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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.
André Puill, Jean Bergeron
Nuclear Technology | Volume 119 | Number 2 | August 1997 | Pages 123-140
Technical Paper | Nuclear Fuel Cycle | doi.org/10.13182/NT97-A35381
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
An objective is to enhance the use of plutonium in conventional or slightly modified pressurized water reactors, while minimizing minor actinide production. Having entirely mixed-oxide-fueled reactors reduces the number of reactors that are affected on plutonium recycling and avoids the need for fuel zoning. However, the overall consumption is <30%, and the mass of minor actinides produced is considerable, representing up to 25 % of the plutonium used. The Advanced Plutonium Fuel Assembly concept, based on a uranium-free plutonium fuel, which achieves high burnups and an increased moderation ratio, enables 60% of the second-generation plutonium to be consumed, while the minor actinides produced only represent 8% of this figure. The heterogeneous design of the fuel assembly, which includes natural uranium or low-enriched uranium fuel rods, guarantees values that suit the physical parameters of the core. The concept was analyzed from a thermo-hydraulic aspect in both rated and accident situations. Technological feasibility is yet to be demonstrated. This study is part of a medium-term strategy for the back end of the fuel cycle.