▶ Date: 2022.04.01(FRI)

▶ Time: 10:00AM ~ 11:00AM

▶ Speaker: Prof. Michael Corradini(University of Wisconsin-Madison)

▶ Title: FUTURE OF NUCLEAR POWER – ADVANCED REACTORS

▶ Abstract:

Since the 1960s, the growth of nuclear energy used to produce low carbon electricity has been notable, and it now accounts for 20 percent of the electricity produced in the United States, 25 percent in Europe and 10 percent worldwide. Over 90 percent of the 442 plants in operation worldwide are light water reactors (LWRs). LWRs have evolved to be large (> 1 GWe) power plants requiring substantial field-construction efforts to assemble systems and structures. While these construction efforts have proven to be doable, schedule delays and associated capital cost overruns have been large in the United States and Europe. This has called into question the logic of building gigawatt scale nuclear power plants in certain regions. In addition, while the current LWRs have an excellent record of safety, major accidents like that at Fukushima-Daiichi have suggested that future nuclear power plant designs need to be more resistant to external hazards, and less dependent on operator actions using active safety systems. This has increased interest in smaller nuclear plant designs that incorporate advanced technologies with advanced safety systems. This talk examines the broad spectrum of advanced reactor technologies that are currently under development, including their design and safety attributes, fuels and materials development, and technology readiness and gaps.