VTT subsidiary proposes LDR-50 nuclear plant to tackle fossil fuel dependency
Steady Energy, a new spinout of Finland’s state VTT technical research centre, announced it has raised €2m ($2.2m) to kickstart the development of a project for a district heating plant powered by a small nuclear reactor.
Steady Energy said in a statement it will use the money for research and development work to demonstrate the functionality of the plant by building a 1:1 scale mockup powered by electric heat.
According to the statement, the company wants to build the world’s first LDR-50 reactor-based heating plant by 2030.
VTT began its district heating reactor project in 2020. The aim was to design a nuclear district heating plant to serve small, medium-size and large district heating networks.
The LDR (low-temperature district heating and desalination reactor) technology produces 50 MW of heat. Connection to the district heating network would be through an intermediate circuit and two heat exchangers.
Steady Energy said the LDR-50 is designed to operate at around 150 degrees Celsius and below pressure levels of 10 bar. This makes its operating conditions less demanding compared to those of traditional reactors, simplifying the requirements to meet the high safety standards of the nuclear industry.
The LDR-50 reactor module is made of two nested pressure vessels, with their intermediate space partially filled with water, said Steady Energy. When heat removal through the primary heat exchangers is compromised, water in the intermediate space begins to boil, forming an efficient passive heat transfer route into the reactor pool.
The innovation which was patented in 2021 means the system does not rely on electricity or any mechanical moving parts, which could fail and prevent the cooling function.
District heating based on fossil
The company said that 50% of all energy consumed by European Union households is used in heating homes, while 75% of that heat is source from fossil fuels.
“We’re setting up a demonstration plant for district heating purposes ideally in Finland, but our long-term plan is to have several plants operating around the world, producing carbon-neutral heat to homes, offices and for various industrial applications,” said Tommi Nyman, chief executive of Steady Energy.
Steady Energy said it will plan its business models adjusted to customer needs and is ready to deliver heating plants directly to customers. The company said the size of a single 50-MW LDR-50 is sufficient to heat a small city, while a single heating plant can have multiple reactor modules.
The heating plant could even be used as a desalination plant to produce fresh water in areas of the world suffering from water shortage, or it can be modified to produce steam for industrial purposes, said Steady Energy.
