SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “firm power”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

SourceResearch connectionFrom yearThrough year

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 55 records · Page 3

All sources NASA NTRS DOE OSTI

DOE OSTI2023

Impacts of hybridization and forecast errors on the probabilistic capacity credit of batteries

Battery storage is increasingly identified as being among the least-cost mix of technologies in the evolving U.S. electricity mix. This study explores the marginal capacity credit of batteries using a probabilistic, reliability-based, effective firm capacity method, which we apply for multiple battery power ratings, durations, coupling types, deployment locations, and dispatch profiles within a test system that is based on the Texas Interconnection in the year 2024. We find that the capacity credits for all battery durations depend on their ability to predict the timing of reliability events. Even 1-2 h forecast errors - resulting in early or delayed battery discharging relative to the onset of a reliability event - lead pronounced capacity credit reductions, especially for 4-h duration batteries. Coupling batteries with solar mitigates the uncertainty associated with a shorter-duration battery's availability during reliability events, primarily due to the relatively high solar capacity credit in our test system. Coupled (or hybrid) system designs with oversized solar arrays, the ability to charge the coupled battery with grid energy, and larger batteries lead to the greatest capacity credit benefits of hybridization. We do not see evidence that the hybrid capacity credit exceeds the sum of the separate battery and solar capacity credits.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Modeling and Analysis of Stirling Power Convertors

Modeling and Analysis of Stirling Power Convertors Luis A. Rodriguez1 Steven M. Geng, Terry V. Reid, Scott D. Wilson NASA Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, OH, 44135, USA NASA Glenn’s Thermal Energy Conversion Branch is supporting the development of the next generation free-piston Stirling power convertors. American Superconductor (AMSC) and Sunpower Inc. are the two firms under contract to develop the Flexure Isotope Stirling Convertor (FISC) and the Sunpower Robust Stirling Convertor (SRSC), respectively. To comprehend and forecast convertor performance, Sage, ANSYS® Maxwell, and ANSYS® Fluent were used to model the Stirling thermodynamic cycle, alternator electromagnetics, and piston and displacer dynamics. I. Introduction Stirling convertors are being developed by NASA as a potential steady source of electrical power for NASA’s future scientific space missions. Currently, NASA Glenn Research Center has two corporations under contract, American Superconductor (AMSC) and Sunpower Inc., for the development of the next generation of free-piston Stirling convertors for dynamic radioisotope power systems. AMSC is developing the Flexure Isotope Stirling Convertor (FISC), which uses flexures to prevent side motion and rubbing of the piston. Similarly, Sunpower Inc, is developing the Sunpower Robust Stirling Convertor (SRSC). The SRSC uses gas bearings to prevent radial contact of the moving piston. As convertor development continues, it is increasingly important to understand and predict the interactions of components in the system, how they respond to one another, and how they perform as a response to changes in operating conditions. A suitable and enlightening way to demonstrate and foresee these interactions is with the use of accurate modeling software. Sage, ANSYS® Maxwell, and ANSYS® Fluent are the current modeling tools used by NASA to analytically determine convertor performance. Sage is a one-dimensional object-oriented commercial software package used for modeling and optimizing Stirling convertors for Dynamic Radioisotope Power Systems (DRPS) and it is one of the most accurate Stirling convertor codes in use by NASA. This code is the successor to GLIMPS (Globally-Implicit Stirling Cycle Simulation) and GLOP (GLIMPS Optimization) software created by Gedeon Associates [1]. Model input parameters are typically material/gas type, component physical dimensions, temperatures, frequency, charge pressure, and number of time/space nodes. Sage is used to model both the FISC’s and SRSC’s Stirling cycle thermodynamics and piston/displacer dynamics. Performance maps were created and analyzed for both power systems to better understand the relationship between the following conditions: cold-end temperature, hot-end temperature, piston/displacer amplitudes, pressure drop, and thermal input power. The synergy between these conditions will help determine parameter sensitivity. ANSYS® Maxwell was used to create a three-dimensional (3-D) axisymmetric model for both FISC and SRSC alternators. The significant physical components included in each model are the magnets, magnet carrier, outer/inner laminations, and the coil. Inputs to the model are piston amplitude, piston frequency, alternator load, coil resistance, tuning capacitance, and specific material properties. The alternator models calculate terminal voltage, current, piston/current phase, voltage/current phase, coil inductance, terminal power and efficiency. The RI2 losses, core (hysteresis and eddy) losses, and magnet/can eddy losses are also a part of the final results. ANSYS® Fluent is used to build 3-D computational fluid dynamic (CFD) models to examine the Stirling cycle thermodynamics for both the FISC and SRSC systems. Three-dimensional Computer Aided Design (CAD) models were used to create the physical components of each convertor. Steady-state simulations were conducted for hardware testing, prediction of environmental losses during testing, and generation of radiation look-up tables. The model inputs to the aforementioned analysis are the material properties and boundary thermal conditions. The steady-state model calculates temperature and heat flow distributions. Transient 3-D calculations were also part of the CFD analysis. In this study a physically reduced version of the FISC is used to obtain a prediction of available engine power. For the gas bearing SRSC, the transient effort is used to obtain a prediction of bearing pad performance and its sensitivity to micro-channel geometric variation. The model inputs to the transient simulations are the piston amplitude, displacer amplitude, frequency, displacer/piston phase angle, dynamic deforming CFD grid, temperature boundary conditions, and user defined files describing motion profile of piston/displacer. The results of the model are temperature distributions, heat distributions, and PV power produced at pre-determined conditions.

