SMR’s and Electrical Grid

Interregional Training Course on Electrical Grid Considerations and

Interactions with a Nuclear Power Plant,
Argonne, June 3 –7 2019

Philippe Lebreton
SMR’s and Electrical Systems

• Electrical Markets and SMR’s

• SMR’s and Power Systems
• Grid Connection
• Criterion to Assess Appropriateness of
SMR’s
• Developers / Vendors Issues

Sources for figures, drawings, pictures, tables and illustrations are from internet 2
Electrical Markets and SMR’s 1/2

• “BBR’s” (Big Block Reactors) are more profitable than

smaller due to scale effect..
• If construction is on schedule and costs on budget
• If load factor meets target in a sustainable manner.
• Since a decade, many SMR (< 300MW) projects are
developed due to :
• Low capital investment compared to BBR’s
• Need to service small electricity grids
• Larger Siting and operational flexibility
• Gain efficiency when coupled with other systems
• Possible specific industrial applications (marine, oil & gas prospection,
high temperature chemistry, isolated mines..)
• There is a impressive diversity of designs
• On boat, in submarine, on or off shore, in pool, single/multiple ..
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Electrical Markets and SMR’s 2/2

• For power generation, SMR’s seem appropriate

for:
• Power systems limited by size or markets
• Isolated sites because on-site nuclear fuel can be considered as
energy storage
• Projects requesting moderate capital
• Drivers to assess SMR’s appropriateness are combining :
• Economics factors (LCOE, Construction risk coverage..)
• Technical capabilities (power, energy, reliability, flexibility..)
• Energy management at power system level (back up of renewable
intermittent energy,..)
• And of course social, environment, international, regulatory factors..

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Data compiled from public sources and University of Chicago 2011 5
SMR’s and Power Systems 1/2

• What are the competitors of SMR’s?

• Small => SMR’s scale competes with gas fired units (50 MW to 600
MW)
• Modular => Several reactors can be grouped on one site to
compete with gas or coal fired plants. They can be installed far
away from conventional primary energy sources.
• Reactors => SMR’s bring flexibility to optimize power and heat
generation. SMR’s are competing with conventional gas turbines
and boilers

• SMR’s need to perform and

to be flexible as gas/coal
fired units
• Difference in
CO2 taxation (+) and in
decommissioning (-)
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Source: Institute for
Energy and the Environment
Vermont Law School,
Yale University, US 2014

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SMR’s and Power Systems 3/3

• Development of SMR’s requires specific design for

turbines and generators :
• Optimizing coordination of reactor and CI => Iterative engineering
process driven by grid requirements and by new technologies (plate
SG,..)
• Integrating modularity concept for construction as well as for
operation.

Example of CI design inputs for feasibility study:

• Electrical power : 150 MW Reactor rated power : 540 MW

• Vapor flow : 320 kg/s SG pressure : 40 bars
• Feed water temperature : 150 °C Steam generator reheat: + 25°C
• Condenser vacuum: 150 mbar Air condenser option

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 Grid Connection 1/2
• Design : SMR’s projects propose innovative passive safety systems requiring
less or no electrical power to cool down the decay heat, however:
• For long time operation after accident, the grid will always be the best off-site power source to power
monitoring and support systems.

Personal opinion: The grid connection policy of nuclear plants may be adapted to :
• Integrate the benefits provided by passive systems in terms of reduced
required power, absence of HV safety buses, power distribution simplification..

• Confirm application of SBO rule (NRC 10 CFR 50.63)

• The expected frequency of loss of offsite power; and
• The probable time needed to restore offsite power

• Confirm application of NRC 10 CFR 50 GDC-17

• Two independent sources of AC power of sufficient capacity and capability
• Onsite power sources together should meet single failure
• Provisions to minimize loss of electric power coincident with or as result from loss of power

SMR’s should have for their grid connection the same level of reliability,
availability, maintainability, observability, security as electrical systems of “BBR’s”

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Grid Connection 2/2
• Operation : As indicated before, grid requirements should
be same as or close to fossil fires units and applicable at
grid connection point.
• Except for reactive capability requirements for multiple units
• Warning : Small unit does not have necessarily better transient
stability
• A few indicative figures for active power grid performances:
• Power set point controlled +/- 1% Pmax (max electrical power)
• Power frequency control +/- 5% to 10% Pmax
• Automatic frequency control +/- 5 Pmax
• Ramp up 5% Pmax/min between 60% RTP and 100% RTP
• Ramp down 20% Pmax/min between 100% RTP and 60% RTP
• Automated load follow
• Load follow cycles 100%-x%-100% capable several times a day
• Note : Some SMR design propose to shut down units to comply with grid
requirements

