mini reactor

Small modular reactors (SMRs) are nuclear fission reactors that are smaller than conventional reactors and centrally manufactured. They can be manufactured at a plant and brought to a site to be installed. Modular reactors allow for less on-site construction, increased containment efficiency, and enhanced safety due to passive nuclear safety features. SMRs have the advantage of integrating passive safety features that do not require human intervention. In the case of a problem, the passive safety features will act in the absence of human supervision. SMRs also require less staffing than conventional nuclear reactors. SMRs have been proposed as a way to bypass financial and safety barriers that have inhibited the construction of large conventional nuclear reactors in recent decades.Several designs exist for SMR, ranging from scaled down versions of existing designs to entirely new generation IV designs. Both thermal-neutron reactors and fast-neutron reactors have been proposed, as well as molten salt and gas cooled reactor models.A main hindrance to commercial use is licensing, since current regulatory regimes are adapted to conventional nuclear power plants. SMRs differ in terms of staffing, security and deployment time. One concern with SMRs is preventing proliferation of nuclear material that is simpler to access than a conventional large-scale reactor. Licensing time, cost and risk are critical elements for the success of SMRs. Studies by the US government evaluating the risks associated with SMRs have led to challenges licensing and deploying them.

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