Luis A Rodriguez↗

DOE OSTI2023

Characterization of solid particle candidates for application in thermal energy storage and concentrating solar power systems

Thermal energy storage (TES) enables concentrating solar power to remain competitive in the renewable energy mix by firming up intermittent solar resource and providing grid services such as load shifting. Free from siting constraints, stand-alone TES systems show promise as a low-cost alternative to traditional pumped-storage hydropower or compressed air energy storage. At the core of all TES technologies is a storage medium, the selection of which governs many aspects of system design and operation. Although the majority of commercial installations utilize molten salts, solid particles can demonstrate stability over wider temperature ranges. This amounts to increased energy storage densities and corresponding reductions in system cost which is essential in achieving low-cost energy storage. In this work, eight solid particle candidates are systematically identified and screened for application in a specific particle-TES system. The five most promising candidates (CARBO CP and HSP, calcined flint clay (CFC), brown fused alumina (BFA), and silica sand) are further characterized by size and morphology for fluidization suitability, flowability for particle transport, and thermal stability. Calcined flint clay and brown fused alumina are eventually down-selected due to thermal instability at the target operational temperature of 1200 °C. Although the physical characteristics of CARBO outperform silica sand in all categories examined, the marginal performance gains are considered insufficient to justify the additional media cost so silica sand is selected as the leading candidate. Within the silica sand (α-quartz) space, the high end of Geldart Group B particles is identified to satisfy the target fluidization regime for the application of interest without compromising particle flowability. Here, in focused testing, Silica 460 is shown to exhibit sufficient stability through long-duration (500-hour) thermal and cyclic testing (1200 °C), 10-hour testing at 1400 °C, and in contact with candidate refractory containment materials. Finally, an average heat capacity of 1.1 J/g∙ °C is measured over 300-1200 °C with a quartz inversion enthalpy (ΔH α-β ) of 10.7J/g.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

NASA NTRS1981

Early experience with a highly mobile Lageos ranging system

Two portions of the University of Texas Transportable Laser Ranging System (TLRS) are presented: the beam director and the burst mode single photon laser ranging system. The system, optimized for the Lageos target, has satellite track rates varying from approximately 1800 arcsec per sec on low targets to a few arcsec per sec on the highest. Using full aperture, approximately 3 millijoules of laser power per shot can be transmitted without exceeding the eye damage threshold, and a beam divergence of less than 30 arcsec is dictated by these parameters. Position loop response is optimized, and the instrument is capable of tracking the satellite from nearly any firm, flat position. The laser ranging system uses a multiple pulse laser, and power restrictions result in an average return of less than one photoelectron per shot. The use of a simple laser for ranging has virtually eliminated the high percentage of down time.

