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NRC proposed rule for licensing reactors authorized by DOE, DOD
Nuclear reactor designs approved by the Department of Energy or Department of Defense could get streamlined pathways through the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s commercial licensing process should applicants wish to push the technology into the civilian sector.
A proposed rule introduced April 2 by the NRC would “improve NRC licensing review efficiency, where applicable, by explicitly establishing by regulation an additional means for reactor applicants to demonstrate the safety functions of their reactor designs, and thus, would contribute to the safe and secure use and deployment of civilian nuclear energy technologies.”
J.E. Quinn, M.L. Thompson, W.D. Burch, J.J. Laidler
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 20 | Number 4 | December 1991 | Pages 605-609
Advanced Fission Reactors | doi.org/10.13182/FST91-A11946905
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
An approach to balancing the nuclear fuel cycle equation utilizing the Advanced Liquid Metal Reactor System (ALMRS) using synergistic components currently under development by the United States Department of Energy is described. These components include the modular, passively safe ALMR design; the Integral Fast Reactor (IFR) metal fuel cycle; and the processing of LWR spent fuel to use as startup fuel for the ALMRs. Each of these components will be briefly described along with an overall system perspective, including potential optional approaches. Assessments of beneficial impact of the ALMRS in the United States will be presented based on the United States Department of Energy National Energy Strategy energy use growth scenarios through the mid-21st century. Potential applications in other international energy infrastructures will also be considered. Preliminary evaluation of the economics of this balanced approach leads to the conclusion that the concept is feasible; thus the approach appears attractive from both resource management and overall system economics perspectives.