XYLENE POWER LTD.

REACTOR SITING CONSIDERATIONS

By Charles Rhodes, P.Eng., Ph.D.

ISSUES APPLICABLE TO RURAL REACTOR SITES:
Heat dissipation limited by size and flow of adjacent large body of water
Marine environmental considerations
High pressure primary coolant
- super heated water
- steam
Reactor type (LWR, CANDU, thermal SMR)
Multiple units - Economies of multiple identical units on same site
High voltage transmission
Surrounding Pubic safety exclusion zone
Module size limited by barge issues
Compatible agricultural and industrial district heating
Lots of space for human and construction services
Local workforce politics
 

ISSUES APPLICABLE TO URBAN REACTOR SITES:
Limited heat dissipation capacity - limited reactor power
- cooling tower or load fan coil heat dump
-constraints on adjacent buildings
-constraints on adjacent roadways
Single unit per site - economies rely on multiple identical units in same city
Fast neutron reactor - sodium cooled
Medium voltage transmission
No public safety exclusion zone
Low pressure primary coolant
Modular construction
Module size limited byurban transport issues
Compatible comfort district heating
Minimal space for human and construction support services
 

Liquid Sodium - reactor elevation
-fire protection and suppression

Emergency steam vent noise suppression

Reactor location versus district heating pipe network
- Elevation consideations
-Ongoing dealing with the public

 

This web page last updated June 16, 2024