The first small modular reactor in Romania will be installed on the land of the former thermal power plant in Doicesti, Dambovita County.
Can small modular nuclear plants be a part of renewable energy plans?
“Our results show that most small modular reactor designs will actually increase the volume of nuclear waste in need of management and disposal, by factors of 2 to 30 for the reactors in our case study,” said Lindsay Krall, the study’s lead author, in a release announcing the study results. “These findings stand in sharp contrast to the cost and waste reduction benefits that advocates have claimed for advanced nuclear technologies.” [...]
The study found that the smaller SMR design will experience more neutron leakage than a conventional reactor, affecting the amount and composition of waste streams. Neutron leakage is a term to describe neutrons escaping from the core, striking surrounding structural materials that then become radioactive. “The more neutrons that are leaked, the greater amount of radioactivity created by the activation process of neutrons,” Ewing said. “We found that small modular reactors will generate at least nine times more neutron-activated steel than conventional power plants. These radioactive materials have to be carefully managed prior to disposal, which will be expensive.”