Silverberg, E. C.↗

DOE OSTI2020

Thermal Energy Storage Using Solid Particles for Long-Duration Energy Storage

The rapid growth of renewable energy increases the importance of economically firming the electricity supply from variable solar photovoltaic- and wind-power generators. Energy storage will be the key to manage variability and to bridge the generation gap over time scales of hours or days for high renewable grid integration. The integration of renewable power and storage of excess electricity has several significant and positive impacts including: 1) expanding the renewable energy portion of total electricity generation, 2) improving the peak-load response, and 3) coordinating the electricity supply and demand over the grid. Long-duration energy storage can potentially complement the reduction of fossil-fuel baseload generation that otherwise would risk grid security when a large portion of grid power comes from variable renewable sources. Several energy storage methods are deployed or under development, including mechanical, chemical or electrochemical, and thermal energy storage (TES). Comparing their economic potential for different scales and applications helps identify suitable technology to support high renewable grid integration. Despite the progress of TES technologies developed and deployed with concentrating solar power (CSP) systems, TES has been undervalued for its potential role in electric energy storage. This paper introduces TES methods applicable to grid energy storage and particularly focuses on solid-particle-based TES to serve the purpose of long-duration energy storage (LDES). The objective of this paper is to present a standalone particle-based TES system for electric storage and to show the potential of TES systems for LDES applications over other energy storage methods such as batteries, compressed-air energy storage, or pumped-storage hydropower.

27 ARPA - Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy↗

NASA NTRS1998

Structure and Dynamics of the Solar Chromosphere

The problem of chromospheric dynamics and heating consists of two problems: one, concerning the magnetic network on the boundary of supergranulation cells (CB), where the oscillation period is seven minutes, and the other, concerning the cell interior (CI), where the oscillation period is three minutes. The observational data on the oscillations and the emission of radiation can be used to determine the structure and dynamics of the atmosphere provided answers are known to three critical questions, concerning: the nature of the waves powering the bright points, the origin of the observed oscillation periods and the mechanism of chromospheric heating. The recent modeling of the dynamics of the CI, which combines a sophisticated treatment of gas dynamics and radiative transfer in a one-dimensional model with empirical velocity input from the observations, answered the first of these questions: the waves powering K(sub 2upsilon), bright points are propagating acoustic waves. This firm conclusion declares invalid the model of Leibacher & Stein, which explains the observed period with standing acoustic waves in a chromospheric cavity. On the third question, the heating of the chromosphere in the CI, their model predicts that the temperature in the chromosphere is declining in the outward direction up to a height of at least I Mm most of the time, so even the time-average temperature is dropping monotonically in the outward direction, implying that lines formed in the chromosphere up to a height of at least 1 Mm appear in absorption most of the time and everywhere in the CI. The problem of the CI can be resolved with a two-component model, which combines a model for K(sub 2upsilon), bright points with a model for the background. The bright point model has the same aims as the CS94 model, except that the empirical driving from the LRK93 observations is replaced by impulsive excitation, as suggested by the properties of the Klein-Gordon equation.

Kalkofen, Wolfgang↗

NASA NTRS2005

A Facility for Testing High-Power Electric Propulsion Systems in Space: A Design Study

Petro, Andrew J.↗

DOE OSTI2021

Beyond short-duration energy storage

Long-duration energy storage technologies can be a solution to the intermittency problem of wind and solar power but estimating technology costs remains a challenge. New research identifies cost targets for long-duration storage technologies to make them competitive against different firm low-carbon generation technologies.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

NASA NTRS2012

Fermi-LAT Constraints on the Pulsar Wind Nebula Nature of HESS J1857+026

Since its launch, the Fermi satellite has firmly identified 5 pulsar wind nebulae plus a large number of candidates, all powered by young and energetic pulsars. HESS J1857+026 is a spatially extended gamma-ray source detected by H.E.S.S. and classified as a possible pulsar wind nebula candidate powered by PSR J1856+0245. Aims. We search for -ray pulsations from PSR J1856+0245 and explore the characteristics of its associated pulsar wind nebula. Methods. Using a rotational ephemeris obtained from the Lovell telescope at Jodrell Bank Observatory at 1.5 GHz, we phase.fold 36 months of gamma-ray data acquired by the Large Area Telescope (LAT) aboard Fermi. We also perform a complete gamma-ray spectral and morphological analysis. Results. No pulsation was detected from PSR J1856+0245. However, significant emission is detected at a position coincident with the TeV source HESS J1857+026. The gamma-ray spectrum is well described by a simple power law with a spectral index of Gamma = 1.53 +/- 0.11(sub stat) +/- 0.55(sub syst) and an energy flux of G(0.1 C100 GeV) = (2.71 +/- 0.52(sub stat) +/- 1.51(sub syst) X 10(exp -11) ergs/ sq cm/s. This implies a gamma.ray efficiency of approx 5 %, assuming a distance of 9 kpc, the gamma-ray luminosity of L(sub gamma) (sub PWN) (0.1 C100 GeV) = (2.5 +/- 0.5(sub stat) +/- 1.5(sub syst)) X 10(exp 35)(d/(9kpc))(exp 2) ergs/s and E-dot = 4.6 X 10(exp 36) erg /s, in the range expected for pulsar wind nebulae. Detailed multi-wavelength modeling provides new constraints on its pulsar wind nebula nature.

