2 thoughts on “PBS Newshour on Small Modular Reactors”
Even though the name SMR (Small Modular Reactor) is used here, the fuel ball (shown at time 2:23) indicates that this is also a pebble bed reactor. When you place uranium fuel inside a graphite ball (also called a pebble), it means that a reactor meltdown is much more difficult. The melting point of uranium is ~ 1,100 C while the melting point of graphite is ~ 3600 C. So if the uranium were to melt, it would remain contained inside the graphite package. This would prevent melting Uranium puddles from running together into a bigger mass (which could trigger a runaway). Good news!
There is no doubt that engineers have learned a lot in 50 years of reactor development.
No doubt a number of these reactors will be built. They are at best 7 to 10 years away at any scale.
Meanwhile, solar, wind and batteries are the only non-fossil game in town.
Remains to be seen if SMRs are still competitive in 2035, as renewable tech keeps evolving, with the
possible wild card of advanced geo-thermal.
Even though the name SMR (Small Modular Reactor) is used here, the fuel ball (shown at time 2:23) indicates that this is also a pebble bed reactor. When you place uranium fuel inside a graphite ball (also called a pebble), it means that a reactor meltdown is much more difficult. The melting point of uranium is ~ 1,100 C while the melting point of graphite is ~ 3600 C. So if the uranium were to melt, it would remain contained inside the graphite package. This would prevent melting Uranium puddles from running together into a bigger mass (which could trigger a runaway). Good news!
There is no doubt that engineers have learned a lot in 50 years of reactor development.
No doubt a number of these reactors will be built. They are at best 7 to 10 years away at any scale.
Meanwhile, solar, wind and batteries are the only non-fossil game in town.
Remains to be seen if SMRs are still competitive in 2035, as renewable tech keeps evolving, with the
possible wild card of advanced geo-thermal.