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DOE announces NEPA exclusion for advanced reactors
The Department of Energy has announced that it is establishing a categorical exclusion for the application of National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) procedures to the authorization, siting, construction, operation, reauthorization, and decommissioning of advanced nuclear reactors.
According to the DOE, this significant change, which goes into effect today, “is based on the experience of DOE and other federal agencies, current technologies, regulatory requirements, and accepted industry practice.”
G. R. Smolik, B. J. Merrill, S. J. Piet, D. F. Holland
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 19 | Number 3 | May 1991 | Pages 1342-1348
Result of Large Experiment and Plasma Engineering | doi.org/10.13182/FST91-A29529
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
This paper presents the results of an experimental/analytical study designed to determine the quantity of hydrogen generated during an accident involving coolant leakage into the plasma chamber of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER). This hydrogen could represent a potential explosive hazard, provided the proper conditions exist, causing machine damage and release of radioactive material. We measured graphite/steam reaction rates for several graphites and carbon-based composites at temperatures between 1000 and 1700°C. The effects of steam flow rate and partial pressure were also examined. The measured reaction rates correlated well with two Arrhenius type relationships. We used the relationships for GraphNOL N3M in a thermal model to determine that for ITER the quantity of hydrogen produced would range between 5 and 35 kg, depending upon how the graphite tiles are attached to the first wall. While 5 kg is not a significant concern, 35 kg presents an explosive hazard.