Dr. Benjamin Cross, Senior Advisor of NuSynergy Energy, LLC.
Presentation: “A Central Facility Concept for Nuclear Microreactor Maintenance and Fuel Cycle Management”
Speaker: Dr. Benjamin J. Cross, PE, Senior Advisor, NuSynergy Energy, LLC
Summary: Commercial deployment of nuclear microreactors presents an opportunity for the industry to rethink its approach to manufacturing, siting, operation and maintenance, and fuel cycle management as certain principles used in grid-scale nuclear projects are not applicable to a decentralized microreactor economy. A utility-like ‘Central Facility’ that consolidates the services required and responsibilities borne by vendors into one or a few centralized locations will be necessary to support the deployment of a fleet of microreactors. While there are many suitable locations for such a capability across the U.S., this presentation considers a facility co-located with the Vogtle Nuclear Power Plant and Savannah River Site to illustrate how a Central Facility can leverage the existing infrastructure and stimulate a local ecosystem.
About the Speaker: Ben is the Founder/Senior Advisor of NuSynergy Energy, LLC, a company focused on the synergistic integration of energy systems and is a member of the Resilient Infrastructure + Secure Energy Consortium (RISE). He has been involved in a broad range of energy related work activities: U.S. Navy nuclear propulsion, commercial nuclear power generation [LWR’s and a high temperature gas reactor (HTGR)], nuclear weapon’s materials production, advanced biofuels, fusion technology R&D, international nonproliferation, and the strategic development of DOE’s Asset Revitalization Initiative.
Location: Café Scientifique, SRNS Building, 203 Laurens Street SW, Aiken, SC