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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.
Yassin A. Hassan, Laxminarayan L. Raja
Nuclear Technology | Volume 103 | Number 3 | September 1993 | Pages 310-319
Technical Paper | Nuclear Reactor Safety | doi.org/10.13182/NT93-A34854
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Loss of residual heat removal during midloop operations was simulated for a typical four-loop pressurized water reactor operated under reduced inventory level using the RELAP5/MOD3 thermal-hydraulic code. Two cases are considered here: one for an intact reactor coolant system with no vents and the other for an open system with a vent in the pressurizer. The presence of air in the reactor coolant system is modeled, and its effect on the transients is calculated. The steam generators are considered under wet layup with water in the secondary covering the U-tubes. The system is pressurized once the water starts boiling in the core. Higher system pressures are seen for the closed-vent case when compared with the open-vent case. Reflux condensation occurs in the steam generator U-tubes preventing complete uncovery of the core and aiding in decay heat removal. The total heat removed by the steam generators is one-third of that produced by the core. The hot leg and vessel upper head pressurization cause the reactor vessel to act as a manometer where the core level drops and the downcomer level rises. This phenomenon is seen at different transient times for the two cases. Since it occurs only for a brief period, the rest of the transient is unaffected. Fuel centerline and clad temperatures are observed to be below the accepted safety limits throughout both transients.