Proposing a cost-effective solution for reactor security, a team of Texas A&M engineering students have developed an innovative approach to ensuring advanced nuclear reactor security in energy-scarce, remote regions.
Last month, A&M students competed in Aggies Invent, a three-day entrepreneurial competition hosted by Los Alamos National Laboratory, seeking to solve a variety of problems inherent to small modular reactors, or SMRs — a subset of advanced nuclear reactors that produce less than 300 megawatts of electricity.
Smaller than SMRs, microreactors present the same features, with an increased potential for transportability. Nevertheless, the two reactor types typically fall under the umbrella of advanced nuclear reactors, presenting a range of opportunities for deployment.
“The applications of microreactors are what make them so attractive,” Brent Stout, an active duty Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Army officer pursuing his Ph.D. in nuclear engineering, said.
Team Intrux, composed of undergraduate and graduate students, sought to minimize the capital cost of preventive security measures. Using a suite of precision sensors, the team leveraged remote monitoring and operations, resulting in a net cost of $17,000.
“Our focus was passive security,” mechanical engineering sophomore Divan Louis Begemann said.
Although armed guards around the clock would be beneficial, Begemann explained that it would not meaningfully contribute to security in a way that would make use of the substantial cost, opting for two trained operators instead.
Relying heavily on communication and remote monitoring, the team’s solution is meant to be a temporary framework for nuclear security, primarily intended for situations such as disaster relief and similar energy-dependent events.
“It’s not meant to keep people out forever,” general engineering freshman Alex Alcott said. “Our solution relies on alerting the proper people.”
Alcott said that the future of nuclear energy for civil applications, whether it be in disaster-laden areas or remote projects, depends on the public’s trust of the power source.
“It’s essential that we provide security,” Alcott said. “We needed a way to make sure that it was secure and people feel safe around it.”
Microreactors’ guarantee of a stable, portable energy source opens the doors for a variety of activities.
“That unit is kind of like a closed battery,” Stout said. Compared to diesel power generators, he explained that the microreactor’s relatively small logistical footprint prevents detection from enemy surveillance. … Your operations would stop … if you couldn’t charge your systems,” Stout said.
Fundamental to operations, microreactor security is more pivotal in a military context. Without security guarantees, a reactor may not be suitable for safe and reliable power generation, emphasizing the need for robust solutions to potential intrusion scenarios.
“People are looking at remote monitoring,” Stout said.
Efforts to consolidate nuclear security concerns are encompassed by the Department of Defense’s goal to develop and deploy microreactors in mission-critical regions within five years.
Regardless of intended use, any achievements in microreactor security may stimulate demand for advanced nuclear reactors, pushing the nuclear industry forward.
As for Team Intrux, their idea is a step in the right direction.
“We are currently talking with a company, maybe partnering with them on implementation,” Begemann said.
In the coming weeks, they plan to present their security solution to the undisclosed company.
“I think it has a lot of potential,” Alcott said.
Uncertain of the road ahead, Alcott said he remains optimistic for the future as his team’s framework could be a commercial solution in the advanced nuclear reactor field.
“I’m excited to see where our project goes,” Alcott said.
