Integrated approach to advanced reactor operations

Several advanced Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) are in various stages of design and commercialization. These could be critical in ensuring future clean, reliable, and autonomous energy for buildings, transportation, and domestic water use in the United States. Generation trends are shifting with increased penetration of solar and wind. Fossil sources are still major contributors with coal slowly phasing out. Nuclear plants are aging and currently account for 20% of total electricity. Our future grid will be challenged with managing the dynamic production of renewables, electric vehicle penetration, and urbanization. This also creates market opportunities for SMRs. Operation and control of SMRs is potentially substantively different from current reactors. New advanced reactors incorporate more passive safety. and modern control systems increase susceptibility to cyber risks. SMRs will need to be cost competitive with competing technologies and optimizing operations and maintenance costs will be critical to adoption. Here we put forward strategies for the design, operation, and management of SMRs over their projected lifecycle. Advanced reactors being designed today may not become operational for another 10 to 20 years and would run for 40 or even 60 years. The specified control systems are at risk of obsolescence before the plants have a chance of going critical.