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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.
Hyung-Kyu Kim, Hyun-Gil Kim, Jae-Ho Yang, Yang-Hyun Koo
Nuclear Technology | Volume 198 | Number 3 | June 2017 | Pages 342-346
Technical Note | doi.org/10.1080/00295450.2017.1311591
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The thickness of iron-based accident-tolerant fuel (ATF) cladding is discussed in this technical note because its thickness tends to be reduced from conventional zirconium alloy cladding. Structural stability may be lost if the thickness cannot withstand external pressure. Thus, the minimum allowable thickness of the ATF cladding is studied here from the viewpoint of preventing a cladding collapse. The elastic buckling theory is used to obtain the minimum thickness. The uncertainties of the mechanical properties and dimension tolerances are taken into consideration. The ovality of the cladding is also incorporated. An example calculation is carried out for APMT cladding. It is evaluated that the minimum thickness is 0.45 mm when the safety factor against the buckling is set as 2.0 and 1% of the cladding radius is accommodated for the ovality. A reference guideline of the minimum thickness depending on the mechanical property variation is suggested.