NuScale small modular reactor

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This editable Main Article is under development and subject to a disclaimer.

[edit intro]

The NuScale small modular reactor is a smaller version of a standard Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR). This article will address the issues raised in the parent article Nuclear power reconsidered. Information is from the company website,[1] factsheet,[2] and 2020 Status Report to the IAEA.[3]

Diagram and specifications for the reactor.

The NuScale Power Module (NPM) is a 250 megawatts thermal (MWt) integral pressurized water reactor (IPWR) that employs gravity-driven natural circulation of the primary coolant for both normal operation and shutdown mode. The NPM, including containment, is fully factory-built and shipped to the plant site by truck, rail, or barge.

## Contents

* 1 Safety
* 2 Waste Management
* 3 Weapons Proliferation
* 4 Cost
* 5 Notes and References

## Safety[edit]

Accidental overheating.
• In a station blackout condition, the NPM safely shuts down and self-cools indefinitely—with no operator action, AC/DC power, or additional water needed.
• The feedwater and steam exit valves will close in the event of an emergency situation, and a secondary set of valves will open to depressurize steam from the reactor core into the containment vessel surrounding the reactor.[4]
• Natural circulation for normal operation eliminates the need for large primary piping and reactor coolant pumps.
• Each NPM houses approximately 5 percent of the nuclear fuel of a conventional 1,000 MWe nuclear reactor.

Sabotage
• NPMs are submerged in a below-grade pool of water housed in a Seismic Category 1, aircraft impact resistant building that serves as the ultimate heat sink for core cooling.

## Waste Management[edit]

Same as existing Pressurized Water Reactors.

## Weapons Proliferation[edit]

Same as existing Pressurized Water Reactors.

## Cost[edit]

Specs for a 500MWe plant:
Plant cost per KW (including building but not land, permits or licensing):[5]
Operating cost per KWh (including fuel and maintenance):
Initial fuel load:
Fuel consumption per day:

## Notes and References[edit]

1. ↑ NuScale Media Resources
2. ↑ NuScale SMR Factsheet
3. ↑ NuScale Status Report IAEA ARIS Database 2020.
4. ↑ NuAtlas.com 01 Aug 2022
5. ↑ $20K per kW, according to The NuScale Debacle Jack Devanney, Feb 2023.