Introduction to Terrestrial Energy
• Terrestrial Energy
• Commercializing a SMR for 2020s deployment
– Cost-competitive with fossil fuel combustion
– Ideal for industrial heat and SMR markets
• Technology – next generation Molten Salt Reactor (“MSR”)
• Proprietary MSR design – the Integral Molten Salt Reactor (“IMSR™”)
• High technology readiness
• Conducting basic/preliminary engineering work
– Concludes with construction and licensing of the first commercial IMSR power plant (400 MWth reactor)
• IMSR development and deployment
• Supported by power utility industry and senior executives, industrial companies, environmentalists and the Canadian Government and DOE
• Commenced VDR with Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (“CNSC”)
– First MSR vendor to commence regulatory process
• Terrestrial Energy is a leading advanced reactor developer in a fast developing cleantech sector
Advantages of Molten Salt Reactors
• Safety
• Enhanced ability for passive decay heat removal
• Inherent Stability from strong negative reactivity coefficients
• Low pressure and no chemical driving force
• Caesium and Iodine stable within the fuel salt
• Reduced Capital Cost
• Inherent safety can simplify entire facility
• Low pressure, high thermal efficiency, superior coolants (smaller pumps, heat exchangers). No complex refuelling mechanisms
• Long Lived Waste Issues
• Ideal system for consuming existing transuranic wastes
• Even MSR-Burners can close fuel cycle and see almost no transuranics going to waste
• Resource Sustainability and Low Fuel Cycle Cost
• Thorium breeders obvious but MSR-Burners also very efficient on uranium use
Terrestrial Energy Integral Molten Salt Reactor
• LEU fueled MSR-Burner design like the 1980 DMSR
• Integrates all primary systems into a sealed reactor Core unit
• 7 year Core unit “Seal and Swap” approach to graphite lifetime
• Shorter lifetime for vessel and HX simplify qualification
• Planned as 400 MWth (~ 192 MWe)
• Alternate salt and new off gas system
• New passive decay heat removal in situ without dump tanks
• Safety at forefront which leads to cost innovation
In-situ Decay heat removal – New Innovation
• Freeze Valve and Dump Tank the “traditional” approach
• Results in unwanted lower penetrations and regulator likely to
assume failure to drain is possible
• IMSR approach has long been in-situ decay heat removal
• Convection and natural circulation brings decay heat to vessel wall
• Radiant transfer to Guard Vessel (Guard=Containment)
• 700 C surface 9x radiant heat compared to 300 C
• From there, water jacket options or PRISM type RVACS
• Reactor Vessel Auxiliary Cooling System
Terrestrial Energy’s new “IRVACS”
• IMSR utilizes a new innovative concept, proving extremely robust
• Basic concept is a closed cycle innovation of RVACS that retains a further barrier to the outside world
• New “Internal” RVACS or IRVACS moves heat by a closed cycle flow of nitrogen to a false roof acting as a large heat exchanger above the structural roof
• “Fails Better” If roof penetrated, outside air improves performance
• Modeling (including 140 million mesh CFD) showing excellent behavior for even most severe accident scenarios of losing all secondary heat transfer
Challenges solves with IMSR
• “Sealed for life” offers enormous regulatory advantages to accelerate development
• Airborne release risk during graphite swap eliminated
• Long cool down time before moving unit
• Material lifetime and corrosion issues greatly eased
• Good fuel economy on Once Through
• Future recycling to “close” fuel cycle and improve fuel economy commercially attractive
• Offers obvious “razor blade” analogy of continuous sales to attract industrial partners
Brian Wang is a Futurist Thought Leader and a popular Science blogger with 1 million readers per month. His blog Nextbigfuture.com is ranked #1 Science News Blog. It covers many disruptive technology and trends including Space, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Medicine, Anti-aging Biotechnology, and Nanotechnology.
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A frequent speaker at corporations, he has been a TEDx speaker, a Singularity University speaker and guest at numerous interviews for radio and podcasts. He is open to public speaking and advising engagements.