SEARCH · Search NASA
Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.
Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.
Highlights and significant accomplishments of Advanced Gas Reactor (AGR) fuels development activities during January, February and March 2021
The first Nuclear power plant (NPP) deployment in a country is a complex process that needs to consider technical, economic and financial aspects along with other aspects like public acceptance. Increased interest in the deployment of new NPPs, both among newcomer countries and those with expanding programs, necessitates the selection of reactor technology among commercially available technologies. This paper reviews the Systems Decision Process (SDP) of Systems Engineering and applies it in selecting the most appropriate reactor technology for the deployment in Malaysia. The integrated qualitative and quantitative analyses employed in the SDP are explored to perform reactor technology assessment and to select the most feasible technology whose design has also to comply with the IAEA standard requirements and other relevant requirements that have been established in this study. A quick Malaysian case study result suggests that the country reside with PWR (pressurized water reactor) technologies with more detailed study to be performed in the future for the selection of the most appropriate reactor technology for Malaysia. The demonstrated technology assessment also proposes an alternative method to systematically and quantitatively select the most appropriate reactor technology.
Highlights of ART TDO activities during July through September 2017 Revision 1 was modified to fix and inaccuracy on page 29.
Highlights of ART TDO activities October through December 2017
Highlights of ART TDO activities during July through September 2017
Rev 0 Highlights of ART activities October through December 2017 Rev 1 Highlights of ART activities January through March 2018 Rev 2 Highlights of ART activities April through June 2018
Rev 0 Highlights of ART TDO activities October through December 2017 Rev 1 Highlights of ART TDO activities January through March 2018 Rev 2 Highlights of ART activities April, May and June 2018
Rev 0 Highlights of ART activities October through December 2017 Rev 1 Highlights of ART activities January through March 2018 Rev 2 Highlights of ART activities April through June 2018 Rev 3 Highlights of ART activities July through September 2018
Rev 0 Highlights of ART activities October through December 2017 Rev 1 Highlights of ART activities January through March 2018 Rev 2 Highlights of ART activities April through June 2018 Rev 3 Highlights of ART activities July through September 2018 Rev 4 Highlights of ART activities October through December 2018
A workshop on Molten Salt Reactor (MSR) technologies commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Molten Salt Reactor Experiment (MSRE) was held at Oak Ridge National Laboratory on October 15–16, 2015. The MSRE represented a pioneering experiment that demonstrated an advanced reactor technology: the molten salt eutectic-fueled reactor. A multinational group of more than 130 individuals representing a diverse set of stakeholders gathered to discuss the historical, current, and future technical challenges and paths to deployment of MSR technology. This paper provides a summary of the key messages from this workshop.
ACORN (Autonomous Controls fOr Reactor techNologies) software utilizes data, obtained from an experimental test bed and/or simulation, to implement a control command for microreactor operation. Command examples include a change to the temperature profile, power profiles, heat fluxes, etc. The control command recommended by the code is derived based on future predicted states of a microreactor, allowing proactive optimal and autonomous microreactor operation. The software is written in Python languages. The current software supports autonomous temperature controls of heat pipe simulator and autonomous heat flux controls of a 37 heat pipe non-nuclear testbed simulator (or its surrogate models).
This DOE-NE Advanced Small Modular Reactor (AdvSMR) regulatory technology development plan (RTDP) will link critical DOE nuclear reactor technology development programs to important regulatory and policy-related issues likely to impact a “critical path” for establishing a viable commercial AdvSMR presence in the domestic energy market. Accordingly, the regulatory considerations that are set forth in the AdvSMR RTDP will not be limited to any one particular type or subset of advanced reactor technology(s) but rather broadly consider potential regulatory approaches and the licensing implications that accompany all DOE-sponsored research and technology development activity that deal with commercial non-light water reactors. However, it is also important to remember that certain “minimum” levels of design and safety approach knowledge concerning these technology(s) must be defined and available to an extent that supports appropriate pre-licensing regulatory analysis within the RTDP. Final resolution to advanced reactor licensing issues is most often predicated on the detailed design information and specific safety approach as documented in a facility license application and submitted for licensing review. Because the AdvSMR RTDP is focused on identifying and assessing the potential regulatory implications of DOE-sponsored reactor technology research very early in the pre-license application development phase, the information necessary to support a comprehensive regulatory analysis of a new reactor technology, and the resolution of resulting issues, will generally not be available. As such, the regulatory considerations documented in the RTDP should be considered an initial “first step” in the licensing process which will continue until a license is issued to build and operate the said nuclear facility. Because a facility license application relies heavily on the data and information generated by technology development studies, the anticipated regulatory importance of key DOE reactor research initiatives should be assessed early in the technology development process. Quality assurance requirements supportive of later licensing activities must also be attached to important research activities to ensure resulting data is usable in that context. Early regulatory analysis and licensing approach planning thus provides a significant benefit to the formulation of research plans and also enables the planning and development of a compatible AdvSMR licensing framework, should significant modification be required.
