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DTRA’s advancements in nuclear and radiological detection
A new, more complex nuclear age has begun. Echoing the tensions of the Cold War amid rapidly evolving nuclear and radiological threats, preparedness in the modern age is a contest of scientific innovation. The Research and Development Directorate (RD) at the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) is charged with winning this contest.
Peter Yarsky
Nuclear Technology | Volume 207 | Number 5 | May 2021 | Pages 653-664
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.1080/00295450.2020.1800308
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff often performs confirmatory analysis to support regulatory decision making. In the current work the TRAC/RELAP Advanced Computational Engine (TRACE) code was used to study the transient system response for the NuScale power module to a beyond-design-basis event where the control rods fail to insert. The regulatory purpose of the current work was to confirm the results of analyses provided by the applicant as part of their probabilistic risk assessment analysis that demonstrates that the core is not damaged under certain conditions when the control rods fail to insert. The NRC staff performed calculations using a TRACE model of the NuScale power module that includes both the primary and secondary systems that simulates a loss of alternating-current power and complete failure of the module protection system to insert control rods. The NRC staff analyses demonstrate that under these conditions the reactor stabilizes at a new stable condition with minor power and pressure oscillations where core power is balanced by passive heat removal.