Unifying thorium fuel cycle science with SMR engineering and deployment

Thorium-based SMR development spans reactor physics, fuel cycle engineering, safety analysis, economics, and regulatory strategy, yet no single reference treats these domains as an integrated system. Thorium-Based, Small Modular Reactors, Systems Engineering, and Commercialization presents an end-to-end framework unifying thorium fuel cycle science with SMR design, digitalization, and global deployment, connecting theory directly to commercial practice.

Coverage includes molten salt reactor architectures, TRISO fuel forms, digital twin integration, and autonomous reactor operation enabled by AI and machine learning. The book provides quantitative modeling for neutronics and thermal hydraulics, economic frameworks for commercialization, and supply chain roadmaps. An appendix consolidates reactor physics formulas and derivations, while in-chapter refresher sections reinforce foundational concepts.

Readers will also find:

• Thorium-specific fuel cycle analysis addressing resource abundance, breeding potential, and proliferation resistance compared to conventional uranium pathways
• Regulatory and licensing considerations aligned with current NRC frameworks for advanced reactor design certification and deployment
• Step-by-step derivations of core reactor physics equations with cross-references to foundational neutronics and thermal-hydraulic principles
• Grid integration strategies and utility planning perspectives for deploying modular thorium reactors across diverse energy market contexts
• Global deployment roadmaps examining national programs, policy drivers, and commercialization pathways for thorium-driven SMR technologies

Designed for nuclear engineers, reactor designers, advanced SMR developers, and graduate students in nuclear engineering, this reference also serves energy system modelers, utility planners, policy makers, and regulators seeking a technically grounded strategic guide to thorium-driven modular reactor commercialization.

Bahman Zohuri is CEO of Galaxy Advanced Engineering, Inc., a consulting firm he founded after senior scientific roles at Westinghouse, Lockheed Martin, and Sandia National Laboratories. He also held senior process engineering positions at Intel Corp., Varian Medical Systems, and National Semiconductor Corporation. Bahman is the author of numerous technical books and holds multiple patents in heat pipe, electromagnetic pump, and laser-activated decay technologies.

Carl Prather is Vice President of New Nuclear at Mirion Technologies, where he leads strategic growth initiatives in SMRs, microreactors, and emerging nuclear technologies. With more than 20 years of experience across commercial nuclear operations and safety systems, he has worked directly with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission on licensing support and holds two patents for emergency core cooling system applications.