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Part 2 of 2 Parts (Please read Part 1 first)
      The SLIMM reactor is compatible with different energy conversion technologies for converting the heat of the nuclear reaction to electricity. These technologies include supercritical water and CO2 Brayton cycles, super-heated steam Rankine cycles, and open and closed air Brayton cycles. It could be used in almost any electricity-generation configuration.
    The VSLIMM version can use open air-turbo-Brayton energy conversion. This removes the need for active cooling which will make this reactor idea for use in arid regions.
    The SLIMM reactors can also produce what is called process heat which can be used for many industrial purposes such as desalination, fracking for fissile fuel, hydrogen fuel production, aluminum smelting, etc. It is compatible with renewable energy sources attached to a common grid and it has the ability to load follow or increase or decrease its output based on moment to moment demand changes.
   The SLIMM reactors have a very small physical footprint. They can be installed on portable platforms such as trucks, trains, barges or ships. They can also be installed at a permanent site. This capability is ideal for remote and isolated communities and installations that are in great need of a cheap source of steady energy. They can be used to reduce global poverty, on island nations, advanced military bases or even on moons and other planets. It could be used on floating platforms to assist in recovery from natural disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis or hurricanes.
    It is estimated that it will only require a year or two to construct and install a SLIMM reactor. When a module is no longer needed or no longer operational, it can be sent back to the factory. There will be no need to store new or spent fuel at the operational site for any significant length of time. The major factor that will expand the time necessary for these reactors to be implemented will be the Nuclear Regulatory Licensing process which can take a decade or more. This is especially true for new and different designs. It would improve the deployment of the SLIMM reactors if Congress would pass laws that speed up the NRC licensing process for SMRs.
     In July, Senate Bill 903, the Nuclear Energy Leadership Act, was passed out of the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. This bill is intended to restore U.S. leadership for the civil nuclear industry. In order to accomplish this, the bill will work to create a variety of advanced nuclear reactor technologies that are clean, safe and reliable.
     The Nuclear Energy Renewal Act, was developed by senators from both parties in order to extend the life of reactors in the U.S. existing commercial power reactor fleet. Senate Bill 512, the Nuclear Energy Innovation and Modernization Act, was signed into law in January of this year.
      In September of 2018, the Nuclear Energy Innovation Capabilities Act was passed. Its purpose is to remove some of the barriers confronted by advanced nuclear reactor designs. It will also establish some of the infrastructure that will be needed to get this done.
     If the SLIMM reactors and other SMRs can be designed and built cheaply to operate safely, there could be a new age of nuclear energy just around the corner.