Westinghouse recently took pole position in the race to bring a microreactor to market when we became the first company to submit a preliminary safety design (PSDR) to the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Reactor Innovation Center (NRIC).
It’s a big step in getting our eVinci™ Microreactor tested at the NRIC’s Demonstration of Microreactor Experiments (DOME) test bed at Idaho National Laboratory (INL). Testing at DOME is crucial in moving from concept to demonstration – and eventually, deployment!
The milestone last month follows some other exciting news recently about our 5-megawatt microreactor.
Behind the Scenes of eVinci Technology
Some of the notable technological progress includes creating a cross-section of the eVinci core and initiating the reactor’s 12-foot heat pipes.
The eVinci Core
In early September, our eVinci™ engineering teams unveiled a full-diameter mechanical cross-section of the eVinci core, weighing an impressive 32,000 pounds. Measuring more than three meters in diameter, the structure was assembled vertically before our teams tilted it into a horizontal position.
This process used the same high-grade materials that will be in every eVinci microreactor and was assembled in exactly the same way.
The Famous eVinci Heat Pipes
One of the eVinci microreactor’s most exciting advances in nuclear technology is its heat pipes. Recently, we had the opportunity to observe our eVinci engineers ignite 12-foot eVinci heat pipes. These high-efficiency alkali metal heat pipes facilitate the transfer of heat from the core of the eVinci™ micro reactor and can function at temperatures exceeding 800⁰ C, which is nearly ten times hotter than the coffee you grab at the drive-thru.
eVinci heat pipe technology has achieved record-breaking performance and offers several advantages, such as:
Allowing for a much simpler design by eliminating many components required in active systems.- Enhancing reliability by removing failure modes and extra components linked to active systems.
- Mitigating risks associated with elevated system pressures and coolant loss incidents.
- Eliminating flow-induced corrosion and vibration typically found in forced-flow systems.
The Significance of the PSDR Milestone for eVinci
The PSDR marks a key achievement in Westinghouse's recent FEEED process, initiated in October 2023. Prepared by over 300 top engineers, the report offers in-depth safety and operational materials, aligning with DOE-Idaho’s approval of the eVinci Safety Design Strategy.
“The completion of the PSDR for the eVinci test reactor is an important step towards enabling a microreactor developer to perform a test in our DOME facility,” said Brad Tomer, acting director of NRIC. “As a national DOE program and part of INL, the nation’s nuclear energy research laboratory, NRIC is committed to working with private companies such as Westinghouse to perform testing and accelerate development of advanced nuclear technologies that will provide clean energy solutions for the U.S.”
The next step towards the commercialization of the eVinci microreactor involves crafting a detailed timeline for the End-to-End Reactor test program at INL and submitting a Preliminary Documented Safety Analysis. This marks the third of four essential DOE steps Westinghouse must complete to set up the test reactor in the DOME.
The DOE’s NRIC program is pushing the development of advanced nuclear technology, such as the eVinci microreactor. It plans to establish four new experimental facilities and two major reactor test sites by 2028 for extensive demonstrations and tests, with the goal of completing two advanced nuclear experiments by 2030.
Fostering our Partnerships
In addition to achieving this milestone, our eVinci team has been diligently working to enhance collaboration and partnership with both the DOE and INL. Earlier this month, we welcomed representatives from the DOE and INL to our eVinci Technologies Headquarters in Pennsylvania.
“We are targeting deployment of multiple eVinci microreactors across the world by the end of the decade, and the strong and continued partnership with INL and the Department of Energy is instrumental to our efforts,” said Jon Ball, President of eVinci Technologies at Westinghouse.
The eVinci microreactor builds on decades of industry-leading Westinghouse innovation to bring carbon-free, safe and scalable energy wherever it is needed for a variety of applications, including providing reliable electricity and heating for remote communities, universities, mining operations, industrial centers, data centers and defense facilities, and soon the lunar surface and beyond. The resilient eVinci microreactor has very few moving parts, working essentially as a battery, providing the versatility for power systems ranging from several kilowatts to five megawatts of electricity, delivered 24 hours a day, seven days a week for eight or more years without refueling. It can also produce high temperature heat suitable for industrial applications, including alternative fuel production, such as hydrogen, and has the flexibility to balance renewable output. The technology is factory-built and assembled before it is shipped in a container.
