Assessment of small modular reactor core performance using antineutrinos

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The need for electricity is ever growing. Whilst developed nations implement energy conservation measures, developing nations are industrializing. To avert climate change, transition to zero-carbon power sources is essential. To satisfy current and future electricity demands, much effort is being invested in renewable energy technologies such as solar, wind and wave. Whilst existing hydroelectric plants reliably supply baseload energy, renewable energy technologies are inherently intermittent due to weather and season, and hence to provide sufficient baseload electricity, nuclear power is the only viable option in the near-term. Most existing nuclear generating stations are large, each reactor often yielding a gigawatt or more of thermal power. Despite their successful operating histories, safety concerns and economic impediments have led to few new stations of this scale being built in recent years, none of which are in Canada. Instead, 30+ Small Modular Reactor (SMR) designs with enhanced safety features, are in various stages of development. Factory-built, these smaller reactors have thermal powers roughly an order of magnitude lower than existing units. Canada is positioning itself to be a World leader in SMR technologies through progressive policies, with both Canadian Nuclear Laboratories and New Brunswick Power aiming to host demonstration plants. Whilst most SMR designs are based on concepts trialed in the 1960's, they have no relevant operating history and thus performance and safety analysis relies on computer models. Moreover, as SMR designs typically have long-life cores, the ability to assess fuel performance while the plant is operational is important. Unfortunately, in-situ assessment of fuel performance is not possible using existing techniques. A better way of assessing reactor core performance in-situ and through-life is essential. As nuclear reactor fuel is burned, beta decay of resultant fission products typically leads to emission of antineutrinos. Due to their weakly-interacting nature, and because fission product yields vary with reactor composition (core age and fuel type), antineutrinos carry information about reactor core performance through radiation shielding and hence potentially allow direct assessment of core burn-up without needing to shut down or open a reactor. Building on previous work started in the UK, this research program aims to establish a sound computational basis from which use of antineutrinos for through-life reactor monitoring can be predicated. This objective will involve developing methods for the accurate prediction of antineutrino spectra for different reactors and fuels, both static and dynamic; the capability to accurately predict burn up from antineutrino spectra via machine learning; and to be able to localize antineutrino emissions from specific parts of the reactor core or elsewhere in space.