Nuclear

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Hyperion Unveils Design of its Small Modular Nuclear Reactor, the Hyperion Power Module

November 21, 2009

At the recent Annual Winter Conference of the American Nuclear Society in Washington, and simultaneously at the “Powering Toward 2020” conference in London, England, Hyperion Power Generation Inc. revealed the design for the first version of its Hyperion Power Module (HPM), a small modular nuclear reactor (SMR) that it intends to have licensed and manufactured at facilities in the United States, Europe, and Asia.

The HPM is a compact (approx. 1.5m wide x 2.5m tall), sealed and self-contained, simple-to-operate nuclear power reactor, euphemistically referred to by the company as a “fission battery”. Over its 7-10 year operational life, the HPM will deliver 70 MW of thermal energy, or approximately 25 MWe. Each module will cost $50 million; initial deliveries, slated to begin in the second half of 2013, are being scheduled, the company says.

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US Senators Alexander, Webb Introduce $20B Energy Legislation with Emphasis on Nuclear Energy Investment

November 17, 2009

US Senators Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Jim Webb (D-VA) introduced “The Clean Energy Act of 2009”, a bill to promote further investment and development of non-fossil-based energy technologies, including nuclear power and other resources.

“The Clean Energy Act of 2009” spends $20 billion over the next 10 to 20 years to fund a series of loan guarantees; nuclear education and workforce training assistance; research into nuclear reactor lifetime-extension; and the development of solar power, biofuels, and alternative power technologies. The bill follows the urging of Secretary of Energy Steven Chu to increase funds available for the development of nuclear power facilities and technology.

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US DOE Announces up to $40M for Designing and Planning Next Generation Nuclear Plants; Integration of Nuclear Process Heat and Hydrogen with Other Industrial Processes

September 19, 2009

Illustration of the integration of a high temperature gas-cooled reactor with commercial manufacturing, hydrogen production, and the generation of electricity. Source: INL. Click to enlarge.

The US Department of Energy has issued a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) for up to $40 million to support cost-shared design and planning work for the Next Generation Nuclear Plant (NGNP). NGNP is envisioned to extend the application of nuclear energy into the broader industrial and transportation sectors, reducing fuel use and pollution and improving on the safety of existing commercial light water reactor technology.

Next Generation Nuclear Plants will use new, high temperature, gas-cooled reactor technologies to produce energy that is able to run both a primary and a secondary industrial application—for example, generating electricity while supporting petroleum refining or bio- and synthetic-fuel production through the provision of hydrogen and/or the provision of process heat.

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