Westinghouse unveils small modular nuclear reactor

Reuters ^ | May 4, 202310:34 AM CDT | By Timothy Gardner

[Red Badger]

WASHINGTON, May 4 (Reuters) - U.S. company Westinghouse unveiled plans on Thursday for a small modular reactor to generate virtually emissions-free electricity that could replace coal plants or power water desalinization and other industries.

Rita Baranwal, the Westinghouse Electricity Co's top technology officer, said the reactor, dubbed AP300 for its planned 300 Megawatt capacity, will not use special fuels or liquid metal coolants unlike some other next-generation reactors.

It will be a smaller version of its AP1000 reactor, several of which are operating in China, and which are ramping up in Georgia at the Vogtle plant, after years of delay and billions of dollars over budget.

Despite hurdles for new nuclear, Baranwal was confident. "We've kept it simple, designed it on demonstrated and licensed technology, and I think that's one of the advantages that we have with this concept," she told Reuters in an interview. Westinghouse, owned by Brookfield Business Partners (BBU.N), plans to start constructing the reactor by 2030 and have it running by 2033.

Small modular reactors (SMR) are meant to fit new applications such as replacing shut coal plants and being located in more remote communities. President Joe Biden's administration believes that maintaining existing nuclear plants and developing next-generation reactors is crucial for its goal of decarbonizing the economy by 2050.

[Red Badger]

Artist rendering shows Westinghouse’s AP300 small modular nuclear power reactor

[Red Badger]

Notice the Solar Panels field next to it.....................

[adorno]

Make them small enough to power cars and trucks,and perhaps then, people would be ready to give up on fossil fuels.

[Thunder90]

You know that the Serria Club and Greenpeace will shut any idea of these down hard.

[Red Badger]

[crusty old prospector]

I thought nuclear was bad, bad.

[BenLurkin]

Could power an underground town with one of those. Could come in handy if you needed to shelter in Mammoth Cave for five or ten years.

[MotorCityBuck]

I want one.

[srmanuel]

It’s probably top secret technology but what size are the reactors in nuclear powered submarines and aircraft carriers, they can’t be really big

[xp38]

That ain’t what I call small.....see post # 6

[TexasGator]

“It’s probably top secret technology but what size are the reactors in nuclear powered submarines and aircraft carriers, they can’t be really big”

Don’t share this top secret info ...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S8G_reactor

[Tell It Right]

You and I think almost alike. I want them small enough to power individual homes and cars. Not so much to get rid of fossil fuels. But so that each family is energy independent and no longer cares about the Dims’ stupid energy policies.

[Magnum44]

[Red Badger]

There is a design called a Pebble Bed Reactor that would be about the size of your home HVAC compressor unit sitting outside your house. It would provide you with electricity for a decade or so before being refueled...............

[MountainWalker]

From ChatGPT:

The Ohio-class submarines are equipped with two S8G nuclear reactors, which each have a thermal power output of about 190 megawatts. Each reactor is housed in its own compartment and is approximately 42 feet in length and 29 feet in diameter. The Ohio-class submarines are the largest submarines ever built for the U.S. Navy, and their reactors are among the most powerful nuclear reactors used in any submarine.

Doesn’t sound like even a miniaturized version of that will fit inside a large SUV, to say nothing about the costs or risks of traffic accidents turning into a hazmat situations.

[ConservativeInPA]

As a capitalist, I’m open to all energy alternatives not supported by government subsidies. Does the government have its fingers in this? What’s the cost relative to the competition; natural gas, coal, solar, wind, etc.?

[Mlheureux]

15 years ago I saw a reactor being sold that was the size of a large frig. They can make them very small. It was at the convention center by Disney in CA.

[T.B. Yoits]

The Ford Nucleon concept car from 1958:

https://www.thedrive.com/news/41103/heres-why-the-nuclear-powered-1958-ford-nucleon-never-entered-production

[BenLurkin]