Knowra Small modular reactor Small modular reactor A compact nuclear fission reactor designed for factory fabrication and modular deployment, typically producing up to 300 megawatts of electricity per unit.
Nuclear fission : A nuclear reaction in which a heavy atomic nucleus splits into smaller nuclei, releasing energy and neutrons. Fission supplies the heat that an SMR converts into useful energy.
Nuclear fuel : Material containing fissile nuclides that can sustain a fission chain reaction in a reactor. Fuel composition and enrichment determine which reactor designs an SMR can use.
Distributed generation : Electricity production located near the loads it serves rather than concentrated in distant large plants. Smaller units may fit grids that cannot absorb a single large reactor’s output.
Large nuclear power plant : A nuclear power facility built around one or more high-output reactors, generally larger than 300 megawatts electric per unit. SMRs trade unit scale for modular deployment, while large plants concentrate output.
Nuclear power economics : The costs, revenues, financing, and market conditions governing nuclear electricity generation. SMR economics hinge on whether factory repetition offsets lower output per unit.
Nuclear reactor : A system that sustains and controls nuclear fission to produce heat or other outputs. An SMR is a smaller, modular design within this broader reactor family.
Light-water reactor : A reactor that uses ordinary water as both coolant and neutron moderator. Many proposed SMRs adapt the established light-water reactor design.
Combined heat and power : The simultaneous production of electricity and useful heat from one energy source. An SMR could supply process heat alongside electricity to nearby facilities.
Nuclear fusion : A nuclear process in which light atomic nuclei combine and release energy. Fusion is often confused with fission, but SMRs use fission rather than fusion.
Nuclear construction cost : The capital expenditure required to build a nuclear power facility, including engineering, labor, and materials. Modular production aims to reduce project risk and construction costs, but must prove it at scale.
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