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Microreactors are a class of very small modular reactors targeted for non-conventional nuclear markets. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) supports a variety of advanced reactor designs, including gas, liquid-metal, […]
The post What Are Microreactors and How Soon Could We See One in Operation appeared first on POWER Magazine.
What is a microreactor and why would you want one? The definition could be debated, but nuclear reactors in the 1 MW to 20 MW range generally fit the bill, and there are countless possible applications for the technology.
“This could be used for disaster relief. This could be used for mines, remote communities—on a 24/7 basis. It can be used for data centers, industrial plants—anyone that wants to be off the grid, even though maybe they’re on the grid now, but they want to be off the grid—so, military bases. The opportunities here are just endless,” David Durham, president of Energy Systems with Westinghouse Electric Co., said as a guest on The POWER Podcast.
Westinghouse is developing a microreactor called eVinci. It’s a next-generation, small nuclear energy generator intended for decentralized generation markets. The eVinci design is very different from commercial light water reactor plants currently in service around the world. “The differences are substantial. There’s no water.…