Rousseau, R.↗

NASA NTRS2012

Fermi-LAT Constraints on the Pulsar Wind Nebula Nature of HESS J1857+026

Context. Since its launch, the Fermi satellite has firmly identified 5 pulsar wind nebulae plus a large number of candidates, all powered by young and energetic pulsars. HESS J1857+026 is a spatially extended gamma-ray source detected by H.E.S.S. and classified as a possible pulsar wind nebula candidate powered by PSR J1856+0245. Aims. We search for gamma-ray pulsations from PSR J1856+0245 and explore the characteristics of its associated pulsar wind nebula. Methods. Using a rotational ephemeris obtained from the Lovell telescope at Jodrell Bank Observatory at 1.5 GHz, we phase.fold 36 months of gamma-ray data acquired by the Large Area Telescope (LAT) aboard Fermi. We also perform a complete gamma-ray spectral and morphological analysis. Results. No pulsation was detected from PSR J1856+0245. However, significant emission is detected at a position coincident with the TeV source HESS J1857+026. The gamma-ray spectrum is well described by a simple power law with a spectral index of Gamma = 1.53 +/- 0.11(sub stat) +/- 0.55(syst) and an energy flux of G(0.1-100 GeV) = (2.71 +/- 0.52(stat) +/- 1.51(syst)) X 10(exp -11) ergs / sq cm/s. This implies a gamma-ray efficiency of approx 5 %, assuming a distance of 9 kpc, the gamma-ray luminosity of L(sup gamma) (sub PWN(0.1) - 100 GeV) = (2.5 +/- 0.5(sub stat) +/- 1.5(sub syst)) X 10(exp 35) squared (d/9kpc) ergs /s and E(dot) = 4.6 10(exp 36) erg/s, in the range expected for pulsar wind nebulae. Detailed multi-wavelength modeling provides new constraints on its pulsar wind nebula nature.

R Rousseau↗

DOE OSTI2020

A catastrophic tropical drought kills hydraulically vulnerable tree species

Drought-related tree mortality is now a widespread phenomenon predicted to increase in magnitude with climate change. However, the patterns of which species and trees are most vulnerable to drought, and the underlying mechanisms have remained elusive, in part due to the lack of relevant data and difficulty of predicting the location of catastrophic drought years in advance. In this work, we used long-term demographic records and extensive databases of functional traits and distribution patterns to understand the responses of 20–53 species to an extreme drought in a seasonally dry tropical forest in Costa Rica, which occurred during the 2015 El Niño Southern Oscillation event. Overall, species-specific mortality rates during the drought ranged from 0% to 34%, and varied little as a function of tree size. By contrast, hydraulic safety margins correlated well with probability of mortality among species, while morphological or leaf economics spectrum traits did not. This firmly suggests hydraulic traits as targets for future research.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2024

Impact of Glen Canyon Generation Loss

Colorado River Basin hydropower generation has faced challenges due to droughts and ecological and social water requirements. Specifically, Glen Canyon hydropower generation fluctuates substantially with recent extreme weather trends. Further, the western grid evolves with higher wind and solar share, and Glen Canyon hydropower's contribution to grid flexibility services is essential. The Western Area Power Administration (WAPA) markets and schedules electricity production at GCD, and the loss of this power could have significant financial consequences for the WAPA Colorado River Storage Project's (CRSP) Office because it may need to purchase relatively large amounts of energy to serve its firm electrical obligations. In addition, GCD provides grid reliability services for the WAPA Colorado-Missouri (WACM) balancing authority (BA). Both WAPA and DOE's Water & Power Technology Office (WPTO) are interested in researching how these drier hydrological conditions will impact federal electrical energy production, the Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC) power grid, and the value of hydropower in the face of lower production. We study multiple hydrologic and power grid scenarios to understand the grid impacts of the loss of Glen Canyon generation. The study uses a production cost model, water resources planning models, water-centric grid models, and various data analytic techniques. The study progress presentation discusses the selection of probable CRSP' hydropower scenarios and power grid scenarios to understand the impacts of Glen Canyon generation, which includes technologies that compensate the Glen Canyon energy and ancillary services contributions, transmission availability, and energy local marginal prices at interested grid locations of WAPA operation.

