Staff Minimization Strategy For Micro Reactors

The means to achieve decarbonization of all economic sectors are an open question of difficult resolution. For example, remote communities and industrial or mining activities detached from the main electric grid heavily rely on fossil fuels, diesel fuel in particular, for heat and power production. A combination of renewables and energy storage is often unfeasible, due to the climate conditions and maintenance challenges typical of those locations. Urban and industrial micro-grids with combined heat and power also are often unsuitable for renewable energy source solutions due to their intermittency and large land requirements Until now fossil fuels have been the solution of choice. In a historic period in which carbon emissions were not of concern and fossil fuels were quite inexpensive and broadly available, the main advantage of nuclear power was limited to its independence from the need to transport and store high amounts of fuels onsite, with organizational, security, and economic benefits deriving from it. However, the nuclear industry has now a historic opportunity to bring the concept of very small reactors with a flexible purpose from the ideation phase to commercialization, and potentially transform the energy sector for decades to come. Modern materials and instrumentation and controls can support the development of compact and reliable plug-and-play nuclear reactors with low and predictable maintenance needs and very low probability of consequential accidents. Moreover, automated decision making enabling autonomous operation can help lower the need for human operators, thus reducing the cost of the energy products. These very small nuclear reactors are generally referred to as micro-reactors and have a thermal power output of less than 20 MW. To move further from the prototype to the commercialization phase, micro-reactors need a strong business case. In fact, fossil fuels are still relatively inexpensive and in the near-term carbon credits will continue to be available to virtually compensate for the emissions. Thus, the energy price at which micro-reactors will compete is uncertain and depends on the application, the location served, the fossil fuel costs and the carbon credits prices. One of the positive aspects of micro-reactors is that, compared to fossil fuel power generators, their fuel costs are a much smaller share of the total cost. Thus, once a reactor is built, the cost of the energy it produces tends to be more predictable and stable than with fossil fuel power generators. This can be a valuable feature for customers and investors, who can make more accurate predictions on the future economic viability of their energy assets. In this study, we have focused on operation and maintenance cost, and in particular on whether it is possible to optimize the number (and thus the cost) of two kinds of staff: maintenance workers and plant operators. In particular, we have investigated whether and how, with the aid of proper technologies, it is possible to reduce onsite staff while relying on a fleet-type centralized service business unit that shares the staff among multiple reactors and locations. This staff organization is completely different from current nuclear power plant operating experience and brings micro-reactors closer to the model of operation and maintenance of small aero-derivative gas turbines and similar small transportable 'plug-and-play' power units. In particular, we identify a reference staffing scenario, which represents the minimum staffing level that has to be present onsite to allow the micro-reactor to operate with limited offsite assistance and thus similarly to the current fleet of large nuclear power plants. Then, we identify the optimal staffing scenario, which should be the eventual goal for micro-reactors operation. In this case, no personnel are permanently onsite, the reactor operation is monitored remotely and maintenance workers go onsite only for programmed activities. We then describe the enabling technologies for this second scenario: autonomous operation, remote monitoring and predictive maintenance. We finally estimate the cost of the personnel and the technologies, and make cost comparisons. In this report, we show that the change in staff organization from onsite personnel to offsite personnel could translate to an annual cost saving of ~25% for these two operation and maintenance (O&M) invoices. We also argue that relying more on the use of technology for plant health monitoring will also mean a higher degree of safety. Ultimately, to move from a traditional fully-manned, onsite personnel approach to an unmanned, remote personnel approach, a robust operating experience and the approval from the regulator will be needed. It will be important to achieve a high level of confidence on the reliability of the installed technology and a solid understanding of possible malfunctions and failure modes that may arise. Finally, it will be important to achieve an appropriate confidence level among the population with regards to these new O&M approaches.

