Microreactor for remote Canadian communities

Abstract

Remote Canadian communities rely on diesel generators for their electricity needs. Providing such generators with fuel year-round presents challenges because of inclement weather and long transportation distances involved. This work presents the conceptual design of a 10 MWth microreactor that can be used to provide district heating and 3.5 MW of electricity to remote communities. The reactor has a lead-cooled and graphite-moderated core with 13 vertical fuel channels containing 10 wt% enriched HALEU fuel. The core is enclosed in a non-pressurized reactor vessel and is passively cooled through natural convection. Stirling engines are used to drive the electrical generators. The hot cylinders of the Stirling engines are located in the unpressurized reactor vessel and are heated directly by the primary molten lead coolant. Preliminary neutronic and thermal-hydraulic analyses of the core indicate that the design is technically feasible and that the reactor can function for two years and nine months without refuelling.