Our Solution
The base design reactor is 15 MWe. It is fully modular, and boreholes can be spaced close to each other: 10 to provide 150 MWe, or 100 to yield 1.5 GWe. The figure does not show all the boreholes but close-spaced reactors can share a steam generator and condenser. The modular nature allows the reactors to be spread across a military base or a large city.
Available in 15 MWe scalable arrays,
Deep Fission leverages decades of unique experience—and standard components—to generate safe, abundant, and scalable energy.
Standard Design
The Deep Fission reactor is based on the technology of the pressurized water reactor (PWR), the most common type of nuclear reactor around the world. It uses the same fuel as standard PWRs, even the same fuel assemblies (which hold the fuel in place), and the same methods to control the power (control rods and boron in the coolant fluid). The Deep Fission reactor operate at the same pressure (160 atmospheres) as does a standard PWR, and at the same core temperatures (about 315°C, equal to 600°F). As with a standard PWR, the heat is transferred to a steam generator at depth to boil water, and the non-radioactive steam rises rapidly to the surface where a standard steam turbine converts the energy to its electricity.
This reactor has no moving parts at depth, other than the control rods and the fluid flow of the water coolant. This design minimizes the need for maintenance, although cables attached to the reactor allow it to be raised to the surface (it takes only an hour or two) if inspection of the reactor is deemed necessary.
Virtually everything but the size and configuration is based on the standard PWR, and this is expected to facilitate a faster path to licensing, since regulations for PWRs are in place and have been used by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for decades.
PWR Technology
The Deep Fission reactor is based on the time-tested traditional technology of the pressurized water reactor (PWR), the most common type of nuclear reactor around the world. even the same fuel assemblies (which hold the fuel in place), and the same methods to control the power (control rods and boron in the coolant fluid).
The Deep Fission SMR design operates at the same pressure (160 atmospheres) as does a standard PWR, and at the same core temperatures (about 315°C, equal to 600°F). As with a standard PWR, the heat is transferred to a steam generator at depth to boil water, and the non-radioactive steam rises rapidly to the surface where a standard steam turbine converts the energy to its electricity.
Our SMR has no moving parts at depth, other than the control rods and the fluid flow of the water coolant. This design minimizes the need for maintenance, although cables attached to the reactor allow it to be raised to the surface (it takes only an hour or two) if inspection of the reactor is deemed necessary.
This reactor has no moving parts at depth, other than the control rods and the fluid flow of the water coolant. This design minimizes the need for maintenance, although cables attached to the reactor allow it to be raised to the surface (it takes only an hour or two) if inspection of the reactor is deemed necessary.
Accessible Fuel Supplies
Our SMR does not rely on foreign fuel sources that can become unavailable due to the geopolitical environment.
A Truly First-of-Its-Kind Solution
Deep Fission is actively engaged with the NRC, which you can learn more about on our regulatory page. We are confirming our first sites and customers now, and expect to have our first commercial reactors in operation within 3 years of final site confirmation.
Learn more about benefits to customers here.
