LEAD-BISMUTH COOLED FAST REACTOR FOR REGIONAL POWER GENERATION

A condition for adopting low-capacity nuclear power plants in regional power generation is that they be competitive with thermal power plants. However, it is much more difficult to make low-capacity plants competitive than the power-generating units of high-capacity nuclear power plants, because as the capacity of a power source decreases the specific capital investments and power generation costs increase much more rapidly. It is shown that the innovative nuclear power technology of lead-bismuth cooled fast reactors, such as SVBR, based on the experience gained in operating nuclear submarines with chemically inert lead-bismuth coolant, which does not require high pressure in the first loop, satisfies all requirements for low-capacity nuclear power plants for regional power generation.