Westinghouse ready for mass production of eVinci nuclear microreactors

Westinghouse Electric has completed the operations necessary to begin mass production of its advanced eVinci nuclear microreactors. She submitted a package of documents to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to expedite approval of the application to begin mass production of the units. According to Westinghouse’s plans, by the beginning of 2030, many of the company’s microreactors will be installed around the world, which will help ensure climate change.

Image source: Westinghouse Electric

Compact nuclear reactors should become a more preferable alternative to the construction of full-scale nuclear power units. Small reactors are almost like batteries. They are easily replaced or easily reloaded because they are compact enough to fit into a standard shipping container for shipment to and from a remanufacturing facility. A single load of safe nuclear fuel will be enough for more than 8 years of reactor operation, after which it can be replaced with the same one, or new fuel can be loaded into it.

The outer diameter of the Westinghouse eVinci microreactor is less than 3 m. The reactor maintenance complex is built in the shortest possible time – in a year or less on a modest area of ​​​​about 8000 m2. Everything is located on the surface with a minimum number of service personnel who will not require special qualifications. Automation will do most of the work. The people’s task is to monitor the general situation on the site.

The eVinci microreactor is an extremely simple design with no moving parts. Heat from the decay of nuclear fuel is transferred to a monolithic steel frame, from which it is passively removed using heat pipes filled with alkali metals. Almost like cooling a processor with a heatpipe cooler. The heat is then recovered in an electricity generator and in a space heating system. The possibility of an accident and leakage of radioactive material is minimized or even completely eliminated.

The thermal power of the eVinci reactor reaches 15 MW. Its electrical power is 5 MW. It is a source of heat and electricity for small towns, remote military bases, data centers, geological parties and a convenient buffer for power plants using renewable energy sources. Westinghouse used space technology to develop the microreactor and also expects eVinci reactors or its successors to continue operating beyond the Earth’s atmosphere – on the Moon, Mars and in outer space.

But space is the next stage. For now, Westinghouse intends to capture a significant share of the microreactor market on Earth. There are agreements to locate these installations in Canada and Eastern Europe. The only thing left to do is to obtain the necessary package of documents from the national regulator. The recent submission of the Preliminary Safety Design Report (PSDR) for the eVinci microreactor to the regulator was an important milestone towards the commercialization of this facility. Next will be the approval and start of production of installations, which should quickly appear in many parts of our planet.

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