A research team developed a new algorithm, rooted in physics, that could help make carbon-free energy more feasible.
Designed by a University of Michigan research team, the algorithm helps nuclear microreactors adjust their power output in response to fluctuating demand, a capability known as load following, according to the UofM College of Engineering (via Tech Xplore).
In large nuclear reactors, people make these adjustments manually, but that can be cost-prohibitive for small reactors. The scientists, who recently published their findings in the journal Progress in Nuclear Energy, say that allowing for these reactions in microreactors could make nuclear power a reality in smaller, more remote areas.
Each microreactor could generate up to 20 megawatts of thermal energy, researchers say, making them useful in locations such as military bases or disaster zones.
"Many startup and legacy companies in the U.S. are pushing towards near-term and broad deployment of nuclear microreactors, and our work establishes a clear avenue to achieve that in an economically viable way," study lead author Brendan Kochunas said in a release. "Our method can help vendors design reactors with autonomous control systems that are safer and more secure."
The model focused on predictive behavior to develop a controller that optimized the rotation of control drums around the microreactor's central core, thereby preserving core pressure and coolant temperature. This occurred over a prolonged period under several constraints.
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Crucially, the algorithm doesn't use artificial intelligence and is instead rooted in physics and mathematics, which would theoretically allow it to pass regulatory review. And when the algorithm was asked to ramp power up or down by 20% per minute, it stayed within 0.234% of its target.
In 2023, 18.6% of all utility-scale electricity in the United States was generated by nuclear, making it the largest source of carbon-free energy in the country. It does not produce the type of heat-trapping carbon emissions that fossil fuels do — emissions that have led global temperatures to increase.
In fact, nuclear accounts for more energy generation than wind and solar — two other popular, carbon-free energy sources — combined, according to the Energy Information Administration. Nuclear energy also has many supporters because its reactors take up much less space to create energy than wind or solar farms.
But nuclear energy remains imperfect and controversial because of the dangers associated with the radioactive waste it generates, and the rare yet serious dangers represented by accidents, such as those at Chernobyl.
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Research teams worldwide have worked on ways to make nuclear reactors safer, and this team of Michigan scientists hopes that their algorithm will help make small-scale, carbon-free energy more readily available.
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