This book highlights recently discovered aspects of “middle-size molecules,” focusing on (1) their unique bio-functions on the basis of derivatives and conjugates of natural products, saccharides, peptides, and nucleotides; (2) the synthesis of structurally complex natural products; (3) special synthetic methods for π-conjugated functional molecules; and (4) novel synthetic methods using flow chemistry. Given its scope, the book is of interest to industrial researchers and graduate students in the fields of organic chemistry, medicinal chemistry, and materials science.

This book looks at Generation IV (GEN IV) nuclear reactor design and the technology known as nuclear micro reactors that is currently under development. Coverage includes the advantages of nuclear micro reactor applications as sources of renewable energy, their use in military applications and Department of Defense requirements, and the nuclear industry’s trend toward the design of small and micro reactors. Nuclear micro reactor safety, security issues, and cost concerns are also explored. The book will provide scientists, engineers, and students with valuable guidance on the fundamentals needed to understand the research and development of the next generation of nuclear technologies.

The Nuclear Scholars Initiative is a signature program run by the Project on Nuclear Issues (PONI) at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)—to engage emerging nuclear experts in thoughtful and informed debate over how to best address the nuclear community’s most pressing problems. The papers included in this volume comprise research from participants in the 2020 Nuclear Scholars Initiative. These papers explore a variety of topics such as the future of arms-control treaties, the role of artificial intelligence and cyber resilience in nuclear security, and the role of regional dynamics in nuclear security.

February issue includes Appendix entitled Directory of United States Government periodicals and subscription publications; September issue includes List of depository libraries; June and December issues include semiannual index

This edition of 'Micro Process Engineering' was originally published in the successful series 'Advanced Micro & Nanosystems'. Authors from leading industrial players and research institutions present a concise and didactical introduction to Micro Process Engineering, the combination of microtechnology and process engineering into a most promising and powerful tool for revolutionizing chemical processes and industrial mass production of bulk materials, fine chemicals, pharmaceuticals and many other products. The book takes the readers from the fundamentals of engineering methods, transport processes, and fluid dynamics to device conception, simulation and modelling, control interfaces and issues of modularity and compatibility. Fabrication strategies and techniques are examined next, focused on the fabrication of suitable microcomponents from various materials such as metals, polymers, silicon, ceramics and glass. The book concludes with actual applications and operational aspects of micro process systems, giving broad coverage to industrial efforts in America, Europe and Asia as well as laboratory equipment and education.

Countering Cyber Sabotage: Introducing Consequence-Driven, Cyber-Informed Engineering (CCE) introduces a new methodology to help critical infrastructure owners, operators and their security practitioners make demonstrable improvements in securing their most important functions and processes. Current best practice approaches to cyber defense struggle to stop targeted attackers from creating potentially catastrophic results. From a national security perspective, it is not just the damage to the military, the economy, or essential critical infrastructure companies that is a concern. It is the cumulative, downstream effects from potential regional blackouts, military mission kills, transportation stoppages, water delivery or treatment issues, and so on. CCE is a validation that engineering first principles can be applied to the most important cybersecurity challenges and in so doing, protect organizations in ways current approaches do not. The most pressing threat is cyber-enabled sabotage, and CCE begins with the assumption that well-resourced, adaptive adversaries are already in and have been for some time, undetected and perhaps undetectable. Chapter 1 recaps the current and near-future states of digital technologies in critical infrastructure and the implications of our near-total dependence on them. Chapters 2 and 3 describe the origins of the methodology and set the stage for the more in-depth examination that follows. Chapter 4 describes how to prepare for an engagement, and chapters 5-8 address each of the four phases. The CCE phase chapters take the reader on a more granular walkthrough of the methodology with examples from the field, phase objectives, and the steps to take in each phase. Concluding chapter 9 covers training options and looks towards a future where these concepts are scaled more broadly.

Presents general aspects of microreaction technology. Discusses in detail microfabrication techniques, micromixers, micro heat exchangers, microseparation systems, micosystems for liquid and gas phase reactions, gas/liquid microreactors, and microsystems for energy generation, catalyst, and material screening.