Canada ranks #6 in the world for nuclear energy generation and has already built out most of the supply chain for small modular reactors, from the mining of uranium deposits through construction and safe operation of nuclear plants, all the way through decommissioning and waste handling.
Around the world, the search is on for new energy sources that are safe, efficient, and environmentally friendly. In Canada, nuclear energy can potentially play a key role in decarbonizing the economy, and small modular reactors (SMRs) are becoming an important part of the equation. This new class of nuclear plants is smaller than existing nuclear plants in Canada, both in size and in energy output, and could ultimately be comprised entirely of pre-manufactured modules built at lower cost and assembled on site.
Canada has been studying how to incorporate SMRs into its energy supply infrastructure and, in 2020, launched a SMR Action Plan, created in collaboration by national, provincial, and local government organizations, industry partners, and academia, including Queen's. Since then, Ontario has made progress towards building the first SMR in North America in Darlington.
Dr. Mark Daymond, Canada Research Chair in Mechanics of Materials, UNENE Research Chair in Nuclear Materials
Dr. Suraj Persaud, UNENE Research Chair in Corrosion Control and Materials Performance
The Gazette spoke to Mark Daymond and Suraj Persaud (Mechanical and Materials Engineering), members of our world-leading facility for nuclear research, the Queen's Reactor Materials Testing Laboratory, to better understand how SMRs work and their role in a low-carbon future. Here are five things that you need to know about these reactors:
1. SMR design addresses environmental concerns.
Nuclear energy is considered a clean source of electricity. Simply put, nuclear plants produce energy by fission, that is, by splitting uranium atoms. This process creates heat, and a coolant (traditionally water or gas) absorbs that heat and runs through turbines that will then generate electricity without emitting carbon dioxide.
But what often causes concern is how to deal with the hazardous waste generated by nuclear plants and how to safely store it. Traditionally, this can be done in water-filled pools, concrete and steel dry storage containers, or buried deep underground.
As with any nuclear build, SMRs must address the radioactive waste issue from the early stages of planning. "Nuclear waste is a topic of key interest to the Canadian nuclear community and to waste management authorities," says Dr. Persaud, adding that any SMR prototype projects are required to include a nuclear waste plan. Part of Dr. Persaud's research program focuses exactly on that: assessing the long-term performance of engineered containers for nuclear waste, including SMR waste, with a design lifetime of up to a million years.
2. SMRs may be a good option to power smaller, remote communities.
One of the main challenges with some renewable energy sources, such as wind or solar energy, is storage. While solar plants work well on sunny days, as do wind turbines in windy conditions, cities and communities need reliable, base-load electricity available at all times, not only when the weather is favourable. "When we look at low-carbon energy sources, nuclear energy is one of only two alternatives that is technologically ready to offer this stable base-load supply. The other one is hydro, which is also a great option in some geographical locations," says Dr. Daymond.
From an energy distribution perspective, very small modular reactors ( micro modular reactors' or MMRs) also have the potential to help bring power to remote locations and small communities where it would be difficult or unnecessary to build full scale, traditional reactors. Being factory-built, portable, and scalable, MMRs and SMRs can be customized to the needs of each location. The manufacturing process is also more efficient and cost-effective, which helps to keep prices low for the final consumers.
3. SMRs' safety and reliability are based on strong science.
"SMRs have an inherently safe design," says Dr. Persaud. This new generation of plants builds off of many years of experience with nuclear power, and new breakthroughs continue to further increase the safety of SMRs. "For instance, advanced reactor coolants, such as molten salts and liquid metals, allow us to build SMRs with built-in, passive safety features and good thermal efficiency." Many innovative SMR coolants operate at lower pressures and thus reduce risk compared to the ones used in traditional reactors.
Current research continues to address the biggest challenges in building safe reactors, especially to make sure materials can resist corrosion and high radiation, temperature, and stress. The Queen's RMTL is a state-of-the-art facility investigating how materials behave in such harsh conditions and aims to test and develop new materials to make reactors safer, more effective, and more environmentally friendly.
"My research looks at the structure of reactor materials to predict how long they can last, which is crucial in designing SMRs and learning how often components need to be changed to ensure the reactor is as safe and effective as possible," says Dr. Daymond.
4. Canada is uniquely positioned to advance SMRs.
While countries like the United States, Russia, and China are also looking at building SMRs, Canada is well positioned to be at the forefront of this process. It already ranks #6 in the world for nuclear energy generation and has already built out most of the supply chain for small modular reactors, from the mining of uranium deposits through construction and safe operation of nuclear plants, all the way through decommissioning and waste handling.
The Queen's RMTL provides guidance and research support to government organizations such as Ontario Power Generation, the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission and Natural Resources Canada, as well as the Canadian Nuclear Laboratories and not-for-profit institutions working on nuclear power in Ontario and nationally, such as the Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO).
Dr. Yanwen Zhang joined Queen's in Spring 2024 as the Canada Excellence Research Chair in Impact of Radiation in Energy and Advanced Technologies.
5. Queen's researchers are key players in planning Canada's nuclear energy future.
In addition to Drs. Daymond and Persaud, RMTL is home to the Canada Excellence Research Chair in Impact of Radiation in Energy and Advanced Technologies, Yanwen Zhang (Mechanical and Materials Engineering), and other researchers and students taking part in the Nuclear Materials Group. The laboratory recently received a $1.2 million support from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) and Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) to advance a computational approach to understand the long-term behaviour of materials in SMRs, and $8.6 million from the Canada Foundation for Innovation to build a new facility that will help foster the integration of SMRs into future power generation, as well as pioneer innovative materials for modular reactors. Queen's nuclear research is also supported by the University Network of Excellence in Nuclear Engineering (UNENE), the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC), and NRCan. Investigating how materials behave under the extreme conditions required for nuclear power plants is crucial to make significant impacts both for SMRs and the existing Canadian fleet of nuclear power plants.
Additionally, Queen's has been partnering with industry and government organizations in research, development, and training in the nuclear sector. Researchers such as Warren Mabee, Director of Queen's School of Policy, are exploring the regulatory framework needed to support new nuclear technologies, and acting to connect policymakers to the latest research developments in nuclear energy.
To learn more about the work of the Queen's RMTL, visit the website.
