Renewable Alternative to Small Modular (nuclear) Reactors
COMMODITY CAPERS: There’s been much chat around of late concerning Small Modular (nuclear) Reactors (SMRs), but what exactly are they and is there a renewable alternative?
In a 2020 posting on the Australia’s Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) web page, the government department described SMRs as “modular” simply because one unit can be assembled next to another and scaled up or down to meet local electricity needs.
SMRs are also said to be designed to “plug in” to existing power networks, which is what has given rise to their consideration as a power source as they are supposed to replace an aging power station with a “modern, reliable, and zero-emissions power source”.
Their notoriety grew when US company NuScale Power emerged as a front runner in the technology with it anticipated to be on the way of producing the first SMR to win a license from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission for construction.
Things got off to a flying start for the company in 2020 when the US Department of Energy approved $1.35 billion over 10 years for the plant, known as the Carbon Free Power Project.
NuScale was on the march having planned to develop a six-reactor 462 megawatt project with the Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems (UAMPS) and launch it in 2030, but as time went on and costs continued to rise, several towns pulled out of the project.
In November 2023, NuScale announced termination of the small modular reactor project.
A RENEWABLE ENERGY ALTERNATIVE EXISTS
Renewable energy storage plays a couple of fiddles down from second to renewable energy generation.
Boffins at the university of Newcastle in New South Wales decided there should be a bridging of that void and commenced working on technology that what was to become the basis for MGA Thermal.
MGA Thermal created a patented material it called ‘miscibility gaps alloys’ (MGA), using which it can build blocks that can store excess energy generated by renewable power stations.
The real smarts of the technology is that it could also be deployed in retired coal-fired power stations.
And, unlike nuclear fuelled power, there is no residual waste as the MGA blocks, when spent can be recycled to make new MGA blocks.
The MGA blocks are designed utilising two key materials.
Tiny metal alloy particles are dispersed through a matrix material that melt as the blocks are heated and energy is absorbed.
At the same time matrix material remains solid and keeps the molten particles in place.
The energy is stored in the solid-to-liquid phase change and is released as the blocks cool and the particles become solid again.
MGA Blocks are used in Thermal Energy Storage Systems (TESS) which deliver continuous high temperature heat or electricity that is safe, low cost, sustainable and high capacity.
TESS enables a scalable means of firming variable renewable generation into a highly reliable and versatile supply of process heat, heat & power (cogeneration) or steam for electricity generation.
The system has minimal need for expensive capital equipment making it a good fit for power station retrofits as the MGA Storage can seamlessly plug into existing electricity generation infrastructure allowing for ultra-low carbon energy storage.
The system can simultaneously charge and discharge, enabling a continuous 24/7 discharge of renewable energy.
MGA Thermal has received funding from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) for a demonstration plant.
MGA Thermal hopes the plant will validate the technical performance of its TES technology under a variety of end-use case simulations and demonstrate the potential role that TES technology could play in the Australian energy market including for dispatchable electricity and process heat.