Patterson Eann A, Taylor Richard J
Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK.
Dalton Nuclear Institute, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.
R Soc Open Sci. 2024 May 22;11(5):240021. doi: 10.1098/rsos.240021. eCollection 2024 May.
The commoditization of nuclear power through the factory production of sealed micro-power units within a digitally enabled holistic assurance framework is described. This would revolutionize nuclear power-plant design, construction, operation and decommissioning through a paradigm shift to manufacture-operate-remove-recycle (MORR). The potential impact of recent research on an integrated nuclear digital environment for large bespoke nuclear power plants and the design, build and operation of fusion power plants using such a digital environment is explored. These strands are interwoven to discuss the technical, economic and socio-political implications of MORR in the context of micro-reactors and to consider the potential evolution of safeguarding issues based on a digital assurance framework that leads to type approvals. Commoditization of nuclear power would lower costs in line with offshore wind and the output from a single production line in a factory could replace a third of current fossil fuel-based electricity generation in the UK over a 15-year period, making a significant contribution to achieving zero greenhouse gas emissions. The challenges associated with the changes in culture, both in the nuclear industry and in society, as well as the technology gaps, that need to be addressed in realizing this paradigm shift are identified and discussed.
本文描述了在数字化整体保障框架内通过工厂生产密封微型动力装置实现核电商品化的情况。这将通过向制造-运行-移除-回收（MORR）模式的转变，彻底改变核电站的设计、建设、运行和退役方式。探讨了近期研究对大型定制核电站综合核数字环境以及使用这种数字环境的聚变核电站的设计、建造和运行的潜在影响。这些内容相互交织，讨论了MORR在微型反应堆背景下的技术、经济和社会政治影响，并基于导致型式认可的数字保障框架考虑保障问题的潜在演变。核电商品化将降低成本，使其与海上风电相当，并且工厂一条生产线的产出在15年内可替代英国目前三分之一的化石燃料发电，为实现温室气体零排放做出重大贡献。确定并讨论了在实现这一模式转变过程中，核工业和社会文化变革以及技术差距方面所面临的挑战。
