Bottom-up levelized cost estimation of low-enriched and low-pressure nuclear batteries

Abstract

Nuclear batteries (NBs), also known as microreactors, can potentially reduce development and deployment timeline for nuclear energy. However, their lack of economy-of-scale challenges their ability to achieve reasonable cost of energy production. We developed a cost analysis tool that can guide designers to the key attributes that enable cost reduction for NBs. These attractive features are embedded into two NBs for the near-term markets (low enriched uranium fuel, proven experience, and well-known core materials)—the sodium-cooled graphite moderated thermal reactor and the organic-cooled water-moderated thermal reactor. Individual reactor concepts and their point design are presented. Both systems operate at low pressure, which further simplifies the design and operation. The levelized cost of each NB plant operating as a single-unit plant at 15 MWth, are compared for a successful first-of-a-kind production (FOAK) unit, and the Nth-of-a-kind (NOAK) unit. Then, three NB cost-reduction schemes are explored: power uprates, co-siting and equipment sharing, and multi-batch fueling. Based on the levelized costs, the 1-unit, sodium-cooled and organic-cooled NBs for both FOAK and NOAK units would be competitive only in remote markets. However, through a combination of the three NB cost-reduction strategies, the organic-cooled NB would become competitive also in larger markets in the U.S. We find that the most effective parameters in the order of reducing NB’s costs are: 1) higher power reactor designs, 2) multiple-reactor-unit-plants, and 3) batched-fueling scheme.