• About
    • About Us
    • What We Cover
  • Advertise
    • Advertise
    • Our Advertisers
  • Contact
  • Send News
  • Subscribe

Oak Ridge Today

  • Home
  • Sign in
  • News
    • Business
    • Community
    • Education
    • Government
    • Health
    • Police and Fire
    • U.S. Department of Energy
    • Weather
  • Sports
    • High School
    • Middle School
    • Recreation
    • Rowing
    • Youth
  • Entertainment
    • Arts
    • Dancing
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Television
    • Theater
  • Premium Content
  • Obituaries
  • Classifieds


 










Lecture to focus on whether small reactors can rejuvenate nuclear power

Posted at 12:30 pm November 17, 2013
By Oak Ridge Today Staff 1 Comment

Kent Williams

Kent Williams

A retired distinguished staff member at Oak Ridge National Laboratory will discuss Thursday evening whether small modular nuclear reactors, such as the one proposed in west Oak Ridge, can rejuvenate nuclear power.

The presentation by Kent Williams starts at 7 p.m. Thursday in the Fellowship Hall at First Presbyterian Church in Oak Ridge.

Many people in the nuclear industry say that small modular reactors, or SMRs, are key to a revitalized nuclear industry in the U.S. and overseas because of their projected market, safety, and economic characteristics, a press release said. One SMR plant has been proposed at the former Clinch River Breeder Reactor site in west Oak Ridge.

The release said Williams will describe the differences between large and small nuclear plants and how the latter might meet future demands for electricity in the Southeastern U.S and elsewhere in the world. The role of nuclear power compared to natural gas, coal, and renewables will also be discussed, with emphasis on environmental impacts and economics.

The release said Williams is presently a consultant to national laboratory customers on nuclear fuel cycle technical and economic issues. He worked in the Operations Analysis and Planning Division at the former K-25 site for 15 years and in the Engineering Technology and Nuclear Science and Technology divisions at ORNL for 25 years.

The Thursday night program is open to the public, and there’s no charge to attend. It is sponsored by the Advocates for the Oak Ridge Reservation and the Oak Ridge Section of The American Society of Mechanical Engineers. For more information, call or write Frank Hensley at (865) 250-1158 or [email protected].

First Presbyterian Church is at 1051 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

TVA Clinch River Site

The Babcock and Wilcox Co. has invested more than $360 million in a project that could result in a small nuclear reactor at the former Clinch River Breeder Reactor Site in west Oak Ridge, pictured above, by 2022. (Photo courtesy Tennessee Valley Authority)

As previously reported on Oak Ridge Today, the Babcock and Wilcox Co. has already invested more than $360 million in a project that could result in a small nuclear reactor in west Oak Ridge, and now the North Carolina company is looking for investors and possibly majority owners.

The mPower small modular reactor, or SMR, program is expected to have a nuclear power plant operating at the former Clinch River Breeder Reactor Site by 2022. Initially, it could have two small reactors, a “twin pack,” and produce 360 megawatts.

See this story for more information.

ASME was founded in 1880 and currently has 130,000 members in 158 countries around the world. ASME is the original author of the boiler and pressure vessel design code, which has been incorporated and adopted as law by virtually every country on earth. For over 40 years, the Oak Ridge Section has worked with sister technical societies to bring pertinent technical content, especially regarding energy choices, to the Oak Ridge community. 

AFORR, founded in 1997, supports the preservation of the natural resources of the U.S. Department of Energy’s 20,000-plus-acre Oak Ridge Reservation Research Park—for the long-term benefit of DOE, the local community, and national and international interests. The reservation has value for science and technology, conservation, economy and jobs, public health and safety, education, recreation, and historical significance.

Filed Under: Business, Community, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: Advocates for the Oak Ridge Reservation, AFORR, American Society of Mechanical Engineers, ASME, Clinch River Breeder Reactor, First Presbyterian Church, Kent Williams, nuclear industry, nuclear plants, nuclear power, nuclear reactors, Oak Ridge Reservation, small modular reactors, U.S. Department of Energy

Advertisements



 

Join the club!

