UK start-up Nuclear Turbines unveils novel reactor concept

Nuclear Turbines has been founded by former BAE Systems Principal Engineer Jeremy Owston and University of Manchester Professor Tim Abram in partnership with Empirical Ventures.

What is the concept?

The company says it is "is solving nuclear's critical cost and scale challenges by replacing steam turbine systems with highly efficient high-temperature turbine technology normally found in jet engines and gas-fired power plants".

It says "steam turbines became the nuclear default because they work with the low-temperature heat produced by current water-cooled nuclear reactors, but they’re also large and relatively inefficient. They need large tanks and boilers, heat exchangers, and complex cooling systems all capable of handling high-pressure water safely, which makes them expensive to build and difficult to shrink to an economically viable size".

"In contrast," it says, "gas turbines, which power aeroplanes and are used in all gas-fired power stations, convert extremely hot air directly into power with very little energy loss. This makes them highly efficient, compact and economically viable at small scales. But they're not suitable for nuclear reactors because current designs can’t heat air to the high temperatures gas turbines need. Water-cooled reactors operate at low temperatures (below 300°C), while high-temperature reactors use graphite, which burns when exposed to air."

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Nuclear Turbines says its reactor design - which directly heats compressed air before returning it to the turbine at high temperature to generate electricity - uses novel reactor materials and bypasses the need for graphite.

Co-founder Owston said: "The nuclear industry has always designed reactors first, then figured out what to do with the heat. We flipped this script: we started with the cheapest way to generate power and designed a reactor to fit."

David Ewing, Head of Technology Commercialisation, BAE Systems, said: "Built on exceptional engineering expertise and innovative technology, Nuclear Turbines reflects our commitment to accelerating breakthrough innovation beyond defence and supporting UK growth, industrial resilience and energy security."

Jordan Billiald, Principal at IQ Capital, said: "This is the first time I've seen an SMR design that genuinely solves the economic and sustainability equation, and it's at a time when market dynamics, government ambition and regulatory reform are creating unprecedented opportunity. Nuclear Turbines is perfectly positioned to capture that opportunity and to make sure the UK is not left out of the global nuclear race."

The funding, which came in a foundational round led by IQ Capital, joined by Rhapsody Venture Partners, Zero Carbon Capital and Empirical Ventures, will be used to "advance and validate the reactor design, build large-scale test rigs, and expand the team as the company prepares to manufacture its first fuel elements".

The examples given of applications include data centres and industrial uses, as well as being able to "scale in a truly modular way, with economics viable for behind-the-meter, microgrid, and hybrid grid deployments".