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Blykalla AB was founded in 2013 by Janne Wallenius, Peter Szakalos, and Jesper Ejenstam as a spin-off from the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden, where Janne Wallenius has carried out research on design and safety analysis on lead-cooled reactor systems since 1996.
The research brought together insights from fast reactor design, transient analysis, corrosion and materials science, nuclear fuel development, lead coolant chemistry, radiation damage, severe accident analysis, nuclear construction, and operation of nuclear power plants to create a unique reactor design that provides safe and sustainable baseload energy.
The transition to a sustainable future is dependent on carbon-free, reliable, and affordable energy. As the world is moving toward electrification, we need clean energy to power it. This energy has to be available where and when it's needed - complementing intermittent sources - and accommodate a vastly increased global energy demand.
There is an urgent need to invest in clean and stable energy capacity. Global electricity generation is expected to grow by 65% in the next 30 years. This will require an output of more than 40 000 TWh, compared to today's ∼25 000 TWh. In Sweden alone, the expected electricity usage far surpasses the expected production, pointing to an electricity gap of more than 200 TWh in 2050.
SMRs are nuclear fission power plants that typically produce 10-100 MW per unit. Their smaller size and output makes them suitable for serial, standardized production, and enables more predictable production and factory based quality controls. It also makes them suitable for decarbonizing hard-to-abate sectors beyond electricity, such as industrial process of heat, clean hydrogen production, and water desalination.
As a result of the modular structure, construction costs are reduced by up to 60% and construction time by roughly 70%, compared to that of traditional large-scale Generation III plants. This reduces financing risk and improves overall project affordability, which historically has been a challenge with nuclear power plants.
SMRs are suitable for remote and flexible deployment. Unlike traditional generation III nuclear power, the deployment of SMRs is not dependent on close proximity to large water areas for cooling, and reactor modules may be added or disconnected over time to better match demand.
Using lead as a coolant has a number of intrinsic advantages. For example, lead cools the system and simultaneously ensures that radioactive elements are retained. It has a boiling temperature of 1700°C, so there is no risk of losing the coolant. The high boiling temperature enables a low pressure system, hence there are no safety issues deriving from loss of pressure.
Blykalla’s reactors are passively safe, which means that no supply of electricity, other means of power nor human action is required for emergency cooling of residual heat. The reactor has a self-cooling function that relies on the natural convection of lead for removal of decay heat, and its intrinsic radiation shielding makes it possible to replace large concrete walls with the coolant itself.
We can therefore achieve passive safety in its most compact form. This facilitates serial factory production, and has important benefits in terms of safety and system simplifications.
