Ambient office = 100 nanosieverts per hour

Ambient outside = 97 nanosieverts per hour

Soil exposed to rain water = 97 nanosieverts per hour

Peaches from Central Market = 90 nanosieverts per hour

Tap water = 122 nanosieverts per hour

Filter water = 116 nanosieverts per hour

Ambient office = 68 nanosieverts per hour

Ambient outside = 125 nanosieverts per hour

Soil exposed to rain water = 133 nanosieverts per hour

Red bell pepper from Central Market = 84 nanosieverts per hour

Tap water = 105 nanosieverts per hour

Filter water = 97 nanosieverts per hour

Ambient office = 65 nanosieverts per hour

Ambient outside = 89 nanosieverts per hour

Soil exposed to rain water = 86 nanosieverts per hour

Blueberry from Central Market = 76 nanosieverts per hour

Tap water = 122 nanosieverts per hour

Filter water = 115 nanosieverts per hour

Dover sole – Caught in USA = 135 nanosieverts per hour

Part 2 of 2 Parts (Please read Part 1 first)
     The INL report finds that “Results indicate significant potential for global deployment of microreactors, but also significant challenges in achieving the technical capacities, meeting regulatory requirements and international accords, achieving competitive costs and for gaining public acceptance.” Future market demand is seen to be particularly strong across Asia and Eastern Europe “in isolated operations and distributed energy applications”. 
     Hundreds of new microreactors would have to be constructed by 2040 and thousands of microreactors would have to be constructed by 2050 in order to attain market penetration at scale. These microreactors are needed to fill “gaps” in the replacement of fossil fuel sources for both electrical and non-electrical uses. In addition, microreactors would complement variable renewable technologies such as wind and solar in distributed systems.
     The report notes that “In basic market terms, for microreactors to achieve deep penetration in markets will require achieving specific aggressive cost targets; however, they will not compete with centralized energy sources. Consideration of costs beyond the demonstration units is necessary to insure producibility and scalability for factory deployment.”
     The report concludes that “For microreactors to capture new market shares, some significant challenges must be overcome, and an appropriate balance achieved between market demands, technology performance, costs, regulatory compliance costs and public acceptance.” It also notes that the “novelty aspects” of microreactors, competition for one or more dominant designs, and limited operational data “translate to uncertainty in the regulatory and planning domain”.
     The report mentions that there are key questions that remain with respect to the future prospects of microreactors. These include the transport of microreactors and their fuel. The potential for remote and semi-autonomous use requires additional analysis with respect to cyber and physical risks. There are collaborations and technical exchanges focusing on some of these key questions. These include ongoing efforts by the U.S. and Canadian regulators, the International Atomic Energy Agency and U.S. federal programs.
     Puerto Rico is an unincorporated territory under the control of the U.S. in the northeastern Caribbean. It was the site of a U.S. developed prototype boiling-water superheated reactor known as the BONUS. This reactor was operated from 1965 to 1968. It has since been decommissioned. Today. Puerto Rico is heavily dependent on fossil fuels which have to be imported.
     Jesus M Nunez is the CEO of the Nuclear Alternative Project (NAP) which is a non-profit that brings together Puerto Rico engineers from across the U.S. nuclear industry under one mission. Their mission is to study and educate people about advantages of  advanced nuclear power reactors. He said, “Puerto Rico needs a scalable, resilient and reliable base load power source. Microreactors could be part of a future modern and strong Puerto Rico.”
     The DoE Microreactor Program is dedicated to fundamental research and development to reduce uncertainty and risk in the design and deployment of microreactors and facilitate more efficient technology commercialization. At the same time, the U.S. Department of Defense’s Project Pele is on track for full power testing of a five-megawatt transportable microreactor prototype in 2023.

Ambient office = 80 nanosieverts per hour

Ambient outside = 142 nanosieverts per hour

Soil exposed to rain water = 136 nanosieverts per hour

Avocado from Central Market = 59 nanosieverts per hour

Tap water = 73 nanosieverts per hour

Filter water = 67 nanosieverts per hour

Part 1 of 2 Parts
      There is a lot of interest in the development of microreactors because their deployment in the near future could support energy markets that are not available to large nuclear plants. A number of companies are working on building prototypes of commercial microreactors but there are some very significant challenges that must be overcome in order for them to capture new market shares. The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DoE’s) Idaho National Laboratory recently published a technical report regarding the future of microreactors.
     The report is titled Global Market Analysis of Microreactors. It focuses on future global microreactor markets and the potential for microreactors. The report assesses the unique capabilities and potential deployment in specific global markets in the period from 2030 to 2050. The one hundred- and forty-seven-page study summarizes work on the economics and market opportunities for microreactors that were conducted under the DoE’s Microreactor Program. The study utilizes “top down” and “bottom up” analysis techniques to evaluate emerging market trends. It derives a range of possible demands for microreactors and ranks potential markets in sixty-three countries. These countries include those currently employing nuclear power and other countries who are interested in exploring possible deployment of nuclear power in the near future.
     Microreactors are a subset of small modular reactors (SMRs). SMRs are nuclear power reactors that generate three hundred megawatts or less of electricity. Microreactors generate from one to twenty megawatts. They are sometimes called “nuclear batteries. The microreactor category includes light-water reactors, molten salt reactors, gas-cooled reactors, metal-cooled faster reactors and heat pipe reactors.
     The report refers to studies of potential applications for microreactors in Alaska, Puerto Rico and U.S. federal facilities which were carried out as part of the DoE program during the period from 2019 to 2021. The studies referenced include:
• A study was undertaken by the University of Alaska at Anchorage to identify markets, applications and economic potential for nuclear-powered microreactors in Alaska and the Arctic. They also projected export potential for microreactors for remote locations around the world.
• The University of Wisconsin at Madison carried out a study to define the potential role for microreactors at U.S. government installations, at off grid or at remote sites which need secure, stand alone power and on-grid sites for secure backup power.
• A study was conducted by Puerto Rican-led not-for-profit organization Nuclear Alternative Project (NAP). This study was conducted under contract from the Idaho National Laboratory. The purpose of this study was to investigate the feasibility of using SMRs and microreactors to provide resilient power for island territories such as Puerto Rico.
     By 2030, initial deployment of such microreactors could possibly expand the contribution of nuclear power in North America and Western Europe. These areas would otherwise show little future growth in nuclear power, according to the DoE report. Mid-term deployments could begin around 2035 with expansion in Eastern Europe and Asia. In these areas, energy infrastructures are currently under deployment. Microreactors could support new nuclear markets in emerging economies. Longer term deployment during the period from 2040 to 2050 could be in urban markets and megacities which lack access to energy and are susceptible to climate change disaster relief by replacing portable diesel generators and in low-carbon shipping.
Please read Part 2 next