Introduction to Modular Nuclear Reactors

Nuclear power keeps showing up in headlines it hadn't visited in decades. A hyperscaler signs a decades-long PPA for a reactor that doesn't exist yet. A state passes an SMR-siting bill. TRISO fuel finally gets qualified. This book takes you inside the engineering - module by module, coolant by coolant, license step by license step - so you can see what modular nuclear actually is, what it costs, and whether it can deliver.Follow Aster Modular Power, a fictional composite of real projects. Meet the CEO, the reactor physicist, the materials scientist, the licensing lead, and the site engineer. You'll get every real argument, tradeoff, and design decision.Inside you will learn:* Why 'small' and 'modular' actually mean what they mean - and why the interest is back* The grid problem SMRs address: baseload, capacity factor, weather, and AI-datacenter demand* Fission in plain terms - controlled campfires, cores, vessels, coolants, defense in depth* TRISO particle fuel and HALEU - the tiny package that changes the safety story* Four coolant families - water, helium gas, sodium, molten salt - and what each unlocks* Safety and waste - passive safety, the Fukushima lesson, spent fuel from pool to dry cask* Licensing, cost, and schedule - NRC review, Vogtle and NuScale honest references, financing FOAK* Factory builds and the learning curve nuclear never had* Connecting a reactor to a changing grid - load-following without punishing the coreTen chapters. Engineering first, not a pitch. The field guide for the SMR conversation adults actually want.