Gen4 Power Module (Hyperion Power Generator)

A New Paradigm for Power Generation

Nuclear Power is a Key Element of Our Energy Mix

In order to meet the planet’s ever expanding need for affordable energy, a number of different types of clean, emission-free technologies must be developed and employed. Nuclear power, with its ability to provide robust, continuous, and reliable energy – regardless of weather conditions – must be part of this diverse mix. However, conventional large nuclear power plants, due to construction expense and the time required to build them, must be augmented with a smaller solution.

Small & Modular Nuclear Power Reactors (SMRs)

That “smaller solution” is the category of power reactors known as Small & Modular nuclear power Reactors (SMRs). The history of SMRs is about as long as the commercial use of large nuclear power plants. The fuels and technology included in today’s SMR designs have been studied for over 50 years, and some units went online decades ago. SMRs provide the benefits of larger nuclear power plants – clean, continuous, reliable energy with no greenhouse gas emissions – yet they require very little space in which to operate. SMRs can be transported to sites and engaged without the transportation and construction costs of big nuclear power plants. Sealed and self-contained, they offer a safe energy solution for areas of the globe where nuclear proliferation is a concern. But unlike any other clean energy generation, SMRs operate when the wind doesn’t blow and the sun doesn’t shine.

The Gen4 Power Module (formerly the Hyperion Power Generator)

The Gen4 Module is a next generation design that uses a liquid metal cooled, uranium nitride fueled, fast-spectrum reactor that employs control rods for reactivity control. The reactor has been designed to deliver 70 MW of heat (25 MW of electricity) for a 10-year lifetime, without refueling.

Key advantages of the Gen4 Module design are:

Advanced reactor design – Use of advanced reactor concepts provides for a safer and simpler reactor, elimination of many potential accident scenarios that affect LWRs, and elimination of complex reactor systems.
Small reactor – A smaller reactor is more appropriately sized for smaller generation requirements, can directly replace existing diesel fueled generators, and requires no upgrade to existing small electricity distribution systems.
10-year power module replacement – The Gen4 Module provides 25 MWe continuously for 10 years on its initial fuel load (compared to an 18 to 24 month cycle for current light water reactors). No on-site refueling is required. After 10 years the entire reactor module is replaced.
Underground containment vault – The reactor is sited in an underground containment vault to provide isolation from the environment, prevent intrusion or tampering, and avoid harm from natural disasters.
Factory-assembled transportable power modules – Factory assembly allows for standard designs, superior quality control, and faster construction and on-site deployment.

A standardized design will offer several advantages:

Manufacturing process controls will be uniform and will not vary between units.
Nuclear fabrication and assembly will be completed at the factory before the unit is shipped, minimizing the nuclear construction capabilities that are necessary on site.
On site construction activities will be limited to the reactor vault, the non-nuclear systems, placement of the Gen4 Module in the vault, and connection to the Gen4 Module to non-nuclear systems and controls. This will significantly reduce the on-site construction complexity and result in a faster construction schedule.
Gen4 Energy will provide standard operating procedures, operator training, licensing support, technical support, in-service engineering, and safety analysis, significantly reducing the nuclear expertise and staffing that is required of the owner/operator.

Key material selections include:

Lead Bismuth Eutectic (LBE) coolant -The core coolant is LBE, which is non-reactive to air and water, with a mixed mean exit temperature of 500C. A solid phase oxygen control system is used to control the oxygen level in the coolant to maintain a protective coating on structural surfaces, limiting corrosion.
Uranium Nitride (UN) fuel- The fuel consists of 19.75% enriched (non weapons grade) UN pellets contained in clad tubes made of HT-9. These high-temperature ceramic material pellets deter the ability to separate plutonium from spent fuel.
Stainless Steel structural materials (HT-9 and T-91)
Quartz radial reflector
B₄C control rods for reactivity control -There are three independent reactivity shut-down systems in the core: a shutdown rod system composed of six boron carbide (B₄C) rods, a control rod system comprising 12 boron carbide (B₄C) rods and a reserve shutdown system consisting of a central cavity into which B₄C balls may be inserted. Each of the three systems can independently take the core to long-term cold shutdown. The rod shutdown and the ball shutdown systems perform this safety function automatically and instantaneously when triggered.