A nuclear reactor to produce coal: new use of SMRs in Sweden
Swedish lead-cooled small modular reactor ( SMR ) technology developer Blykalla will participate in a new project focused on integrating SMRs with thermochemical processes to produce renewable materials, such as bio-coal and bio-oil, which can be used to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and improve energy efficiency in the Swedish steel and chemical industries.
The project is the result of collaboration between the academic world – RISE Research Institutes of Sweden (which leads the project) and the KTH Royal Institute of Technology – and the steel sector operators SSAB, Blykalla and Envigas, a bio-coal producer. Funded by the Swedish Energy Agency, the project has received a substantial investment of more than 10 million SEK (967,000 million dollars) and is expected to start in December.
Blykalla molten lead reactor – Source Blykalla
Blykalla said the project focuses on harnessing the heat generated by SMRs to power thermochemical processes such as pyrolysis and hydrothermal carbonization. The goal is to produce renewable materials that can replace fossil-based products in the steel and chemical industries, thereby significantly reducing carbon emissions and improving energy efficiency. By coupling SMRs with these processes, the project aims to maximize resource efficiency and contribute to Sweden's ambitious goal of becoming fossil fuel-free by 2045.
“This effort should support the broader industrial transition to fossil-fuel-free processes, particularly in sectors that traditionally emit large amounts of carbon, such as steel production,” he added. “The findings are expected to have far-reaching implications, providing a model for other countries and industries looking to reduce their carbon emissions and improve energy efficiency.”
Blykalla – previously called LeadCold – is a spin-off of Stockholm-based KTH, where lead-cooled reactor systems have been in development since 1996. The company – founded in 2013 as a public limited company – is developing the SEALER (Swedish Advanced Lead Reactor. A demonstration SEALER (SEALER-D) with a thermal output of 80 MW is planned. As in future commercial reactors at Blykalla, the fuel rods will be cooled by 800 tons of liquid lead a diameter of approximately 5 metres.
Blykalla's goal is to have its first commercial 140 MWt SEALER-55 reactor operational by 2030.
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The article A nuclear reactor to produce coal: new use of SMRs in Sweden comes from Economic Scenarios .
This is a machine translation of a post published on Scenari Economici at the URL https://scenarieconomici.it/un-reattore-nucleare-per-produrre-il-carbone-nuovo-impiego-degli-smr-in-svezia/ on Thu, 05 Sep 2024 19:47:53 +0000.