Small Modular Reactor (SMR) R&D at CNL
Gina L. Strati, Head of Directorate (acting) Advanced Reactors, CNL
UNRESTRICTED / ILLIMITE A national lab focused on national priorities.
Canada’s national nuclear laboratory Over 50 unique laboratories Diverse team of ~3,300 Laboratory and Project Sites: Chalk River Laboratories, Ontario Whiteshell Laboratories, Manitoba Historic Waste Program / PHAI, Ontario National Innovation Centre for Cybersecurity, New Brunswick Prototype reactors and legacy facilities
UNRESTRICTED / ILLIMITE 2 Restore and Clean energy Improve the protect the for today and health of environment tomorrow Canadians
UNRESTRICTED / ILLIMITE 3 1 MW to 300 MW
Uranium Neutrons 235 Neutron
Heat
Fission Products
UNRESTRICTED / ILLIMITE CNL SMR Strategic Initiative
• Invitation to Site a SITING • SMR Hub DEMO Demonstration SMR • Capability Building at a CNL Managed • R&D Activities Site • Collaborations • 4 step process • 1 Project Progressing • Enabling Projects CNL • License to prepare site • CNRI submitted • CEDIR (future) ENABLING SMR HUB PROJECTS
UNRESTRICTED / ILLIMITE 5 Advanced Reactor Research De-Risking Development & Deployment
Regulatory Environment Technology Deployment Operation Development Support & Waste
UNRESTRICTED / ILLIMITE 6 Challenges of Advanced Reactors
Compared to current fleet reactors, in-core structural components in advanced reactors will undergo: • Exposure to higher temperatures • Higher neutron doses • Extremely corrosive environments • Structural (underground installation)
At CNL materials R&D is performed for advanced reactor systems, including: • SCWR • HTGR • MSR
S.J. Zinkle & J.T. Busby, Mater. Today 12 (2009)
UNRESTRICTED / ILLIMITE 7 Flexible Nuclear: Opportunities for Nuclear Cogeneration & Hybrid Nuclear Energy Systems
• Electricity Production • District heat • Coupled to intermittent energy sources • Desalination • Cogeneration of hydrogen for transport • Resource Extraction
UNRESTRICTED / ILLIMITE 8 CNL’s Hybrid Energy System Optimization (HESO) Model
UNRESTRICTED / ILLIMITE 9 Off Grid and Below Grade
Some SMRs are proposed for below-grade installation.
R&D programs at CNL are addressing: • Freeze-thaw effects on structural integrity of concrete • Arctic/permafrost conditions – Structural supports • Monitoring concrete properties using embedded sensors • Crack-monitoring using fiber optic sensors
UNRESTRICTED / ILLIMITE 10 R&D on Remote Monitoring of SMRs and Cyber Security
Buried Buried • To be financially feasible, Very small Cable Cable modular reactors at off-grid locations will have to be operated autonomously (minimal staffing) and monitored remotely. • R&D on reliable and secure satellite communications is being conducted at CNL’s NB office.
• Preliminary discussions to install a remote GEO - SW LEO GEO - SE monitoring system to monitor a SLOWPOKE reactor at RMC.
UNRESTRICTED / ILLIMITE 11 www.cnl.ca
UNRESTRICTED / ILLIMITE