Why do we need a Versatile Test Reactor in the United States?
Why do we need a Versatile Test Reactor in the United States?
VTR is a one-of-a-kind scientific research facility that will enable researchers to bring advanced reactor technologies online to help ensure the world has access to the abundant, clean and affordable energy we need for decades to come.
Solving Global Issues & Improving Everyday Life
VTR enables global access to sustainable, affordable and carbon-free energy that can improve the lives of billions while also helping to solve critical environmental and climate challenges.
In the United States, VTR will provide the data and experience needed to deliver the next generation of clean-energy technologies. Lessons from VTR will improve the options available to provide economic benefits to millions of hard-working Americans while offering a discovery platform for higher education and research institutions.
Solving Global Issues & Improving Everyday Life
VTR enables global access to sustainable, affordable and carbon-free energy that can improve the lives of billions while also helping to solve critical environmental and climate challenges.
In the United States, VTR will provide the data and experience needed to deliver the next generation of clean-energy technologies. Lessons from VTR will improve the options available to provide economic benefits to millions of hard-working Americans while offering a discovery platform for higher education and research institutions.
Powered by Nuclear:
The Clean-Energy Source
VTR empowers advancements in nuclear technology, the clean energy source.
The below information is provided courtesy of the Nuclear Energy Institute.
*in the United States, annually
*in the United States annually
Inspiring Discovery
VTR gives engineers, scientists and other researchers something they have never had in the United States: a laboratory open to researchers from around the world that can support a variety of research needs. VTR will help streamline studies and integrate variables into comprehensive insights that spark technological innovation and breakthroughs.
Responsible Leadership
Historically the world leader in responsible nuclear energy operation and research, the United States cannot risk falling behind China and Russia in contemporary global research. By investing in nuclear energy infrastructure like VTR, the United States can continue to chart its own energy future while supplying the rest of the world with cutting-edge nuclear technologies to reduce carbon emissions.
Inspiring Discovery
VTR gives engineers, scientists and other researchers something they have never had in the United States: a laboratory open to researchers from around the world that can support a variety of research needs. VTR will help streamline studies and integrate variables into comprehensive insights that spark technological innovation and breakthroughs.
Responsible Leadership
Historically the world leader in responsible nuclear energy operation and research, the United States cannot risk falling behind China and Russia in contemporary global research. By investing in nuclear energy infrastructure like VTR, the United States can continue to chart its own energy future while supplying the rest of the world with cutting-edge nuclear technologies to reduce carbon emissions.
A New Generation of Nuclear
A New Generation of Nuclear is Achievable with VTR
The future holds great promise for nuclear energy as a new generation of researchers and engineers double down on the progress we value: top-notch safety, sustainability and affordability for all, empowered by advanced nuclear energy designs and technologies.
The future holds great promise for nuclear energy as a new generation of researchers and engineers double down on the progress we value: top-notch safety, sustainability and affordability for all, empowered by advanced nuclear energy designs and technologies.
Advanced safety features provide multiple levels of safety, including passive systems that use the laws of physics to shut down reactors in an emergency.
Advanced reactor fuels can be used longer, creating more energy and less waste.
Advanced manufacturing and engineering techniques are expected to lower construction costs of modular reactor designs.
Advanced reactor designs can be rightsized and tailored to fit a specific location or use.
One megawatt (MW) of electricity can power about 900 homes.
One megawatt (MW) of electricity can power about 900 homes.
Benefits of Advanced Reactors
Enhanced Safety
Reactors use passive safety designs that don’t require operator intervention in the event of an accident.
ADAPTABLE
Reactors support intermittent power sources and can provide electricity and/or high-temperature process heat.
Configurable
Reactors can be customized for a location depending on generation needs and available infrastructure, such as transmission line capacity.
Concentrated
Nuclear reactors, especially micro reactors and small modular reactors, use little fuel to provide a lot of energy in a relatively small footprint.
FAQ
Why do we need VTR? Why not use existing test reactors?
Existing test reactors, like the Advanced Test Reactor at Idaho National Laboratory and the High Flux Isotope Reactor at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, are thermal neutron reactors and are not capable of sustaining neutrons at concentrations and speeds high enough to perform accelerated testing of innovative nuclear technologies under development.
Is there anywhere else this research can be done?
Not in the U.S. The only viable location for testing fast-spectrum irradiation currently accessible to U.S. companies is the BOR-60 reactor in the Russian Federation. U.S. researchers and developers encounter significant barriers when seeking access to Russian Federation reactors, including export control concerns for materials and fuels testing, intellectual property rights, quality assurance and transportation issues.
I’ve read that some new reactor designs are nearing the demonstration stage. If that is the case, why do we need a new test reactor?
Some of the new reactor designs nearing the demonstration stage can now be built because they are based on proven light-water reactor technologies or technologies developed using the existing test reactors for thermal spectrum designs. Additionally, other advanced reactor concepts have been operated as prototypes. In the long run, many of the advanced reactor technologies will benefit from the kinds of innovative fuels, materials, instruments and sensors that can only be developed through the use of fast-spectrum-irradiation capabilities provided by VTR for continuous innovation and improvements.
For example, VTR will provide a parallel role that the Advanced Test Reactor at Idaho National Laboratory has played for the past 50 years for light-water reactors by providing an irradiation-testing capability that has supported the existing commercial fleet and the U.S. Naval Reactors program. It is this kind of testing that enabled the Navy to have superior operating performance and lifelong cores, and it is the kind of testing that has supported the commercial nuclear industry in improving their availability from a fleetwide performance in the 60% range in the early 1980s to over 90% today. It is through such testing that investors will have the confidence that their designs will be economical and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission will have the confidence that those designs are safe to operate.
Why invest in new nuclear energy technologies when nuclear power plants are closing in the U.S.?
Nuclear power plants in the U.S. are closing largely because operators are struggling to compete with the influx of cheap natural gas; however, investment in nuclear energy around the globe is rising. Countries such as India and China are building nuclear reactors to bring clean, reliable and abundant electricity to areas without it. Other countries are investing in nuclear technologies to not only provide electricity and clean water, but also to provide a clean source of high-temperature process heat needed for industrial applications. To participate in this lucrative export market, U.S. companies are developing innovative and right-sized advanced nuclear reactor systems that can help supply the world with clean, carbon-free power.
Why is U.S. leadership in nuclear energy important?
The U.S. has long been a leader in not only the research and development of nuclear energy technologies but also in the licensing, safety procedures, operations and security of nuclear power plants. Because of that, many other countries have based their nuclear operations and regulations on what we do in the U.S. This has led to safer, more efficient operations of commercial nuclear power reactors around the world. Also, when other countries import and deploy U.S. nuclear energy technologies, a long-term strategic partnership is established with those countries for many decades to come.
New scientific facilities such as VTR will enable the U.S. to modernize its nuclear energy research and development infrastructure and retain its leadership role.
Has the need for VTR been studied?
Yes, DOE’s Nuclear Energy Advisory Committee (NEAC) studied the issue and released a report in February 2017, recommending “that DOE-NE proceed immediately with preconceptual design planning activities to support a new test reactor (including cost and schedule estimates).” Multiple advanced reactor developers, including TerraPower, Westinghouse and Oklo, submitted letters in support of the NEAC report.
