GE Hitachi and ARC Nuclear to cooperate on SMR development

• 7 years ago (2017-03-15)
• David Flin

North America 998 Nuclear 640

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GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH) and Advanced Reactor Concepts (ARC Nuclear) have agreed to collaborate in the development and licensing of an advanced small modular reactor (aSMR) based on mature Generation IV sodium-cooled reactor technology.

In a Memorandum of Understanding, the two companies have agreed to progress a joint aSMR design for global power generation, with initial deployment in Canada. The companies will pursue a preliminary regulatory review by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission through its Vendor Design Review process, building on earlier technology licensing success in the USA. This collaborative commercialisation programme also includes the near-term goals of confirming projected construction and operating costs, as well as the identification of a lead-plant owner/operator for the joint aSMR.

GEH and ARC Nuclear have developed advanced reactor designs based on the EBR-II, an integral sodium-cooled fast reactor prototype developed by Argonne National Laboratory, and operated successfully for over 30 years at Idaho Falls, Idaho, USA.

These two reactor designs – GEH’s PRISN and ARC Nuclear’s ARC-100 – have been focused on different objectives. The ARC-100 is a 100 MW aSMR deigned for efficient and flexible electricity generation, while operating for up to 20 years without the need for refuelling. In comparison, PRISM, which is designed to refuel every 12-24 months, has primarily been focused on closing the fuel cycle. Nevertheless, both these aSMR designs share fundamental features, such as high energy neutrons, liquid sodium cooling, and metallic fuel. GEH said that these facts, taken together, deliver inherent safety performance and more economically competitive plant architecture compared to traditional water-cooled reactors. The operational flexibility of this advanced reactor technology enables true load following to complement the intermittent generation of renewable energy technologies now being deployed.

While there are over 90 advanced nuclear technology and SMR designs under various stages of development, GEH and ARC Nuclear view sodium fast reactors as being the most mature advanced reactor technology, with decades of real operating experience from more than 20 previous reactors.