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Ensuring safety of new, advanced small modular reactors for fundamental safety and with an optimal main heat transport systems configuration

  • Avinash J. Gaikwad EMAIL logo , Naresh K. Maheshwari , Dinesh K. Chandrakar , R. B. Solanki , Bhanuprakash and Uttam K. Paul
Published/Copyright: May 12, 2023
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Kerntechnik
From the journal Kerntechnik Volume 88 Issue 4

Abstract

Many countries are considering Small and Modular Reactors as a viable alternative to counter the climate-change/global-warming with a quick deployment of green, carbon free nuclear energy option in the energy mix. Proponents of SMRs claim that these designs rely more on enhanced inherent/engineered safety and passive features with novel concepts. SMRs are being designed to be fabricated at a factory and then transported as ‘modules’ to the sites for installation either as a single module or multiple module plant. There are many variant of SMRs under considerations/design/construction/commissioning/operation states and majority of the, more than 70 odd SMRs are in the design stage. The paper focuses on safety aspects while addressing the fundamental safety requirement that are derived from fundamental safety principles, the acceptance criteria, the expected/envisaged safety targets and not only the economic impact/considerations. The assessment basis for requirements towards safety enhancements and their extent of assurance in the design are highlighted against the claims made. Ensuring SMR safety with respect to the fundamental safety functions will depend on the foreseen/predicted fission product releases, following overheating of the fuel, during the worst/credible accident conditions and likelihood of occurrence of these accidents. Innovations in the development of advanced fuel, deploying passive safety systems, novel concepts in main heat transport system configuration and advanced features in instrumentation can help in realising the goal of ensured enhanced safety in the SMRs, both in preventive and mitigation domains during severe accidents. Enhancements in the acceptance criteria and deterministic and probabilistic safety targets is also expected and may be envisaged. The paper brings out the challenges faced in the design and regulation of the new NPPs, while addressing fundamental safety principles implementation, generic, specific safety issues, and only genuine innovations can ensure and improve the safety. Aspects related to passive systems and the optimal main heat removal system configuration of the NPPs are also discussed. The aspects related to concurrent design and regulation of new NPPs including SMRs also has been brought out in the paper.

Keywords: advanced reactors; heat transport system configuration; passive heat removal; risk information; severe accidents; small modular reactor
Corresponding author: Avinash J. Gaikwad, Homi Bhabha Institute of Technology (HBNI), Anushaktinagar, Mumbai 400094, India; and Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB), Anushaktinagar, Mumbai 400094, India, E-mail:

  1. Author contributions: All the authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this submitted manuscript and approved submission.

  2. Research funding: None declared.

  3. Conflict of interest statement: The authors declare no conflicts of interest regarding this article.

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Received: 2022-11-18
Published Online: 2023-05-12
Published in Print: 2023-08-28

© 2023 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. An approach for an extension of the deflagration model in containment code system COCOSYS to separate burned and unburned atmosphere via junctions
  3. Neutronic analysis of the European sodium cooled fast reactor with Monte Carlo code OpenMC
  4. Identification and tracing of radionuclides in low- and medium-activity liquid radwaste sources of G.A. Siwabessy reactor
  5. Performance evaluation of a currently in-use dry storage cask design for spent accident tolerant fuel loading case under normal operation condition
  6. Optimization of divertor design for Pakistan spherical tokamak
  7. Role of impurity and thermal noise on the radiation sources in ITER using DT fuel
  8. An investigation of multistream plate-fin heat exchanger modelling and design: a review
  9. Ensuring safety of new, advanced small modular reactors for fundamental safety and with an optimal main heat transport systems configuration
  10. Study on calculation model and risk area of radionuclide diffusion in coastal waters under nuclear leakage accidents with different levels
  11. Optimization of 200 MWt HTGR with ThUN-based fuel and zirconium carbide TRISO layer
  12. Experimental study on boiling heat transfer of γ-Fe2O3 nanofluids on a downward heated surface
  13. Evaluating the influence of radial power heterogeneity of fuel rod on its temperature in an accelerator driven subcritical system
  14. Heat transfer enhancement of heat exchanger using rectangular channel with cavities
  15. Calendar of events
https://doi.org/10.1515/kern-2022-0106
Keywords for this article
advanced reactors; heat transport system configuration; passive heat removal; risk information; severe accidents; small modular reactor

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. An approach for an extension of the deflagration model in containment code system COCOSYS to separate burned and unburned atmosphere via junctions
  3. Neutronic analysis of the European sodium cooled fast reactor with Monte Carlo code OpenMC
  4. Identification and tracing of radionuclides in low- and medium-activity liquid radwaste sources of G.A. Siwabessy reactor
  5. Performance evaluation of a currently in-use dry storage cask design for spent accident tolerant fuel loading case under normal operation condition
  6. Optimization of divertor design for Pakistan spherical tokamak
  7. Role of impurity and thermal noise on the radiation sources in ITER using DT fuel
  8. An investigation of multistream plate-fin heat exchanger modelling and design: a review
  9. Ensuring safety of new, advanced small modular reactors for fundamental safety and with an optimal main heat transport systems configuration
  10. Study on calculation model and risk area of radionuclide diffusion in coastal waters under nuclear leakage accidents with different levels
  11. Optimization of 200 MWt HTGR with ThUN-based fuel and zirconium carbide TRISO layer
  12. Experimental study on boiling heat transfer of γ-Fe2O3 nanofluids on a downward heated surface
  13. Evaluating the influence of radial power heterogeneity of fuel rod on its temperature in an accelerator driven subcritical system
  14. Heat transfer enhancement of heat exchanger using rectangular channel with cavities
  15. Calendar of events
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