If you haven't already, please consider subscribing to Oak Ridge Today. You don't have to subscribe to read most of our stories, but your subscription does provide benefits, including access to premium content. And it will help us cover local news for you day and night, as best we can. You can subscribe for as little as $5 per month. You can read more about your options here.

We currently offer five primary subscription options to readers:

Basic

  • Basic monthly subscription ($5 per month)—access premium content
  • Basic annual subscription ($60 per year)—access premium content

Pro

  • Pro monthly subscription ($10 per month)—access premium content, get breaking news emails first, and submit one press release or public service announcement per month
  • Pro annual subscription ($100 per year)—save $20 per year, access premium content, get breaking news emails first, and submit one press release or public service announcement per month

Temporary

  • Temporary access ($3 per week for two weeks)

We also have advanced subscription options. You can see them here.

If you prefer to send a check, you may do so by mailing one to:

Oak Ridge Today
P.O. Box 6064
Oak Ridge, TN 37831

Thank you for your consideration and for reading Oak Ridge Today. We appreciate your support.

Commenting Guidelines

We welcome comments, but we ask you to follow a few guidelines:

1) Please use your real name, including last name. Please also use a valid e-mail address.
2) Be civil. Don't insult others, attack their character, or get personal.
3) Stick to the issues.
4) No profanity.
5) Keep your comments to a reasonable length and to a reasonable number per article.

We reserve the right to remove any comments that violate these guidelines. Comments held for review, usually from those posting for the first time, may not post if they violate these guidelines. Thank you for your patience and understanding. Thank you also for reading Oak Ridge Today and for participating in the discussion.

More information is available here.

More Business News

DQ Grill & Chill opens in Oak Ridge

DQ Grill & Chill opens in Oak Ridge

DQ Grill and Chill has opened a restaurant in Oak Ridge. The restaurant opened Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2019, at the intersection of South Rutgers Avenue and Oak Ridge Turnpike. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today) DQ … [Read More...]

Close to 100 entries registered for Christmas Parade on Saturday

Close to 100 entries registered for Christmas Parade on Saturday

  Almost 100 organizations and individuals have already registered to be a part of the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce’s annual Christmas Parade on Saturday, December 14. This year’s theme is “Christmas Around the World,” … [Read More...]

Karen’s Jewelers has open house Thursday

Karen’s Jewelers has open house Thursday

Karen's Jewelers has an open house today (Thursday, December 5) from 4 to 7:30 p.m. During the open house, Karen's Jewelers said you can see all the newest jewelry fashions and enjoy some special treats. Karen's … [Read More...]

Leadership Oak Ridge provides outdoor seating area at AMSE

Leadership Oak Ridge provides outdoor seating area at AMSE

    Information from Kathy Gillenwaters and Amanda Meixel Kinghorn Members of the Leadership Oak Ridge program recently finished a project that provides enhancements to the American Museum of Science and Energy. The … [Read More...]

Call center relocates to Oak Ridge

Call center relocates to Oak Ridge

  Avant LLC recently announced that the company has completed the relocation of its call center operations from nearby Louisville to Commerce Park in Oak Ridge. This completes a year-long series of planning discussions … [Read More...]

More Business

More Community News

Altrusa, Breakfast Rotary seeking applications for literacy grants

Altrusa, Breakfast Rotary seeking applications for literacy grants

Submitted The Altrusa Club of Oak Ridge Foundation and Breakfast Rotary Club of Oak Ridge Foundation are again seeking applications for grants for projects, programs, and activities that foster literacy in Oak Ridge and … [Read More...]

Service of memory and hope Dec. 17 at First Presbyterian

Service of memory and hope Dec. 17 at First Presbyterian

Submitted December is filled with twinkling lights, decorated trees, and lots of eggnog and presents. But some folks experience the holiday season as difficult for many reasons. Sometimes called a “blue Christmas” … [Read More...]

Holiday reception for seniors is Friday

Holiday reception for seniors is Friday

The Oak Ridge Senior Center’s annual holiday reception for area senior citizens has been scheduled for Friday, Dec. 13, 2019, from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. in the Oak Ridge Civic Center’s Shep Lauter Room (gymnasium) at 1403 … [Read More...]

