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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.
Brett J. Menaker, Russell E. Allen, Harry E. Painter
Nuclear Technology | Volume 91 | Number 1 | July 1990 | Pages 75-80
Technical Paper | Safety of Next Generation Power Reactor / Nuclear Safety | doi.org/10.13182/NT90-A34442
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Containment cooling using natural convection and radiation is a key passive safety feature studied for a 600-MW(electric) advanced small pressurized water reactor. A free-standing cylindrical steel containment vessel is surrounded by a reinforced concrete shield building configured as a chimney. Various methods to enhance natural-convection cooling were evaluated. The evaluation and selection process considered effectiveness, constructibility and effect on schedule, cost, degree of passivity, inspection and maintenance requirements, operational problems, and simplicity. As a result of these evaluations, a combination of fins and convection from the dome in addition to the cylinder is selected.