A number of countries are doing research into developing Small Modular nuclear Reactors (SMR) for electrical power generation, including Canada. These types of reactors could be used to power remote locations, for heavy industry applications, and for on-grid applications. One of the possible uses for a SMR is to provide power along with other green energy sources to remote Arctic communities.
Small nuclear reactors are not a new concept. The Americans constructed small nuclear reactors for remote areas in the 1960s, under the U.S. Army Nuclear Power Program, where they built and ran 4 reactors in remote regions: in Alaska, in Greenland, in Antarctica, and in the Panama Canal Zone on a barge. More recently the Russians have put two nuclear reactors on a barge and use it to power a remote Arctic community.
Health Canada plays a role in human health risk assessment for major resource and infrastructure projects in Canada and is therefore interested in the history of SMRs and the potential radio-ecological consequences of future projects in terms of radiation dose received by humans.
A possible first step in understanding SMRs is to understand the radioecology of the nuclear submarines that have been sunk in the Kara Sea and surrounding area. The question posed is can this help shine any light on the issue for SMRs? The submarine, K-27 will be discussed. Then the presentation will also take a look at some of the new reactors designs that are being and have been considered for SMRs in Canada.