droughts↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Modeling and Analysis of Stirling Power Convertors

NASA Glenn’s Thermal Energy Conversion Branch is supporting the development of the next generation free-piston Stirling power convertors for Dynamic Radioisotope Power Systems (DRPS). American Superconductor (AMSC) and Sunpower Inc. are the two of the firms under contract to develop the Flexure Isotope Stirling Convertor (FISC) and the Sunpower Robust Stirling Convertor (SRSC), respectively, to meet DRPS requirements. To comprehend and forecast convertor performance, Sage, ANSYS® Maxwell, and ANSYS® Fluent were used to model the Stirling thermodynamic cycle, alternator electromagnetics, and piston and displacer dynamics.

Stirling↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Modeling and Analysis of Stirling Power Convertors

Stirling↗

NASA NTRS2005

A High-power Electric Propulsion Test Platform in Space

This paper will describe the results of the preliminary phase of a NASA design study for a facility to test high-power electric propulsion systems in space. The results of this design study are intended to provide a firm foundation for subsequent detailed design and development activities leading to the deployment of a valuable space facility. The NASA Exploration Systems Mission Directorate is sponsoring this design project. A team from the NASA Johnson Space Center, Glenn Research Center, the Marshall Space Flight Center and the International Space Station Program Office is conducting the project. The test facility is intended for a broad range of users including government, industry and universities. International participation is encouraged. The objectives for human and robotic exploration of space can be accomplished affordably, safely and effectively with high-power electric propulsion systems. But, as thruster power levels rise to the hundreds of kilowatts and up to megawatts, their testing will pose stringent and expensive demands on existing Earth-based vacuum facilities. These considerations and the human access to near-Earth space provided by the International Space Station (ISS) have led to a renewed interest in space testing. The ISS could provide an excellent platform for a space-based test facility with the continuous vacuum conditions of the natural space environment and no chamber walls to modify the open boundary conditions of the propulsion system exhaust. The test platform could take advantage of the continuous vacuum conditions of the natural space environment. Space testing would provide open boundary conditions without walls, micro-gravity and a realistic thermal environment. Testing on the ISS would allow for direct observation of the test unit, exhaust plume and space-plasma interactions. When necessary, intervention by on-board personnel and post-test inspection would be possible. The ISS can provide electrical power, a location for diagnostic instruments, data handling and thermal control. The platform will be designed to accommodate the side-by-side testing of multiple types of electric thrusters. It is intended to be a permanent facility in which different thrusters can be tested over time. ISS crews can provide maintenance for the platform and change out thruster test units as needed. The primary objective of this platform is to provide a test facility for electric propulsion devices of interest for future exploration missions. These thrusters are expected to operate in the range of hundreds of kilowatts and above. However, a platform with this capability could also accommodate testing of thrusters that require much lower power levels. Testing at the higher power levels would be accomplished by using power fiom storage devices on the platform, which would be gradually recharged by the ISS power generation system. This paper will summarize the results of the preliminary phase of the study with an explanation of the user requirements and the initial conceptual design. The concept for test operations will also be described. The NASA project team is defining the requirements but they will also reflect the inputs of the broader electric propulsion community including those at universities, commercial enterprises and other government laboratories. As a facility on the International Space Station, the design requirements are also intended to encompass the needs of international users. Testing of electric propulsion systems on the space station will help advance the development of systems needed for exploration and could also serve the needs of other customers. Propulsion systems being developed for commercial and military applications could be tested and certification testing of mature thrusters could be accomplished in the space environment.

