Decarbonizing district heating: Finnish SMR design LDR-50

by Unna Lauranto (VTT Finland)

Monday 13 Nov 2023, 14:30 → 15:30 Europe/Berlin

PH HS 3 (Physics Department)

The heating sector relies heavily on carbon-intensive energy sources. District heating networks provide heat to 60 million people in Europe and 75 % of that heat is produced with fossil fuels, thus calling for alternatives. LDR-50 (Low-temperature District heating Reactor) is a small modular reactor with 50 MW thermal power output, developed at VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland for district heating and other low-temperature applications. Natural primary circulation and submerged containment vessel enable passive safety features. The reactor is designed with VTT’s in-house codes, including Serpent and Ants for neutronics.

In this presentation, I will discuss the background and technology of the Finnish SMR design LDR-50.