Engineering the thermal integration of Canada's first micro modular reactor demonstration project

The challenge

A micro modular reactor demonstration project at a nuclear research site in Ontario, Canada required engineering of the thermal systems connecting the reactor to the adjacent power plant. The reactor (a high-temperature gas-cooled design) transfers nuclear heat to a molten salt energy storage system, decoupling the reactor from the power plant and enabling flexible, dispatchable energy output. 

The adjacent plant required an engineering partner with deep experience in molten salt systems and steam generation, capable of working to nuclear-grade design classifications, seismic category requirements, and the specific materials and operational constraints of a high-temperature reactor environment.

The approach

Aalborg CSP was engaged by the project's EPC contractor to engineer the integration of the 15MWth molten salt storage system and steam generation system with the micro modular reactor. 

The scope covered feasibility assessment, and pre-engineering for both systems, integration studies defining how the molten salt storage and steam generation systems connect to the reactor, and documentation support for Canadian regulatory approval processes. 

The engineering work was completed before the project was halted in late 2024.

Why it matters for the SMR market

Small modular reactors are being developed across North America, Europe, and the Middle East. In most designs, molten salt thermal storage is the system that makes the reactor commercially viable: decoupling heat production from power dispatch, improving the capacity factor of the investment, and enabling the reactor to serve variable industrial heat and power demand. 

The engineering challenge is not the reactor. It is the thermal integration. 

This project demonstrated that Aalborg CSP can bring its molten salt and steam generation expertise into a nuclear-grade engineering context, meeting the design classifications, seismic requirements, and regulatory documentation standards that nuclear projects demand.

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