Special attention will be paid to those designs that have not as yet been at the forefront of publicity. Some of these designs offer truly innovative, new advancements in science, engineering, and benefits to the end user. One such example is the new sub-classification of reactors known as Mini Power Reactors aka MPRs
– By Linton Levy –
Promising an enlightening break from routine Small Modular Reactor conferences, EUCI has scheduled an industry-leading slate of speakers that will address new information and the untold story of this hot new industry. Trailblazer and visionary CEO of Hyperion Power John “Grizz” Deal will headline the conference along with Former Assistant Secretary of the USAF William C. Anderson, and Hawaii Senator Fred Hemmings.
Other notable speakers will include the Chamberlain Group’s Andrew Marchese, global law firm Hogan Lovells’ Mary Anne Sullivan and Daniel Stenger, and Tetra Tech’s Phil Moor. This dynamic event will include a much more expansive look at the true innovators of the SMR industry – the non-light water reactor companies – than has been offered before. EUCI’s Small Modular Nuclear Reactor Systems Symposium will take place July 19-20 at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City in Arlington, Virginia.
While the conference will cover all of the leading technologies for the burgeoning SMR industry, special attention will be paid to those designs that have not as yet been at the forefront of publicity. Some of these designs offer truly innovative, new advancements in science, engineering, and benefits to the end user. One such example is the new sub-classification of reactors known as Mini Power Reactors aka MPRs. The Hyperion Power team is one of the companies that clearly appreciates the wider scope of the subject matter provided by EUCI.
“The SMR and even smaller MPR industry is providing the U.S. with one of its last chances to return to leadership in the global nuclear energy sector,” said Deborah Blackwell, the company’s Vice President of Policy. “This country can’t take advantage of that opportunity, and the new manufacturing opportunity that accompanies it, if we don’t fully explore and exploit the full range of technologies which are available to us now — and that includes the non-light water reactor designs. There is a lot of anecdotal misinformation out there about how long it will take to make non light-water technologies operational. The truth is we are much closer than “traditionalists” and those with vested interests in light water tech care to recognize. This is unfortunate because some of the non-light water technologies offer the only route to a reactor that is small enough and safe enough for hospital, military, industrial, “renewables backup” and remote off-the-grid applications. And, these applications are just as important to U.S. economic and national security, if not more so, than replacing aging utilities with light water SMRs. So we are excited about the inclusive congregation of differing technologies that will be presented in Arlington at EUCI’s event.”
The Hyperion Power Module (HPM), under development at the world-famous U.S. Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), is one of the designs categorized as a Mini Power Reactor (MPR). The 25 MWe reactor utilizes the known components of uranium nitride fuel and lead bismuth eutectic as a coolant which eliminates the need for a location near a source of water. Hyperion Power Generation Inc. is a New Mexico-based small business “spin-out” from LANL that is paying for and utilizing the “brain trust” of the lab through a CRADA (Cooperative Research and Development Agreement).
EUCI is a leading power and utility training firm offering a number of pertinent conferences this summer including its “Nuclear Power Fundamentals” course in Chicago in July, and a “Nuclear Power Plant Operations” and a “Nuclear Power Probabilistic Risk Assessment course, both in Atlanta in August. More information can be found at http://www.euci.com.