Hicks, Thomas | Engineering Papers

DOE OSTI2011

Modular HTGR Safety Basis and Approach

The Next Generation Nuclear Plant (NGNP) will be a licensed commercial high temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) capable of producing electricity and/or high temperature process heat for industrial markets supporting a range of end-user applications. The NGNP Project has adopted the 10 CFR 52 Combined License (COL) process, as recommended in the NGNP Licensing Strategy - A Report to Congress, dated August 2008, as the foundation for the NGNP licensing strategy [DOE/NRC 2008]. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) licensing of the NGNP plant utilizing this process will demonstrate the efficacy for licensing future HTGRs for commercial industrial applications. This information paper is one in a series of submittals that address key generic issues of the priority licensing topics as part of the process for establishing HTGR regulatory requirements. This information paper provides a summary level introduction to HTGR history, public safety objectives, inherent and passive safety features, radionuclide release barriers, functional safety approach, and risk-informed safety approach. The information in this paper is intended to further the understanding of the modular HTGR safety approach with the NRC staff and public stakeholders. The NGNP project does not expect to receive comments on this information paper because other white papers are addressing key generic issues of the priority licensing topics in greater detail.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗

DOE OSTI2010

License Structure for Multi-Module Facilities

The Next Generation Nuclear Plant (NGNP) Project is intended to be the prototype for multi-module commercial high temperature gas reactors (HTGRs) for process heat and/or electricity generation. Part of the objectives of the project are to establish the conditions that would govern or enhance the design, licensing, construction and operation of numerous, modular nuclear plants, particularly suited for industrial applications or that could reduce the risk of such projects. A determination is desired regarding whether a multi-module reactor plant can be licensed with a single Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) review, hearing, and safety evaluation report. If it is determined that a multi-modular reactor plant can be licensed under a single review/hearing process, the structure and the duration of the license for each module will also need to be determined. The purpose of this paper is to describe for the NRC the NGNP position on these two issues and obtain either NRC general concurrence or comments on the approach to these issues. While the current NGNP planning provides for only a single reactor module, the project is intended to provide the basis and establish a licensing framework that can be used by future commercial HTGRs and other reactor designs, including a variety of small modular reactor technologies, with configurations reflecting design standardization of multi-module plants. Therefore, it is important to identify a path for addressing these modular reactor plant issues so that the resolution can be factored into the NGNP Project planning. The NGNP position is that a single combined license (COL) application can be submitted for a multi-modular reactor facility, the COL application can undergo a single NRC review/hearing process, and each module should be issued a separate license.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