Terrestrial Energy is a nuclear technology company working on Generation IV nuclear technology.[1] It expects to produce cost-competitive, high-temperature thermal energy with zero emissions. The company is developing a 195 MWe Integral Molten Salt Reactor (IMSR) design[2] and completed its Pre-Licensing Vendor Design Review[3] in 2023 with the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission.[4]
| Industry | Nuclear Power |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2012 |
| Headquarters | Charlotte, North Carolina |
Key people | Simon Irish (CEO) |
| Website | https://www.terrestrialenergy.com/ |
The IMSR uses molten salt reactor technology and is one example of a small modular reactor (SMR) characteristic of Generation IV nuclear reactor designs.
Terrestrial Energy claims two principal advantages over legacy nuclear power plants. First, construction is meant to take 4 years, versus 8-12 for legacy designs. Second, the Terrestrial Energy IMSR plant can be used to generate either electricity or industrial steam.[1]
Relative to other Generation IV designs, Terrestrial Energy’s IMSR uses no unproven engineering concepts, instead leveraging proven technologies in a unique way. This is meant to reduce licensing and timeline risks that have slowed the adoption of other approaches.
History
editAlberta, Ontario, New Brunswick and Saskatchewan began jointly working to advance SMR in April 2021. https://www.nextbigfuture.com/2022/08/terrestrial-energy-and-alberta-commercializing-smr-reactor.html
Design
editThe plant is designed for industrial cogeneration as well as power generation.
The reactor uses molten salt/uranium blend as both fuel and coolant.[5]
References
edit- ^ a b Temple, James. "Advanced nuclear finds a more welcome home in Canada than the U.S." MIT Technology Review. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
- ^ "Terrestrial signs up BWXT for technical support - World Nuclear News". www.world-nuclear-news.org. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
- ^ "Pre-Licensing Vendor Design Review". 3 February 2014. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
- ^ Yetisir, Metin. "Recent Developments in Small Modular Reactors in Canada" (PDF).
- ^ Wang, Brian (2022-08-30). "Terrestrial Energy and Alberta Commercializing SMR Reactor | NextBigFuture.com". Retrieved 2022-08-31.