This DOE-NE Advanced Small Modular Reactor (AdvSMR) regulatory technology development plan (RTDP) will link critical DOE nuclear reactor technology development programs to important regulatory and policy-related issues likely to impact a “critical path” for establishing a viable commercial AdvSMR presence in the domestic energy market. Accordingly, the regulatory considerations that are set forth in the AdvSMR RTDP will not be limited to any one particular type or subset of advanced reactor technology(s) but rather broadly consider potential regulatory approaches and the licensing implications that accompany all DOE-sponsored research and technology development activity that deal with commercial non-light water reactors. However, it is also important to remember that certain “minimum” levels of design and safety approach knowledge concerning these technology(s) must be defined and available to an extent that supports appropriate pre-licensing regulatory analysis within the RTDP. Final resolution to advanced reactor licensing issues is most often predicated on the detailed design information and specific safety approach as documented in a facility license application and submitted for licensing review. Because the AdvSMR RTDP is focused on identifying and assessing the potential regulatory implications of DOE-sponsored reactor technology research very early in the pre-license application development phase, the information necessary to support a comprehensive regulatory analysis of a new reactor technology, and the resolution of resulting issues, will generally not be available. As such, the regulatory considerations documented in the RTDP should be considered an initial “first step” in the licensing process which will continue until a license is issued to build and operate the said nuclear facility. Because a facility license application relies heavily on the data and information generated by technology development studies, the anticipated regulatory importance of key DOE reactor research initiatives should be assessed early in the technology development process. Quality assurance requirements supportive of later licensing activities must also be attached to important research activities to ensure resulting data is usable in that context. Early regulatory analysis and licensing approach planning thus provides a significant benefit to the formulation of research plans and also enables the planning and development of a compatible AdvSMR licensing framework, should significant modification be required.
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology Reactor (MITR-II, also referred to as MITR) is one of six U.S. high performance research reactors (USHPRR), including one critical facility, that is actively collaborating with the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Material Management and Minimization (M 3 ) Reactor Conversion Program to convert to the use of low-enriched uranium (LEU, < 20 wt% 235 U) fuel. The MIT Nuclear Reactor Laboratory has been working with the USHPRR Reactor Conversion (RC) Pillar at Argonne National Laboratory to perform fuel element design and fuel cycle performance analyses, steady-state thermal hydraulics safety analyses, and accident safety analyses in preparation for the conversion of MITR and support a preliminary Safety Analysis Report (SAR) for conversion to LEU fuel.
Techno Economic Analysis of ADVANCE Small Modular Reactor Technology
The establishment of a systematic process for the evaluation of historic technology information for use in advanced reactor licensing is described. Efforts are underway to recover and preserve Experimental Breeder Reactor II and Fast Flux Test Facility historical data. These efforts have generally emphasized preserving information from data-acquisition systems and hard-copy reports and entering it into modern electronic formats suitable for data retrieval and examination. The guidance contained in this document has been developed to facilitate consistent and systematic evaluation processes relating to quality attributes of historic technical information (with focus on sodium-cooled fast reactor (SFR) technology) that will be used to eventually support licensing of advanced reactor designs. The historical information may include, but is not limited to, design documents for SFRs, research-and-development (R&D) data and associated documents, test plans and associated protocols, operations and test data, international research data, technical reports, and information associated with past U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) reviews of SFR designs. The evaluation process is prescribed in terms of SFR technology, but the process can be used to evaluate historical information for any type of advanced reactor technology. An appendix provides a discussion of typical issues that should be considered when evaluating and qualifying historical information for advanced reactor technology fuel and source terms, based on current light water reactor (LWR) requirements and recent experience gained from Next Generation Nuclear Plant (NGNP).
Millions of public and private sector dollars have been invested over recent decades to realize greater efficiency, reliability, and the inherent and passive safety offered by advanced nuclear reactor technologies. However, a major challenge in experiencing those benefits resides in the existing U.S. regulatory framework. This framework governs all commercial nuclear plant construction, operations, and safety issues and is highly large light water reactor (LWR) technology centric. The framework must be modernized to effectively deal with non-LWR advanced designs if those designs are to become part of the U.S energy supply. The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Advanced Reactor Technologies (ART) Regulatory Risk Reduction (RRR) initiative, managed by the Regulatory Affairs Department at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL), is establishing a capability that can systematically retire extraneous licensing risks associated with regulatory framework incompatibilities. This capability proposes to rely heavily on the perspectives of the affected regulated community (i.e., commercial advanced reactor designers/vendors and prospective owner/operators) yet remain tuned to assuring public safety and acceptability by regulators responsible for license issuance. The extent to which broad industry perspectives are being incorporated into the proposed framework makes this initiative unique and of potential benefit to all future domestic non-LWR applicants
The U.S. is coordinating efforts for the conversion of six U.S. high performance research reactors (USHPRR), including one critical assembly from highly enriched uranium (HEU) to low-enriched uranium (LEU). In order to continue the mission of these reactors, including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Reactor (MITR), and achieve similar performance, high assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) with a high-density metallic alloy of uranium with 10 wt% molybdenum (U-10Mo) is being considered. Following the preliminary design of the proposed MITR LEU fuel elements using the U-10Mo monolithic alloy, the impact of the fabrication specification was assessed. This work focuses on the analysis of select neutronics characteristics of the MITR LEU core as a function of the variation of the relevant fuel specification parameters (e.g., U-10Mo composition, fuel plate thickness, etc.). A separate article submitted to this journal addresses the impact on the thermal hydraulic performance. The analyses in these works are performed based on an all-LEU conversion management plan identified in previous work, in which only the proposed elements are utilized for achieving the conversion of MITR. The variations of two main neutronics characteristics are assessed as a function of the variability of the specification parameters resulting from the fabrication process: the MITR LEU core reactivity and the fuel cycle length. The main findings of this work show that the MITR core can meet the operational requirements during the LEU transition plan under the limiting fabrication parameter combinations considered. In addition, the analyses show that the dependency of the core neutronics characteristics on the specification parameters is highly linear within the specification tolerances. The rates of variation are reported in detail for each parameter and can serve as a powerful tool for future MITR fuel management in cases such as when HALEU supply is established that may allow additional cycle length or other operational benefits.