We are now looking for one or two university students who would be interested in conducting their degree project with us at AFRY Nuclear. The work described below is a proposal from our side, but we are open to adapt and develop the project based on your or your specific interests.

Background

AFRY is one of the largest consulting companies in the nuclear industry and we are always striving to expand and strengthen our competence. Recently, interest in nuclear power plants (NPPs) and more specifically small modular reactors (SMRs) has increased. Some countries that do not have possible land-based sites for nuclear power plants are now investigating SMRs on barges.

This thesis is about investigating the requirements and challenges of placing one or more SMRs on a floating platform (e.g. a barge) and includes a literature review to gain an understanding of the reactor prerequisites, dimensions and design. The reactors that have achieved the most international acceptance by authorities, operators, investors and other stakeholders are of greatest interest, and will be included in the thesis work.

The work will be about evaluating previous studies done on nuclear power plants placed on ships or other floating platforms, and to understand what conditions are required to obtain a license to operate this type of nuclear power.

Objectives

The objective of this thesis is to present a possible solution for a floating nuclear reactor and to bring together the opportunities (such as cost, flexibility, size) and challenges (such as licensing, safety issues, grid issues). Other issues that could be included are the co-planning of offshore wind and nuclear power or grid support services. A simple emission simulation of nuclides in water and air from normal operation can also be part of the studies. AFRY has developed a tool, AFRY Intelligent Scenario Modeling (AISM), for this purpose.

Proposed methodology

As a basis for the studies, the IAEA list of available SMR concepts can be used. The proposed methodology is to conduct a literature review, by identifying appropriate reports and studies and then summarizing the conclusions made previously. In addition, a dispersion model will be implemented in AISM that can be used for environmental assessment studies and dose calculations. See more at https://www.intelligentscenariomodelling.com .

In addition, a visualization can also be carried out in an appropriate CAD tool, for a clear understanding of how the solution should be presented.