Enhancing Electric Grid, Critical Infrastructure, and Societal Resilience with Resilient Nuclear Power Plants (rNPPs)

Greene, S.R.

doi:10.1080/00295450.2018.1505357

Cited by 8 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…System resilience has been defined by the Federal Electric Regulatory Commission 62 as "the ability to withstand and reduce the magnitude and duration of disruptive events, which includes the capability to anticipate, adsorb, adapt to, and/or recover from disruptive events." Work by Greene 4,[63][64][65][66] has defined system resilience in terms of the following six defining functional capabilities; in italics is the impact of adding heat storage that separates the reactor from the power block:…”

Section: Viia Resiliencementioning

confidence: 99%

Separating Nuclear Reactors from the Power Block with Heat Storage to Improve Economics with Dispatchable Heat and Electricity

Forsberg

2021

Nuclear Technology

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Markets are changing as the result of (1) the addition of variable wind and solar that causes highly volatile electricity prices and (2) the goal of a low-carbon economy. These changes require economic low-carbon dispatchable electricity, which is now provided by natural gas turbines, and dispatchable heat for industry and commerce. Moreover, nuclear plant requirements have changed in the last 50 years with high capital costs in western countries. An alternative plant design is described with the nuclear island separated from a nonnuclear power block by large-scale heat storage. All heat from the reactor is sent to heat storage. The nuclear reactor operates at base load and is sized to meet average energy demand over a period of days. Heat storage provides variable heat to industry and/or the power block. The nonnuclear power block is sized to provide peak electricity capacity (kilowatts) several times the nuclear reactor base-load power output to maximize revenue by sale of electricity at times of high prices. The power block capital cost (heat exchanger, turbine, and generator) per unit of generating capacity (kilowatt) is less than a conventional gas turbine that includes heat generation (compressor and burner) and the power block (turbine and generator). Nuclear reactor capital cost is reduced by fewer requirements on the nuclear system (not connected to the grid) and nuclear-quality construction for only the reactor. Operating costs (security, maintenance, etc.) are minimized by separation of the nuclear reactor plant from balance of plant. Low-cost heat storage provides a competitive economic advantage to heat-generating technologies (nuclear, concentrated solar power) over electricity-generating technologies (wind, solar, photovoltaic) with more-expensive battery or other electricity storage systems in providing dispatchable electricity to the grid.

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Section: Viia Resiliencementioning

confidence: 99%

Separating Nuclear Reactors from the Power Block with Heat Storage to Improve Economics with Dispatchable Heat and Electricity

Forsberg

2021

Nuclear Technology

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“…Since then there has been a growing interest annually for the collaborative development of the advancement of this technology (Serp et al, 2014) on the basis of its intrinsic safety features, robust reactivity control and the potential sustainability of its fuel cycle. According to Greene (2018), these benefits potentially extend to having an intrinsic reactor energy storage capacity, which could support electric grid resilience for critical infrastructure (Greene, 2019). In 2004, joint R&D was established on a provisional basis by the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom), France and the USA (Gen-IV International Forum, 2007a) with focus on improving fuel separation and reprocessing technology (Uhlíř, 2007).…”

Section: Renewed Interestmentioning

confidence: 99%

The potential impact of Molten Salt Reactors on the UK electricity grid

Denbow

Brun

Dowell

et al. 2020

Journal of Cleaner Production

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“…Two rPP Attributes would be manifested in six rPP Functional Requirements defined in Table 1 (Greene 2018c). The six qualitative functional requirements are a reasoned and carefully‐crafted set of requirements rooted in a the perspective that power generation facility is a servant of the Grid.…”

Section: Towards Resilient Power Plants (Rpps)—non‐nuclear and Nuclearmentioning

confidence: 99%

How Nuclear Power Can Transform Electric Grid and Critical Infrastructure Resilience

Greene¹

2020

Journal of Critical Infrastructure Policy

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No element of a nation's Critical Infrastructure (CI) is more essential than the electric Grid—the system that generates and delivers electricity to power homes, businesses, industry, other Critical Infrastructure, and a nation's Strategic Asset Supply Chains (SASCs). Grid resilience—the Grid's ability to anticipate, absorb, adapt to, and recover from major disruptions, and to rapidly restore electric service in the wake of them—is a matter of paramount importance. This paper examines the potential for nuclear power (and particularly the development of a new generation of resilient Nuclear Power Plants, or “rNPPS”) to transform Grid, CI, and SASC resilience via deployment of rNPPs in resilient Critical Infrastructure Islands, or “rCIIs.” The nature of society's dependence on electricity and the Grid that generates and delivers electricity to consumers is briefly examined. The scope of natural hazards and malevolent human threats to the Grid are summarized. The concept of Grid resilience is next introduced. The role of current‐generation nuclear power plants in the Grid and in achieving Grid resilience is assessed. The two defining attributes and Six Functional Requirements of resilient Power Plants (rPPs) and resilient Nuclear Power Plants (rNPPs) are presented. Next, the results of a small survey and preliminary evaluation of the resilience attributes of some new Small Modular Reactor (SMR) and Micro Modular Reactor (MMR) nuclear power plant concepts are described. It is concluded that some SMR and MMR concepts are likely to exhibit some or all of the Six Functional Requirements of rNPPs. Barriers to development and deployment of rCIIs and rNPPs are briefly summarized. Finally, a few recommendations for efforts that can refine our understanding of the efficacy of rNPPs and rCIIs, and enable their development and deployment, are offered.

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Enhancing Electric Grid, Critical Infrastructure, and Societal Resilience with Resilient Nuclear Power Plants (rNPPs)

Cited by 8 publications

References 18 publications

Separating Nuclear Reactors from the Power Block with Heat Storage to Improve Economics with Dispatchable Heat and Electricity

Separating Nuclear Reactors from the Power Block with Heat Storage to Improve Economics with Dispatchable Heat and Electricity

The potential impact of Molten Salt Reactors on the UK electricity grid

How Nuclear Power Can Transform Electric Grid and Critical Infrastructure Resilience

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