and the double reactors and the single turbine. Furthermore, the characteristics of these overall I and C configurations are analyzed. (authors)
21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
ThreatHelm Enhanced Cyber Resiliency
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Cybersecurity↗