NuScale Power is developing a modular, scalable nuclear power reactor. A power plant using NuScale’s standard design will produce 540 MWe using 12 of NuScale’s 45 MWe light water modular reactors. The company expects to apply to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in early 2012 for design certification with a goal of bringing a plant online by 2018
– By Stephen Heiser –
NuScale Power Chief Executive Officer Paul Lorenzini today announced that Robert S. Holbrook is the firm’s engineering manager. Holbrook comes to NuScale from the Los Alamos National Laboratory, where he held several senior positions since 2003.
“Bob brings to NuScale extensive leadership experience in both corporate and military environments,” Lorenzini said. “His varied accomplishments in program and project management at Los Alamos, Rocky Flats and other positions in the nuclear industry will help us build our team and move our modular, scalable reactor into commercial operation.”
Holbrook excels in managing startup and turnaround situations, Lorenzini said. Under his tenure as engineering manager of ComEd’s Quad Cities Station, two nuclear plants shut down due to regulatory issues were brought back on line. At Los Alamos and Rocky Flats he served in key management positions involving training, safety and nuclear system operations. He also managed a program to develop UN fuel and to design space reactors for moon and Mars stations.
Holbrook, a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, served as a submarine officer from 1966-1991, including a tour as a submarine squadron commander.
NuScale Power is developing a modular, scalable nuclear power reactor. A power plant using NuScale’s standard design will produce 540 MWe using 12 of NuScale’s 45 MWe light water modular reactors. The company expects to apply to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in early 2012 for design certification with a goal of bringing a plant online by 2018.
NuScale Power Promotes John Groome to Chief Engineer
NuScale Power’s John Groome has become chief engineer of the company as it moves into the licensing and commercialization phases of its modular, scalable light water reactor. Groome is one of the co-designers of the company’s power plant.
“John has intimate knowledge of every aspect of the NuScale reactor,” said Jose Reyes, PhD, chief technology officer. “We are pleased that he will continue his work on a new reactor concept that uniquely meets the requirements of today’s commercial power industry.”
Groome is one of the principal designers of the NuScale modular reactor, one of a new class of small scale reactors. He was OSU’s lead engineer on the design, construction and operation of the one-third scale, high-pressure test facility that was used to demonstrate the reactor’s feasibility. In the position of senior research assistant in the Nuclear Engineering department at Oregon State University he also designed and fabricated test facilities used to license the Westinghouse AP600 and AP1000 reactors.
“Tests of the NuScale reactor concept in our test facility under heat and pressure conditions expected during actual operation have proven the functionality and safety of our system,” Groome said.
The test facility at OSU is a one-third scale, electrically heated, high pressure system used to observe the NuScale reactor’s performance under various operating scenarios. Groome says extensive testing has proven the safety and physical integrity of the reactor, which relies on natural circulation of water for cooling.
Groome holds a Bachelor of Science degree in nuclear engineering from Oregon State University. He served in the U.S. Navy from 1978-1991 where he was responsible for maintenance and operation of reactor and steam systems.