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NRC approves TerraPower construction permit
Today, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission announced that it has approved TerraPower’s construction permit application for Kemmerer Unit 1, the company’s first deployment of Natrium, its flagship sodium fast reactor.
This approval is a significant milestone on three fronts. For TerraPower, it represents another step forward in demonstrating its technology. For the Department of Energy, it reflects progress (despite delays) for the Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program (ARDP). For the NRC, it is the first approval granted to a commercial reactor in nearly a decade—and the first approval of a commercial non–light water reactor in more than 40 years.
Changho Lee, Hansol Park, Yeon Sang Jung, Cooper Trucks
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 199 | Number 1 | April 2025 | Pages S42-S55
Review Article | doi.org/10.1080/00295639.2024.2348855
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
High-fidelity deterministic steady-state simulations of the Empire microreactor problem were conducted using the discontinuous finite element method–based discrete ordinate solver in Griffin, accompanied by the online cross-section self-shielding application programming interface (SSAPI). The 68-group cross-section libraries for SSAPI were generated through a series of Python scripts and using a combination of Serpent2, NJOY, and MC2-3 with ENDF/B-VII.0, VII.1, and VIII.0 data. Additionally, the 27-group libraries were generated as well to improve computational performance while maintaining the solution accuracy. The capabilities of Griffin with these three ENDF/B cross-section libraries were rigorously tested across various Empire microreactor benchmark problems, including fuel assembly and two- and three-dimensional cores with control drums rotated in or out. The calculation results convincingly demonstrated that Griffin with the cross-section libraries and SSAPI achieves accurate simulations of the Empire microreactor cores, exhibiting accuracy in terms of eigenvalue, control drum reactivity worth, and pin power distribution when compared to corresponding Serpent2 solutions.