IEEE Nuclear Presentation Series - Small Reactors: Prospects and Challenges
IEEE Presentation Series on Nuclear Energy and Small Modular Reactors
The IEEE Vancouver Section and the IEEE Future Directions Committee are organizing a series of presentations to address the widespread interest in clean energy sources, new nuclear reactor technologies, and the various related issues. This series of talks will cover aspects of nuclear energy and the disruptive new technology of Small Modular Reactors. These presentations will be of interest both to engineers who are not nuclear specialists, and to the general public who are interested in learning about the technology.
| TOPIC: | Small Reactors: Prospects and Challenges |
| DATE: | May 14, 2025 |
| LOCATION: | Online |
| PRESENTER: | Dr. Esam Hussein |
Dr. Esam Hussein will discuss several types of small reactors and microreactors. He will review the promises and hurdles of modular reactor designs, manufacturing and construction. Inherent and passive safety features of these reactors will also be examined.
This presentation is free. IEEE members and the general public are welcome to attend. Registration is required.
This presentation series is organized by:
- IEEE Future Directions Committee, IEEE Sustech Initiative
- IEEE Vancouver Section (Joint Applied Physics Chapter)
This presentation series is supported by:
- IEEE NPSS - IEEE Nuclear and Plasma Sciences Society
Date and Time
Location
Hosts
Registration
- Date: 14 May 2025
- Time: 04:00 PM UTC to 05:00 PM UTC
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- Co-sponsored by IEEE Future Directions Committee, IEEE SusTech Initiative
- Starts 25 April 2025 07:00 AM UTC
- Ends 14 May 2025 05:00 PM UTC
- No Admission Charge
Speakers
Dr. Esam Hussein of University of Regina and University of New Brunswick, Canada (Professor Emeritus)
Small Reactors: Prospects and Challenges
This presentation is the sixth in the IEEE Presentation Series on Nuclear Energy.
Nuclear power is seen as a viable means for rapid and deep decarbonization, both in electricity generation and industrial processes. Small reactors (300 MWe or less), often referred to as small modular reactors (SMRs), and microreactors (between one and ten MWe) are seen as effective vehicles for rapid deployment, while incorporating many of the features of advanced Generation IV reactor technology.
This talk will examine the potential of these reactor types, given that there are about a hundred reported designs and concepts, but a few have been realized. The promise and hurdles of modular designs, manufacturing and construction will be discussed, indicating that most of the proposed small reactors are not truly modular in terms of reactor cores. The inherent and passive safety features of these reactors will be examined.
More details on these aspects can be found in the two review publications:
Emerging small modular nuclear power reactors: A critical review (ScienceDirect)
Generation modular reactors: A framework (ScienceDirect)
Biography:
Esam Hussein, PhD, PEng, FCSSE, is a professor emeritus of Engineering and Applied Science, an adjunct professor in Physics at the University of Regina (UofR), and the Chair of the Board of Directors of the Sylvia Fedoruk Canadian Centre for Nuclear Innovation. He is also a professor emeritus of Mechanical Engineering at the University of New Brunswick (UNB). He retired as Dean of Engineering and Applied Science at UofR.
After completing his undergraduate studies and a master's degree in nuclear engineering at Alexandria University, Egypt, he earned a PhD also in nuclear engineering from McMaster University. He was employed as a Nuclear Design Engineer at Ontario Hydro (now Ontario Power Generation). Subsequently, he joined UNB, where he taught in Chemical then Mechanical Engineering, and served as Department Chair and Associate Dean.
For a list of Dr. Hussein’s publications, see ORCID: 0000-0001-9802-952X.
Agenda
The presentation will start at 9:00 AM Pacific Time (12:00 EDT, 16:00 UTC).
09:00 Welcome and Speaker Introduction
09:10 Presentation
09:45 Questions and Answers
10:00 Presentation ends
NOTE If you have registered, you should receive the Zoom URL in a separate email, shortly before the presentation time. Please check your email spam folder.
NOTE Please be sure to leave sufficient time to set up your web browser and / or remote meeting client prior to the start time.
For more information about the presentation series as a whole, including the schedule of coming presentations, and previous presentations, please visit the Nuclear Presentation Series website at: https://bit.ly/SMR-series