Scaling siting criteria and identifying alternative licensing pathways for micro-reactors within the existing regulatory framework

Abstract

Micro-reactors are a relatively recent subset of Gen IV reactors currently being developed, and due to their design features (i.e., no refueling onsite, easily transported, and mass produced), micro-reactors have the potential to tap into broader markets never accessed before by the nuclear sector such as micro-grids, industrial heat generation, containerized farming, electric vehicle (EV) charging - to mention a few. Micro-reactors are a magnitude smaller than small modular reactors in terms of thermal power output and utilize alternative coolant systems such as heat pipes. More importantly, micro-reactors are slated to utilize, non-traditional (i.e., low enriched uranium) fuels in significantly smaller quantities than the existing reactor feet in the United States. As a result, the existing regulatory framework and siting criteria are largely unsuited for micro-reactors, and in order for micro-reactors to enter these markets, proper regulatory requirements and siting criteria must be established. Doing so would improve the siting flexibility is important because these broader markets tend to be near or within large population centers. In this thesis we present an argument for scaling micro-reactor criteria and requirements to reflect those of research reactors specifically for deployment in densely populated urban environments. Our findings reflect a systematic examination of the design bases and regulatory environments for both power and non-power reactors. In the process of doing so, we identify key issues and their outlines for taking policy actions within the existing regulatory framework. Moreover, we find that the main difference be tween a commercial micro-reactor and a research reactor is simply the end destination of their products, which should not warrant a substantially different regulatory treatment of the two classes of reactors.