Investigating Wireless Quantum Key Distribution for Advanced Reactor Communications
- Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
- Univ. of Chicago, IL (United States)
Remote operation of small modular reactor (SMR) facilities is an appealing prospect for streamlined operation costs, safety concerns, and user convenience. The ability to guarantee security of communication channels between offsite users and nuclear reactor facilities is critical to enabling remote operations, given the sensitive nature of reactor state data. This report proposes a configuration implementing quantum key distribution (QKD) and advanced encryption standard (AES) protocols to establish secure reactor data feeds. The model outlined, which utilizes the Argonne-developed SeQUeNCe software package and custom MATLAB code, determines free-space channel losses for microwave-band communications in a variety of weather conditions and simulates QKD via ground-satellite links. This report demonstrates the feasibility of repeatable, real-time key generation and distribution for this configuration towards enabling secure wireless reactor communications.
- Research Organization:
- Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy (ARPA-E)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC02-06CH11357
- OSTI ID:
- 1837006
- Report Number(s):
- ANL/NSE-21/49; 170376
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Secure multi-party communication with quantum key distribution managed by trusted authority
Secure multi-party communication with quantum key distribution managed by trusted authority