36 NuclearPlantJournal.com Nuclear Plant Journal, March-April 2019 eVinci Core Confi guration. eVinci TM Micro... ( Continued from page 35) eVinci Micro Reactor Overview. partners will determine which fuel option is most feasible. Within the reactor core, Westinghouse is incorporating structure and materials to reduce neutron leakage in the design, while including a quantity of fuel to be initially loaded that avoids any need to reload fuel for the operating life of the system. Westinghouse is also designing the fuel channels and plenum to accommodate fuel swelling and other irradiation effects, as well as fi ssion gas releases and enhanced heat transfer that accommodate the fuel burnup process for the life of the system. The solid monolith isolates the fuel and acts as a heat transfer medium between the heat pipes and fuel channels. Site Implementation and Arrangement There are three main systems that will be located onsite: the eVinci micro reactor system; the power conversion system; and the instrumentation, control and electrical system. Offsite, there is a remote monitoring system that can be used to monitor and operate either a single or multiple eVinci micro reactors. The eVinci design itself is scalable in power, and the overall system is scalable so that multiple reactors and supporting systems can be located on one site. This fl exibility in reactor output from 200 kWe to 5 MWe with the ability to readily add and increase electricity generation are perfect for remote and potentially growing communities or military bases. Since the eVinci micro reactors can be arranged in multiple, independent but connected units, the power additions can be staged over time as power demand grows. Depending on the application, the eVinci micro reactor can be housed either in a concrete enclosure for fi xed installations or a sub-grade trench for mobile applications to utilize earth as natural shielding. The concrete enclosure will be a bunker-type structure located at ground level, which facilitates rapid installation. For either scenario, shielding, protection and airfl ow paths for decay heat removal will be provided. Accommodations in the concrete enclosure design are being made for piping for power conversion fl uid and cabling for signal and electrical power. The piping and cabling will travel to and from the power conversion system and the instrumentation, control and electrical system. Currently, the sub-grade trench is intended for mobile power generation for defense applications only, which allows higher mobility and relocation. When the eVinci micro reactor core has reached the end of its operable lifetime, Westinghouse plans to replace the eVinci canister, swapping the entire reactor canister with a new micro reactor unit. The concrete vault and site systems may then be reused for another fuel cycle after minimal inspection and maintenance. The eVinci micro reactor module can be transported back to the factory where it can be refueled and its components can be refurbished. Continued Development In partnership with national laboratories, universities and industrial partners, Westinghouse is continuing development work with several funding awards. In 2018, The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) awarded LANL and Westinghouse a $1.5 million project to design and fabricate a fi rst-of-a-kind heat pipe fi lling machine at LANL and investigate fabrication methods of the core monolith.