CONCERNING SOME ISSUES OF SMALL MODULAR REACTORS (SMR) IMPLEMENTATION IN UKRAINE
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32782/geotech2024.38.07Keywords:
water-water small modular reactors, safety and economic indicators, radioactive waste, site selection.Abstract
Abstract. The interest to low-power reactors (SMRs) is growing in many countries. SMR developers consider their application quite promising from many points of view. The growing demand for energy security and low-carbon energy in the context of the climate changes approaches the reality of SMR application. Being composed of separate modules and factory-constructed, SMRs show the promise of significant cost reduction. SMRs can also be used for heat providing for industrial processes, hydrogen production and water desalination. In this regard, balanced and objective information on advances in SMR design and technology development trends is needed by all countries considering application of SMRs. More than seventy SMR projects are under development worldwide. Various types of SMRs are being developed: water cooled, high temperature gas cooled, fast neutron, molten salt and microreactors. The majority of SMRs are in the early stages of design. SMR concepts based on the pressurized water-water reactor technology are in the late stage of design and on the highest levels of technological readiness for deployment. The prospects for the development of water-water SMR technologies have been analyzed based on the published data. The analysis included NuScale (iPWR), SMR-160, Westinghouse SMR, UK SMR advantages and disadvantages, conceptual approaches, characteristics of SF and RW generated during operation and decommissioning, and the existing regulatory documents regarding the selection of sites and disposal of the radioactive waste. Evaluating the prospects for the application of SMR technologies in Ukraine, priority should be given to the water-water projects.
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