Thermal Design of Small Modular Reactors in Northern Regions

DOI

10.2991/978-94-6463-258-3_18How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Small Modular Reactor (SMR); Permafrost; Heat Transfer

Abstract

Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) are increasingly recognized as safer and more flexible alternatives to conventional nuclear power plants in today’s industry. Their safety and flexibility, coupled with their lower time and capital investment requirements, make SMRs an ideal choice for clean energy in Canada’s remote communities. These communities are currently heavily dependent on fossil fuels, and transitioning to clean energy sources like SMRs will be essential for Canada to achieve its net-zero emissions target by 2050. However, the application of SMR technology in permafrost regions affected by climate change raises concerns. Permafrost degradation can cause serious deformations and settlements, which can result in elevated maintenance costs and reduced durability of SMR infrastructure. With a warming climate, the traditional civil engineering approach of assuming climate stationarity is unreliable for ensuring safe and durable infrastructure. Therefore, a non-stationary climatic approach must be considered. This article presents a heat transfer model for permafrost foundations and investigates the combined effects of heat loss via SMRs and global warming on permafrost degradation. By examining the interaction between SMRs and permafrost degradation, the article sheds light on the potential risks and challenges associated with the use of SMRs in permafrost regions.

Copyright

© 2023 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Mohammadhossein Afsharipour
AU  - Pooneh Maghoul
AU  - Najib Bouaanani
AU  - Richard Boudreault
PY  - 2023
DA  - 2023/11/08
TI  - Thermal Design of Small Modular Reactors in Northern Regions
BT  - Proceedings of the Rocscience International Conference  (RIC 2023)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 174
EP  - 180
SN  - 2589-4943
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6463-258-3_18
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6463-258-3_18
ID  - Afsharipour2023
ER  -