Preliminary Design of NDP-400: Economical Heat Generation for Efficient Desalination

Heat is the world’s largest energy end use, accounting for almost half of global energy consumption in 2021. For most major industrial heat applications, nuclear energy is the only credible non-carbon option. One attractive use for nuclear generated heat is desalination because the process requires lower-temperature heat than other industrial processes. As such, heat from light water reactors is suitable for desalination. The NDP-400 (Nuclear Desalination Plant) is a small advanced integral reactor that produces 400 MW of thermal power at a system pressure of 15 bar. The reactor’s coolant temperature is below 200 ℃, which is relatively low compared with those of conventional pressurized water reactors (PWRs) for heat production. The NDP-400 offers economic benefits through system simplification—it has compact printed circuit heat exchangers, a reduced component size, and a lightweight design made possible by the low system pressure. Many of the main components and reactor core of the NDP-400 have been proven in the development of Korea’s SMART. The fuel cycle is 36 months, and the core power peaks and power distributions are comparable to conventional PWRs. Safety features include a multi-loop system, gravity-driven safety injection system, and low system pressure. These features maximize the inherent safety of the NDP-400.