Petro, Andrew J.↗

DOE OSTI2026

Mitigating Data Center Impact on Grid Stability: A Coordinated Control Strategy Using Verrus StabiliGrid Architecture

Large data centers, which now represent a significant and growing share of the total U.S. grid load, can inadvertently destabilize the electrical grid when they disconnect simultaneously during brief voltage disturbances. The July 10, 2024, Eastern Interconnection incident, in which a sub-100-millisecond transmission fault triggered the cascading loss of approximately 1,500 MW of data center load, illustrates this vulnerability. While commercial battery energy storage systems (BESS) deployed in data centers provide device-level fault ride-through per IEEE 1547, they lack coordination with facility protection logic and uninterruptible power supplies (UPS), limiting their effectiveness as grid-stabilizing assets. This report presents the Verrus StabiliGrid architecture, a coordinated control framework that integrates BESS, UPS, and point-of-interconnection (POI) protection settings to enable data centers to ride through both undervoltage and overvoltage grid contingencies without disconnecting. The four-step strategy encompasses: (1) high-resolution power quality monitoring to detect the grid state during events such as undervoltage, overvoltage, underfrequency, and overfrequency; (2) POI protection settings that allow for extended ride-through and grid-connected operation during grid contingencies; (3) grid state-driven autonomous dispatch of assets to improve grid resilience by reducing power draw during undervoltage or absorbing more power during overvoltage events; and (4) coordinated post-recovery dispatch of data center assets to restore firm load to pre-contingency levels. Validated through controller-hardware-in-the-loop (C-HIL) simulations at the National Laboratory of the Rockies, results show grid import restoration to pre-fault levels within 100 milliseconds of voltage recovery. This work advances the ability of data centers to transition from passive, disturbance-sensitive loads to active participants in grid stability, a capability increasingly required by emerging NERC and ERCOT regulatory frameworks.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

NASA NTRS1991

The status of lightweight photovoltaic space array technology based on amorphous silicon solar cells

Ultralight, flexible photovoltaic (PV) array of amorphous silicon (a-Si) was identified as a potential low cost power source for small satellites. A survey was conducted of the status of the a-Si PV array technology with respect to present and future performance, availability, cost, and risks. For existing, experimental array blankets made of commercial cell material, utilizing metal foil substrates, the Beginning of Life (BOL) performance at Air Mass Zero (AM0) and 35 C includes total power up to 200 W, power per area of 64 W/sq m and power per weight of 258 W/kg. Doubling of power per weight occurs when polyimide substrates are used. Estimated End of Life (EOL) power output after 10 years in a nominal low earth orbit would be 80 pct. of BOL, the degradation being due to largely light induced effects (-10 to -15 pct.) and in part (-5 pct.) to space radiation. Predictions for the year 1995 for flexible PV arrays, made on the basis of published results for rigid a-Si modules, indicate EOL power output per area and per weight of 105 W/sq m and 400 W/kg, respectively, while predictions for the late 1990s based on existing U.S. national PV program goals indicate EOL values of 157 W/sq m and 600 W/kg. Cost estimates by vendors for 200 W ultralight arrays in volume of over 1000 units range from $100/watt to $125/watt. Identified risks include the lack of flexible, space compatible encapsulant, the lack of space qualification effort, recent partial or full acquisitions of US manufacturers of a-Si cells by foreign firms, and the absence of a national commitment for a long range development program toward developing of this important power source for space.

Hanak, Joseph J.↗

DOE OSTI2024

Navigating Economies of Scale and Multiples for Nuclear-Powered Data Centers and Other Applications with High Service Availability Needs

Nuclear energy is increasingly being considered for such targeted energy applications as data centers in light of their high capacity factors and low carbon emissions. This paper focuses on assessing the tradeoffs between economies of scale versus mass production to identify promising reactor sizes to meet data center demands. A framework is then built using the best cost estimates from the literature to identify ideal reactor power sizes for the needs of the given data center. Results should not be taken to be deterministic but highlight the variability of ideal reactor power output against the required demand. While certain advocates claim that with the gigawatts of clean, firm energy needed, large plants are ideal, others advocate for SMRs that can be deployed in large quantities and reap the benefits from learning effects. The findings of this study showcase that identifying the optimal size for a reactor is likely more nuanced and dependent on the application and its requirements. Overall, the study does show potential economic promise for coupling nuclear reactors to data centers and industrial heat applications under certain key conditions and assumptions.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