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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.
Meng Yue, Lap-Yan Cheng, Robert A. Bari
Nuclear Technology | Volume 162 | Number 1 | April 2008 | Pages 26-44
Technical Paper | Reactor Safety | doi.org/10.13182/NT08-A3931
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A Markov model approach is developed for the evaluation of proliferation resistance (PR) of nuclear energy systems. The focus of this study is to create a high-fidelity probabilistic assessment model that better represents nuclear energy systems. Both extrinsic and intrinsic barriers associated with the energy systems are considered. Modeling uncertainty and safeguards false alarms, composite safeguards approaches, concealment, and human performance are particularly discussed in detail and incorporated in the Markov model. These features are anticipated to have significant impacts on PR assessment. The Markov model approach is adapted to a hypothetical example sodium fast reactor (ESFR) system using physically meaningful parameters that can be obtained from physical processes. Development of metrics for six PR measures is discussed. Computation of the PR measures using the Markov model of the ESFR system is illustrated. The results obtained in this study demonstrate applicability and effectiveness of the Markov model approach in the PR assessment.