New Nuclear Plants

Proposed New Nuclear Power Plants

Highrad — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 14:29:29 GMT

Proposed New Nuclear Power Plants details the proposed plant location, design type, application date to the NRC, and the company that has submitted the application.

New Nuclear Plant Designs - NRC Backgrounder

Highrad — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 21:07:07 GMT

The NRC has long sought standardization of nuclear power plant designs, and the enhanced safety and licensing reform that standardization could make possible. The Commission expects advanced reactors to be safer and use simplified, passive or other innovative means to accomplish their safety functions. The NRC's regulation (Part 52 to Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations) provides a predictable licensing process including certification of new nuclear plant designs. This process reflects decades of experience and research involving reactor design and operation. The design certification process provides for early public participation and resolution of safety issues prior to an application to construct a nuclear power plant.

Design Certification Application - US-APWR

Highrad — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 20:36:47 GMT

From the NRC

The US-APWR is a 4451 MWt pressurized water reactor designed by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. It is an evolutionary design with active safety features. The US-APWR is based on established APWR technology. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd submitted an application for standard design certification on December 31, 2007. The NRC staff is performing a detailed review of the application.

Technical Reports

Date	Description
04/25/08	Dynamic Analysis of the Coupled RCL-R/B-PCCV-CIS Lumped Mass Stick
02/29/08	US-APWR Fuel System Design
02/29/08	Subcompartment Analyses for US-APWR Design Confirmation
02/29/08	Enhanced Information for PS/B Design
02/27/08	US-APWR Sump Strainer Performance
02/27/08	Criticality Analysis for US-APWR New and Spent Fuel Storage Racks
12/31/07	Comprehensive Vibration Assessment Program for US-APWR Reactor Internals
12/31/07	Defense-in-Depth and Diversity Coping Analysis
12/31/07	FMEA of Control Rod Drive Mechanism Control System
12/31/07	US-APWR Incore Power Distribution Evaluation Methodology
12/31/07	Justification for Deviations between NUREG-1431 Rev. 3.1 and US-APWR Technical Specifications
12/31/07	Validation of the MHI Criticality Safety Methodology
12/31/07	Probability of Missile Generation from Low Pressure Turbines
12/31/07	Qualification of Nuclear Design Methodology using PARAGON/ANC
12/31/07	Structural Analysis for US-APWR Reactor Coolant Pump Motor Flywheel
12/31/07	Mitsubishi Reload Evaluation Methodology
12/31/07	APWR Reactor Internals 1/5 Scale Model Flow Test Report
12/31/07	US-APWR Technical Report Software Program Manual
12/31/07	Probabilistic Evaluation of Turbine Valve Test Frequency
12/31/07	Small Break LOCA Sensitivity Analyses for US-APWR
12/31/07	US-APWR Fuel System Design Parameters
12/05/07	Qualification and Test Plan of Class 1E Gas Turbine Generator System
11/01/07	Common Cause Failure Potential for Safety System Digital Platform

Design Certification Application – U.S. EPR

Highrad — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 20:32:09 GMT

From the NRC

The U.S. EPR is an evolutionary pressurized water reactor designed by AREVA Nuclear Power. It is a four-loop plant with a rated thermal output of 4,500 MWt. The U.S. EPR design features four redundant trains of emergency cooling equipment, and a containment and shield building for added protection.

Final Safety Analysis Report

Date	Description
12/11/2007	Tier 1 - Ch. 1 - 5
12/11/2007	Tier 2 - Ch. 1 - Introduction and General Description of the plant
12/11/2007	Tier 2 - Ch. 2 - Site Characteristics
12/11/2007	Tier 2 - Ch. 3 - Design of Structures, Systems, Components and Equipment
12/11/2007	Tier 2 - Ch. 4 - Reactor
12/11/2007	Tier 2 - Ch. 5 - Reactor Coolant and Connecting Systems
12/11/2007	Tier 2 - Ch. 6 - Engineered Safety Features
12/11/2007	Tier 2 - Ch. 7 - Instrumentation and Controls
12/11/2007	Tier 2 - Ch. 8 - Electric Power
12/11/2007	Tier 2 - Ch. 9 - Auxiliary Systems
12/11/2007	Tier 2 - Ch. 10 - Steam and Power Conversion System
12/11/2007	Tier 2 - Ch. 11 - Radioactive Waste Management
12/11/2007	Tier 2 - Ch. 12 - Radiation Protection
12/11/2007	Tier 2 - Ch. 13 - Conduct of Operations
12/11/2007	Tier 2 - Ch. 14 - Verification Programs
12/11/2007	Tier 2 - Ch. 15 - Transient and Accident Analyses
12/11/2007	Tier 2 - Ch. 16 - Technical Specifications
12/11/2007	Tier 2 - Ch. 17 - Quality Assurance and Reliability Assurance
12/11/2007	Tier 2 - Ch. 18 - Human Factors Engineering
12/11/2007	Tier 2 - Ch. 19 - Probabilistic Risk Assessment and Severe Accident Evaluation
12/11/2007	Environmental Report

Design Certification Application - ESBWR

Highrad — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 20:26:51 GMT

From the NRC

Download Link is to the NRC page Design Documents:

The Economic Simplified Boiling Water Reactor (ESBWR) is a 4500 MWt reactor that uses natural circulation for normal operation and has passive safety features. GE-Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH) submitted an application for final design approval and standard design certification for the ESBWR on August 24, 2005. By letter dated December 1, 2005, the application was accepted for docketing. Docket number 52-010 has been assigned to the ESBWR.

