Energy

eVinci nuclear microreactor moves towards commercialization

eVinci nuclear microreactor moves towards commercialization
The eVinci microreactor
The eVinci microreactor
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The eVinci microreactor
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The eVinci microreactor
Cutaway of eVinci microreactor
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Cutaway of eVinci microreactor
eVinci microreactor fuel rod
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eVinci microreactor fuel rod
Diagram showing scale of eVinci microreactor
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Diagram showing scale of eVinci microreactor
Applications of eVinci microreactor
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Applications of eVinci microreactor
eVinci microreactor requires only a small installation
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eVinci microreactor requires only a small installation
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Westinghouse Electric Company is advancing its revolutionary eVinci nuclear microreactor. Based on space nuclear technology, it boasts a tiny footprint, no moving parts, and can be swapped out for refueling, much like replacing a used gas bottle.

In the wake of climate change concerns, nuclear energy is experiencing a resurgence. With its zero-emissions principle and ability to generate large amounts of power, it can address many of the challenges facing the energy sector. However, the nuclear industry must overcome issues related to safety (perceived or otherwise), availability, and cost, while also significantly speeding up the construction process, which traditionally takes years.

Westinghouse's solution is the eVinci microreactor, which is less than 10 ft (3 m) in diameter and generates up to 5 megawatt electrical (MWe) with a 15 megawatt thermal (MWth) core design. This compact setup can be manufactured in a factory rather than on-site, and it runs for over eight years on a single fueling. When the fuel is depleted, the entire reactor is shut down, loaded onto a truck, and returned to the factory for refueling or replacement with a new reactor.

eVinci

What sets the eVinci apart from other small reactors is that it has no moving parts once in normal operation and requires no water or other coolant circulation.

It uses highly robust TRISO (TRi-structural ISOtropic) fuel, which consists of uranium enriched to 19.75%, sealed into pellets the size of millet seeds made of uranium, carbon, and ceramic. These pellets are combined into small spheres that are then packed into rods and inserted into the core. The result is a fuel assembly that is extremely durable, resistant to heat and corrosion, and produces a self-limiting nuclear reaction that cannot go out of control.

In addition to the fuel rods, there are shutdown rods inserted during transport to halt the nuclear reaction entirely. A rotating drum must also be moved aside for the core to activate. In an emergency, this drum passively rolls back into place to shut everything down.

Cutaway of eVinci microreactor
Cutaway of eVinci microreactor

In short, once everything is operational, no moving parts are needed to keep the reactor running, including the cooling system. Instead of circulating water, air, helium, or molten salts, the reactor uses a solid-steel monolith to house the core and absorb heat. From there, alkali heat pipes passively conduct the heat away using phase changes in the alkali metal to cool the reactor and convert the heat into electricity.

The result is a compact, inherently safe design. Westinghouse claims the eVinci can be set up above ground in a relatively lightweight plant that requires only about two acres (8,090 m²) and needs only a small staff for operations and security. The core is small enough to be shipped in standard containers by rail, barge, or truck.

Beyond civilian power generation, Westinghouse says the eVinci is also suitable for powering remote locations, mining and drilling operations, industrial facilities, district heating, hydrogen generation, research, military bases, and data centers. It can also be configured for on-demand loads, allowing it to integrate with wind and solar power grids.

The company says it has submitted a Preliminary Safety Design Report (PSDR) for the eVinci microreactor to the Department of Energy's (DOE) National Reactor Innovation Center (NRIC), marking a milestone for the device.

"This PSDR submission is a critical step towards bringing the Westinghouse eVinci Microreactor to commercial operation," said Jon Ball, President of eVinci Technologies at Westinghouse. "We are targeting the deployment of multiple eVinci microreactors worldwide by the end of the decade, and our strong, continued partnership with INL and the Department of Energy is instrumental to our efforts."

Source: Westinghouse

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23 comments
23 comments
guzmanchinky
Aaaaand cue the people who have watched too many movies to shoot this idea down...
CarolynFarstrider
Am I the only one to whom the idea of a small nuclear reactor with easily swappable components and parts frequently being transported around the country sounds like a recipe for a disaster?
martinwinlow
@ guzmanchinky - Or cue the people with a slightly more practical grasp of reality to point out the myriad of fundamental issues that will have to be overcome to make this work (in anything more than an horrendously expensive niche way - Roll Royce and their SMRs having already failed to get this general idea to float) - just like hydrogen, in fact.

Meanwhile, PV remains the cheapest (and getting ever more cheap) means to generate electricity - closely followed by wind - and battery technology continues to advance at a meteoric pace providing the ‘missing link’ to an entirely realistic, affordable and clean sustainable energy future for *all* humanity.
Jezzafool
Unless I missed it (and/or I've mis-understood), what happens to the spent fuel?
Brian M
'produces a self-limiting nuclear reaction that cannot go out of control.'
Now what could go wrong with that!

Sadly its things you forget or unaware of that more often than not cause the issue!
TechGazer
Could it work with thorium fuel, and would that reduce the waste problem (shorter half-life or whatever) and terrorism potential?

It might have a valid use as emergency power, such as needed after a disaster. You can't set up a solar farm or wind farm as quickly as this unit. You could restore power for critical services in a hurricane-damaged city quite quickly by transporting a few of these.

I wouldn't be surprised if it was economically viable except for insurance, which might kill it for general use.
jerryd
I've been watching these inherently safe reactors for yrs and now there are at least 5 likely viable ones getting ready for production.

These will be best for large ships, mines, factories, cities for CHP but a lot depends on the cost. With mass production in a factory really helps that.
BanisterJH
Micro reactors could be very useful for Ukraine. A less centralized grid with more points of generation could be significantly less vulnerable to widespread outages caused by Russia attacking single points of failure.
Owen Craig
“Here’s the one-sentence case for nuclear power: It’s the only carbon-free energy source that can reliably deliver power day and night, through every season, almost anywhere on earth, that has been proven to work on a large scale.” Bill Gates

The entire civilian nuclear power industry, in its entire history, has only directly caused +/-125 deaths and +/-4,000 total related health issues.

Meanwhile +/-4,000,000 people die every single year due to air pollution.

A single person would require about a wine bottle sized amount of Low Enriched Uranium with current rector designs to supply ALL their electrical needs for their ENTIRE life. With the volume of the cork represents the total amount of the nastiest radioactive stuff that would need to be buried in deep geological repositories. The remainder can be upcycled in fast breeder reactors.

Chyanne Mountain contains enough nuclear material that can be upcycled in fast breeder reactors to power the all the electrical needs of the entire United States for +/-120yrs...for everyone. Sure it costs a lot to do this but...that is still an amazing thing to get your head around.
jsopr
A nice sunny valley in that video. More than enough for 5MW of solar, with no nuclear waste to dispose of, and minimal infrastructure construction needed.
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