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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.
Johannes M. Bauer, James C. Liu, Alyssa A. Prinz, Sayed H. Rokni
Nuclear Technology | Volume 175 | Number 1 | July 2011 | Pages 198-201
Technical Paper | Special Issue on the 16th Biennial Topical Meeting of the Radiation Protection and Shielding Division / Accelerators | doi.org/10.13182/NT11-A12290
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource (SSRL) at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC) is currently working on increasing its stored current from originally 100 to 500 mA. SSRL worked with the SLAC Radiation Protection Department on mitigating the possible radiological hazards from these upgrades. This paper describes the related analyses, new safety systems, and beam tests. The top-off injection mode (injection with beamline stoppers open) is essential for operation at high currents. The radiological consequences of various situations were analyzed, a new Beam Containment System (BCS) was implemented, and radiation surveys were performed during tests. Since March 2010, all beamlines have been operating in top-off mode. Operation with higher beam currents was also analyzed for radiological hazards, and a new Beamline BCS was installed. The storage ring is now operating with 200 mA during user runs, and tests are ongoing with higher beam currents. Soon the power of the injection current will also be raised from 1.5 W at present to 5 W maximal.
