Making Nuclear Energy More Competitive for Future Energy Markets with Thermal Hydraulics Research

To compete in an energy market dominated by increasingly dynamic and variable renewables, nuclear power must evolve beyond its traditional baseload role. This research synthesizes recent thermal hydraulics research, primarily from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, in three key areas: improving reactor safety, reducing the system footprint, and increasing operational flexibility. Firstly, this research examines machine learning–based approaches to improving safety analysis. Key efforts include integrating new experimental data into safety analysis codes to improve accuracy and applying reinforcement learning algorithms to identify severe accident scenarios that conventional methods might overlook. Secondly, to reduce the nuclear system’s footprint, the development of compact components to scale down the size of plants is being explored. Notable technologies include advanced heat exchangers, such as helical coil steam generators and printed circuit heat exchangers. Furthermore, utilizing the supercritical CO2 Brayton power cycle is investigated fto make the nuclear system more compact. Finally, to increase operational flexibility and enable on-demand energy production, advanced control and energy storage solutions are researched. This includes an autonomous microreactor control system based on deep reinforcement learning and integrating energy storage systems to enable load-following capability. Together, these advances demonstrate that nuclear energy systems can be safer, smaller, and more adaptable, which reinforces the role of nuclear as a sustainable and competitive asset in future energy markets.