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Assessing Appropriateness of SMR’s 1/4

Which key areas are helpful when assessing SMR’s

appropriateness for the electrical grid of a country?
• Country related factors
• Economical status and projected future of the country
• GDP, bank ratings, energy cost, nuclear share in the mix, ..
• Structure of power market and tendencies
• business model, (de)regulation, partners..
• Power system (data collection and master plan)
• Demand, generation, interconnectors, power quality,
• Evolution of grid, integration of renewables and other technologies..

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Assessing Appropriateness of SMR’s 2/4

 Project related factors

 CAPEX Plant owner
 OPEX Operator / Vendor
 Fuel cost Fuel Vendor
 WACC Plant Owner
 Construction duration Vendor/project company
 Power & efficiency Vendor / Operator
 Load factor Operator / Vendor
 Refueling cycle Vendor
 Lifetime Vendor / Operator
 Commissioning date Project Company/ Vendor

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Assessing Appropriateness of SMR’s 3/4

Other assessments are impacting projects and costs

• Possible connection points
• Near the candidate sites..
• Grid access
• grid code, deep/shallow cost, priority dispatch,..
• Simulation of future generation dispatch to assess position of SMR’s
in generation mix
• Based on evolution of demand and of generation mix
• Including renewable penetration and intermittency
• Run by year on 8760 * 24 * 2 points

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Assessing Appropriateness of SMR’s 4/4

• Evolution of power system

• Demand evolution
• D(yn+1 )= D(y0) * (1+ GDP) exp (yn-y0)
• Generation replacement
• Preplaced for year Y = Replacement rate (R%) * Installed P for year Y
• Replacement rate R% = 1 / SUM(generation type * lifetime by type)
• Power available for SMR’s
• Psmr = (Pstopped + P commissioned) * nucshare * SMR share4nuc

• Possible Grid Criterion

• Unit size
• Psmr < 0.1 * (Pinstall + Pint), Pint = Pinstall * Energy imported / Energy
generated
• Revenue (EIA forecast energy prices over 30 years)
• Revenue(y )> (Price/MWh(y) – Variable_cost/MWh(y)) * load_factor(y) * 8760
– Fixed_cost(y)
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 SMR’s and Electrical grid: (temporary)
Conclusions
• SMR’s family is large* : LWR, HTGR, Metal, Salt.. w/ plenty of
applications
• 3 operating, 5 under construction
• 9 for near term deployment
• 24 designs at early stages, 6 being developed
• EPRI URD and EUR documents are considering integrating user’s requirements
for SMR’s..
• Developers are imaginative and SMR’s users would take advantage to speak
louder

• So far, many feasibility studies do not detail the impact of the grid
requirements/constraints and their evolution on reactor/plant design:
• The assessment of the implementation of SMR’s in one country is restricted to
show stopper detection but the most critical point - profitability- is not clearly
addressed.
• Developers try to control SMR’s LCOE and try to embark utilities to care about
revenues
• The benefit of the flexibility (which is essential for a SMR) is not valued.. So far

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* http://www.world-nuclear.org/information-library/nuclear-fuel-cycle/nuclear-power-reactors/small-nuclear-power-reactors.aspx
 SMR’s and Electrical grid: (temporary)
Conclusions
• The development pace of SMR’s is slower than other technologies
invading power systems, bringing more complexity and uncertainty when
assessing appropriateness of SMR’s for a specific grid.
• Energy management, distributed generation, demand side management,
storage..

• Finally, a quote from Hyman G. Rickove (1953)

“An academic reactor or reactor plant almost always has

the following basic characteristics: (1) It is simple. (2) It
is small. (3) It is cheap. (4) It is light. (5) It can be built
very quickly. (6) It is very flexible in purpose. (7) Very United States Navy admiral who directed the
little development will be required. It will use off-the-shelf original development of naval nuclear
propulsion and controlled its operations for
components. (8) The reactor is in the study phase. It is three decades as director of Naval Reactors.
In addition, he oversaw the development of
not being built now” the Shippingport Atomic Power Station, the
world's first commercial pressurized water
reactor used for generating electricity
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* http://www.world-nuclear.org/information-library/nuclear-fuel-cycle/nuclear-power-reactors/small-nuclear-power-reactors.aspx
THANK YOU

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