US-based GE-Hitachi Nuclear Energy Americas has been assigned a patent (No. 10,706,973, initially filed May 2, 2017) developed by three co-inventors for "very simplified boiling water reactors for commercial electricity generation”.

The co-inventors are Brian S Hunt, Christer N Dahlgren and Wayne Marquino, all from Wilmington, North Carolina.

The patent states: "Nuclear reactors have very few systems for significantly reduced failure possibilities. Nuclear reactors may be boiling water reactors with natural circulation-enabling heights and smaller, flexible energy outputs in the 0-350 megawatt-electric range."

It adds "Reactors are fully surrounded by an impermeable, high-pressure containment. No coolant pools, heat sinks, active pumps, or other emergency fluid sources may be present inside containment, emergency cooling, like isolation condenser systems, are outside containment. Isolation valves integral with the reactor pressure vessel provide working and emergency fluid through containment to the reactor. Isolation valves are one-piece, welded, or otherwise integral with reactors and fluid conduits having ASME-compliance to eliminate risk of shear failure. Containment may be completely underground and seismically insulated to minimise footprint and above-ground target area."