Westinghouse AP1000 Design Control Document

Highrad — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 20:21:16 GMT

From the NRC:

Download is the Links page at the NRC page.

AP1000 Design Certification Amendment

On March 28, 2002, Westinghouse Electric Company, LLC (Westinghouse), submitted its application for final design approval (FDA) and standard DC for the AP1000 design. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff issued the final safety evaluation report (FSER) and the FDA on September 13, 2004. The proposed DC rule was published in the Federal Register on April 18, 2005 (70 FR 20062). Subsequently, Westinghouse submitted changes to the AP1000 design information in Revision 15 to the design control document (DCD). The NRC staff evaluated these changes in a supplement to the FSER (NUREG-1793, “Final Safety Evaluation Report Related to Certification of the AP1000 Standard Design,” Supplement 1). The Executive Director for Operations (EDO) transmitted the final rule to the Commission on December 14, 2005 (SECY-05-0227, “Final Rule—AP1000 Design Certification”). On December 30, 2005, the Commission voted to approve the final DC rule for the AP1000 standard plant design, and the Secretary of the Commission signed the final rule on January 23, 2006, after approval of the information collection requirements by the Office of Management and Budget.

On January 27, 2006, the NRC issued the AP1000 final design certification rule (DCR) in the Federal Register (71 FR 4464). Applicants or licensees intending to construct and operate an AP1000 design may do so by referencing the AP1000 DCR. On March 10, 2006, the NRC issued a revised FDA based on Revision 15 of the Westinghouse DCD.

In a joint letter dated March 8, 2006, NuStart Energy Development, LLC (NuStart) and Westinghouse stated that they would be submitting the AP1000 technical reports to the NRC for review during the preapplication phase for the Bellefonte COL application. These reports will provide the following:

information needed to close all or part of specific generically applicable COL items in the AP1000 certified standard design
standard design changes that are a result of the AP1000 detailed design efforts
specific standard design information in areas or for topics where the AP1000 DCD focused on design process/methodology and Design Acceptance Criteria (DAC)
deferral of COL information items to as-built requirements (e.g., inspections, test, analyses, and acceptance criteria (ITAAC))

Most of the technical reports are related to the closing or partial closing of the AP1000 DCD COL information items; however, the largest review effort will center on the expected design changes. The design changes include a redesign of the pressurizer, a revision to the seismic analysis to allow an AP1000 to be constructed on site with rock and soil conditions other than the hard rock conditions certified in the AP1000 DCR, changes to the instrumentation and controls (I&C) systems, a redesign of the fuel racks, and a revision of the reactor fuel design. Another area requiring large resources will be the review of DAC-related items, such as the technical reports on human factors engineering (HFE), the I&C design, and piping. Additionally, Westinghouse submitted one report covering numerous COL information items that can be completed only after the plant is built. Westinghouse proposes to convert these items to either ITAAC, license conditions, or license commitments.

By letter dated May 26, 2007, Westinghouse submitted an application to amend the AP1000 Design Certification Rule and Revision 16 to the AP1000 DCD. Revision 16 contains changes proposed in technical reports, some of which have not been reviewed by the NRC staff. The May 26, 2007 application noted that the submittal was being made in advance of the effective date of the Part 52 rule provisions that establish the design certification amendment process within the regulations. The letter requested that the NRC establish a schedule for acceptance of the application.

In a letter dated January 18, 2008, the NRC documented the completion of its acceptance review and stated that the application was being docketed. Subsequently, on February 15, 2008, the NRC issued a letter to Westinghouse establishing its review schedule. The schedule supports issuance of a final safety evaluation report for the amendment in March 2010.

As of February 2008, Westinghouse had submitted 122 technical reports for staff review. Although submitted as part of the Bellefonte COL preapplication phase, these technical reports apply generically to the remaining COL applications that intend to reference the AP1000 design. The staff has held several meetings with Westinghouse and has performed audits of documentation related to leak-before-break analyses, I&C, HFE, and seismic analyses.

Issued Design Certifications - ABWR

Highrad — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 20:16:24 GMT

Design Control Document

Please note that due to format conversion issues, some of these documents contain hyperlinks to other areas within this entire set of documentation that will not work.

