![]() ![]() Small (less that 300 MWe) and medium (300 to 700 MWe) size reactors are better suited to the growing economies and infrastructures of many non-fuel cycle states and developing nations. Other major nuclear nations are carrying out the development and deployment of SFR breeders as witness the planning for SFR breeder deployments in France, Japan, China, India, and Russia. ![]() policy is focused upon domestic deployment of large-scale LWRs and sodium-cooled fast spectrum Advanced Burner Reactors (ABRs) working in a symbiotic relationship that burns existing fissile material while destroying the actinides which are generated. The projected energy demands of non-fuel cycle states will not be met solely through the deployment of Light Water Reactors (LWRs) in those states without using up the world's resources of fissile material (e.g., known plus speculative virgin uranium resources = 15 million tonnes). Meeting future worldwide projected energy demands during this century (e.g., 1000 to 2000 GWe by 2050) in a sustainable more » manner while maintaining CO2 emissions at or below today's level will require massive deployments of nuclear reactors in non-fuel cycle states as well as fuel cycle states. The small lead-cooled fast reactor concept known as the small secure transportable autonomous reactor (SSTAR) has been under ongoing development as part of the US advanced nuclear energy systems programs. Lead-cooled systems offer several key advantages in meeting these goals. Most recently, the global nuclear energy partnership (GNEP) has identified, as one of its key objectives, the development and demonstration of concepts for small and medium-sized reactors (SMRs) that can be globally deployed while assuring a high level of proliferation resistance. These features permit STAR to address a variety of potential applications, including: Deployment in developing countries with limited infrastructure Remote/isolated location deployment (islands, oil fields, military installations, etc.) Central generation on small electric grids Multi-unit central station use or distributed generation on large electric grids and Alternative energy products (process heat, space heat, fresh water, hydrogen, etc.) in addition to electricity. STAR features include: Long lifetime sealed core installed at construction 10 to 30 year core life, depending on design and size No capability for on-site refueling, no user access to the fuel, no need for user to have fuel cycle technology Reactor transported intact to the user site Reactor core is replaced by vendor at end of life, spent fuel returns intact to supplier Useable in remote areas more » for local power Modular design for factory production to minimize cost Simple operation with reliance on autonomous control and remote monitoring and Robust, simple design with inherent safety features, high reliability and reduced maintenance. The Secure, Transportable, Autonomous Reactor (STAR), is a concept for a small, highly proliferation resistant, sealed-core nuclear power system with unique design features that make it appropriate for a variety of applications. The project addresses a technology development need (i.e., a small secure modular system for remote sites) that is not otherwise addressed in other currently planned research = , The system would be design-certified using a new license-by-test approach, and demonstrated for commercial deployment anywhere in the world. In this paper, we describe the SSTAR concept and its approach to safety, security, environmental and non-proliferation. An evaluation of a variety of reactor designs indicates that SSTAR, with its secure, long-life core, has many advantages for deployment into a variety of national and international markets. The Small, Modular, Liquid-Metal-Cooled Reactor, also referred to as SSTAR (Small, Secure, Transportable, Autonomous Reactor), can provide reliable and cost-effective electricity, heat, fresh water, and potentially hydrogen transportation fuels for these markets. There is an ongoing need to supply energy to small markets and remote locations with limited fossil fuel infrastructures.
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