Learn about women in the Manhattan Project on Dec. 21

Learn about women in the Manhattan Project on Dec. 21

Close up of welding in prefabrication shop 1944 (Photo courtesy National Park Service) What was life like for women and women scientists during World War II and the Manhattan Project? You can join National Park … [Read More...]

‘Elf’ will be shown at Kids’ Movie Night on Friday

‘Elf’ will be shown at Kids’ Movie Night on Friday

The Christmas movie "Elf" will be shown during Kids' Movie Night in Oak Ridge on Friday. Kids' Movie Night will start at 6 p.m. Friday, December 13, at the Oak Ridge Civic Center. "Elf" is a 2003 Christmas movie … [Read More...]

More Community

More U.S. Department of Energy News

Updated: TerraPower, Isotek extracting cancer treatment materials from U-233 at ORNL

Updated: TerraPower, Isotek extracting cancer treatment materials from U-233 at ORNL

TerraPower, a company that Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates helped launch in 2006, is working with Isotek Systems LLC, a federal cleanup contractor in Oak Ridge, to extract rare isotopes from nuclear materials for cancer … [Read More...]

DOE still has top two supercomputers, including Summit at ORNL

DOE still has top two supercomputers, including Summit at ORNL

The Summit supercomputer, a 200-petaflop IBM system that is the world's most powerful, is pictured above at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. (Photo courtesy Katie Bethea/ORNL) The U.S. Department of Energy still has the … [Read More...]

For members: Companies have agreement to make nuclear fuel

For members: Companies have agreement to make nuclear fuel

The carbonization and heat treatment furnace used to produce TRISO fuel, a uranium fuel, at a pilot production facility at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. (Photo courtesy X-energy) Note: This story was updated at 12:15 … [Read More...]

Oak Ridge receives award for partnership that led to AMSE opening in new space

Oak Ridge receives award for partnership that led to AMSE opening in new space

The City of Oak Ridge was formally honored with a Community Partnership Award during a Celebration of Service to the Profession as part of ICMA’s Annual Conference on Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2019. Oak Ridge City Manager Mark … [Read More...]

Trump nominates Brouillette to be energy secretary

Trump nominates Brouillette to be energy secretary

U.S. Deputy Secretary of Energy Dan Brouillette, who has been nominated to serve as energy secretary, traveled to Tennessee in August to tour the BWXT—Nuclear Fuel Services Inc. Facility, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, … [Read More...]

More DOE

Recent Posts

  • Obituary: Wesley Davis Arnold, Jr. (Bill)
  • Roane State students analyze Election Commission website for hacking
  • Altrusa, Breakfast Rotary seeking applications for literacy grants
  • Service of memory and hope Dec. 17 at First Presbyterian
  • Holiday reception for seniors is Friday
  • Learn about women in the Manhattan Project on Dec. 21
  • ‘Elf’ will be shown at Kids’ Movie Night on Friday
  • DQ Grill & Chill opens in Oak Ridge
  • Close to 100 entries registered for Christmas Parade on Saturday
  • Oak Ridge Schools delayed two hours

Recent Comments

  • Matt Bailey on Dodson also wants to serve as mayor pro tem
  • Mark Caldwell on Dodson also wants to serve as mayor pro tem
  • Matt Bailey on Dodson also wants to serve as mayor pro tem
  • Mark Caldwell on Dodson also wants to serve as mayor pro tem
  • Matt Bailey on Dodson also wants to serve as mayor pro tem
  • Tracy Powers on Planning Commission to consider Main Street apartments, plan revisions
  • johnhuotari on Four incumbents re-elected to Oak Ridge City Council
  • Levi D. Smith on Four incumbents re-elected to Oak Ridge City Council
  • samuel hopwood on Housing: Apartments proposed on former AMSE site
  • Matt Bailey on Robin Smith named Oak Ridge police chief

Search Oak Ridge Today

About Us

About Oak Ridge Today
What We Cover

How To

Advertise
Subscribe

Contact Us

Contact Oak Ridge Today

Copyright © 2019 Oak Ridge Today