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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.
Alex Galperin
Nuclear Technology | Volume 73 | Number 3 | June 1986 | Pages 343-349
Technical Paper | Fuel Cycle | doi.org/10.13182/NT86-A16076
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A novel concept of thorium once-through fuel cycle for CANDU-type reactors is proposed. The main innovation of the concept is described, including segregation of enriched uranium from thorium to allow separate fuel management routes. Geometry is chosen to enhance leakage of uranium-born neutrons to subcritical thorium parts of the core. Discharged burnup values for thorium and uranium are subjects to optimization regarding uranium savings benefit. Neu-tronic analysis indicated a potential for significant savings in the uranium requirement (∼50%). Fuel cycle cost calculations based on a simple economic model and reasonable set of economic parameters show no economic penalty in realizing fuel utilization improvements.