Description
Tier 1
Tier 2 - Table of Contents
Tier 2 - Ch. 1 - Introduction and General Description of Plant
Tier 2 - Ch. 2 - Site Characteristics
Tier 2 - Ch. 3 - Design of Structures, Components, Equipment and Systems
Tier 2 - Ch. 4 - Reactor
Tier 2 - Ch. 5 - Reactor Coolant System and Connected Systems
Tier 2 - Ch. 6 - Engineered Safety Features
Tier 2 - Ch. 7 - Instrumentation and Control Systems
Tier 2 - Ch. 8 - Electric Power
Tier 2 - Ch. 9 - Auxiliary Systems
Tier 2 - Ch. 10 - Steam and Power Conversion System
Tier 2 - Ch. 11 - Radioactive Waste Management
Tier 2 - Ch. 12 - Radiation Protection
Tier 2 - Ch. 13 - Conduct of Operations
Tier 2 - Ch. 14 - Initial Test Program
Tier 2 - Ch. 15 - Accident and Analysis
Tier 2 - Ch. 16 - Technical Specifications
Tier 2 - Ch. 17 - Quality Assurance
Tier 2 - Ch. 18 - Human Factors Engineering
Tier 2 - Ch. 19 - Response to Severe Accident Policy Statement
Tier 2 - Ch. 20 - Question and Response Guide
Tier 2 - Ch. 21 - Engineering Drawings

THE SODIUM-COOLED FAST REACTOR (SFR)

Highrad — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 21:09:59 GMT

The Sodium-cooled fast reactor (SFR) features a closed fuel cycle for efficient conversion of fertile uranium and management of minor actinides. A full actinide-recycle fuel cycle is envisioned with two major options: One involves intermediatesized (150 to 500 MWe) sodium-cooled fast reactors with uranium-plutonium-minor-actinidezirconium metal alloy fuel, supported by a fuel cycle based on pyrometallurgical processing in colocated facilities. The second involves medium to large (500 to 1500 MWe) sodium-cooled reactors with mixed uranium-plutonium oxide fuel, supported by a fuel cycle based upon advanced aqueous processing at a centralized location serving a number of reactors. Owing to the number of sodium fast reactors built and demonstrated around the world, and thus their technological maturity, the primary focus of the R&D is on the recycle technology and economics of the overall system.

On the reactor side, demonstration of passive safety and improvements in inspection and serviceability will be emphasized. The SFR system is primarily envisioned for missions in actinide management and electricity production. The SFR system is the nearest-term actinide management system of the Generation IV alternatives, with a schedule driven mainly by fuel cycle developments, and estimated to be commercially deployable by about 2020.

QUALITY ASSURANCE PROGRAM DESCRIPTION - DESIGN CERTIFICATION, EARLY SITE PERMIT AND NEW LICENSE APPLICANTS

admin — Sat, 08 Dec 2007 18:43:51 GMT

NRC Document NUREG-0800

The QA staff reviews and evaluates QA program descriptions (QAPDs) submitted by applicants for a design certification (DC), combined license (COL), early site permit (ESP), construction permit (CP), and operating license (OL). QAPDs submitted by applicants for DC, COL, ESP CP, and OL are reviewed and evaluated in accordance with the applicable sections of this standard review plan (SRP).

Acceptance Review Process for Design Certification and Combined License Applications

admin — Sat, 08 Dec 2007 18:37:38 GMT

This initial issuance of NRO-REG-100, “Acceptance Review Process for Design Certification and Combined License Applications,” provides guidance for the NRC staff to determine the completeness and technical sufficiency of a design certification or combined license application during the acceptance review process. Updates and revisions will be made based on experience with this initial version.

NuStart Energy Factsheet

admin — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 03:27:45 GMT

NuStart’s goal is to keep the nuclear option open for future generation investment decisions. This goal will be accomplished by meeting the following objectives:

1) demonstrate that a Combined Construction and Operating License (COL) can be obtained from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in a timely and costefficient manner; and

2) complete the design engineering for the two selected reactor designs.

New Reactor Designs

admin — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 03:22:54 GMT

This article summarizes nuclear reactor designs that are either available or anticipated to become available in the United States by 2030. Criteria for including reactors are: 1) participation or likely participation in the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission's design certification or pre-certification programs; and 2) inclusion under the Generation IV International Forum (GIF) program for longer-term reactor development. The U.S. Department of Energy is among the sponsors of the GIF program. While no detailed technical description of particular reactor designs is included, such descriptions and schematics are available elsewhere and, when practical, some of these are hyperlinked in the text. Reactor vendors who put forward new designs anticipate that their designs will meet commercial market needs including design safety and affordable, competitive construction costs while maintaining the usually low operating costs of today’s commercial nuclear reactors. This paper does not assess such views, though a section does identify public discussion of efforts within the nuclear industry and the U.S. government to improve the industry's competitive position.

New Commercial Reactor Designs

admin — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 03:21:12 GMT

Good overview information on the new commercial reactor desgins and where they stand in the licensing process.

Launching a New Era In American Nuclear Power- UniStar Nuclear

admin — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 03:10:21 GMT

A Broschure on UniStar Nuclear's Team to build new plants.

Rebirth of Nuclear Power

admin — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 03:05:01 GMT

An Energybiz Magazine Article on the rebirth of nuclear power