Pacific Northwest National Laboratory is managed and operated by Battelle for the U.S. Department of Energy.

PNNL Points of Contact:

Tara O’Neil Nuclear Regulatory Sub-Sector Manager [email protected] (541) 738-0362 PACIFIC NORTHWEST NATIONAL Bruce McDowell Advanced Reactors Program Manager [email protected] LABORATORY’S EXPERIENCE IN (509) 375-6668 ADVANCED REACTOR AND nuclearenergy.pnnl.gov

PNNL-SA-138133 | September 2018 SMALL MODULAR REACTOR LICENSING INFRASTRUCTURE or more than 30 years, • Supported the development of the Next Generation Nuclear Plant (NGNP) High Priority Regulatory Topical the Nuclear Regulatory Reports related to NGNP Licensing (see SECY-10- 0034, Potential Policy, Licensing, And Key Technical Commission has reached Issues for Small Modular Designs). out to Pacific Northwest National • Provided recommendations to NRC on modifications F of health physics codes for SMRs, and to update the Laboratory at critical stages of Gaseous And Liquid Effluent (GALE) codes. nuclear plant design for assistance • Supported development of American Nuclear Society (ANS) 53.1 Nuclear Safety Criteria and Safety Design in developing and applying new Process for Modular Helium-Cooled Reactor Plants, and ASME/ANS S1.4, Standard for Probabilistic Risk standards for safety reviews of Assessment for Advanced Non-Light Water Reactor Plants. new plant designs. • Prepared “High Temperature Gas Reactors: Assessment of Applicable Codes and Standards” (PNNL-20869, October 2011) in support of NRC’s Advanced Reactor Program. PNNL’s key recent experience relevant to advanced • Providing NRC’s Office of New Reactors the leader- reactor regulatory infrastructure development includes: ship and complete technical team responsible for the preparation of the Environmental Impact State- • Assisted NRC’s Advanced Reactor Program in devel- Fuels and Materials Examination Facility adjacent to FFTF, a few miles north of PNNL ment for TVA’s Early Site Permit for siting one or oping their licensing infrastructure for advanced more SMRs at the Clinch River Site in . non-LWR design applications, include molten salt, liquid metal, and high-temperature gas-cooled • Assisting NRC in preparing for anticipated license Other Support for the Department of Energy designs. PNNL is currently evaluating safety hazards applications and commercial use of accident tolerant Advancing Nuclear Energy associated with uranium metal or uranium alloy fuel fuel (ATF). preparation and processing operations. PNNL currently supports the DOE Office of Nuclear • Supporting TerraPower nuclear fuel development • Developing the fuel rod analysis code (FAST) to Energy (NE) mission to advance nuclear power as a programs, under the auspices of DOE-NE, including • Assisted NRC’s Advanced Reactor Program in devel- be NRC’s independent analysis tool for review of resource capable of meeting the Nation’s energy, hot cell research into the mechanical properties of oping their licensing infrastructure for planned small license applications of ATFs. FAST is the next evolu- environmental, and national security needs by resolv- irradiated cladding. modular reactor (SMR) applications, including devel- tion of FRAPCON and includes material properties, ing technical, cost, safety, proliferation resistance, oping Design-Specific Review Standards (DSRSs) and performance models, non-cylindrical geometry • Supporting advanced Instrumentation and Controls and security barriers through research, development, Safety Evaluation Report templates for the mPower modeling, and coolant options. (I&C) development, advanced materials and cladding and demonstration as appropriate. This support by and NuScale designs. These DSRSs provide guidance development, accident tolerant fuel and transmutation PNNL includes: to NRC staff on risk-informed review procedures fuel technology, and metal fuel extrusion technology for design and siting subject areas, using current • Teaming with Flibe Energy as part of the DOE-NE under the DOE-NE Advanced Technology Program funding opportunity announcement. PNNL and knowledge of the proposed designs. • Led, participated in, and reviewed an array of PRAs Flibe Energy were awarded a molten salt process- • Supporting advanced reactor designs with PNNL on U.S. and international nuclear reactors. This ing opportunity to examine the use of nitrogen senior staff members who hold extensive fast reac- includes being part of a team that provided training trifluoride as an agent to remove uranium from a tor experience gained during the design, testing, in PRA and safety analysis to the former Soviet bloc molten-salt fuel mixture as a preliminary step for and operation of the Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF), states for the DOE and Department of Defense in the removal of fission products. a 400 MW liquid sodium-cooled test reactor that multi-year projects titled the International Nuclear operated from 1982 to 1992 at the • Participating in DOE’s Gateway for Accelerated Safety Program and the Core Conversation programs. in Eastern . This includes expert Innovation in Nuclear (GAIN) Program. PNNL and retrieval of FFTF information and analysis of the Columbia Basin Consulting Group (Kennewick, metal fuel experiments performed in FFTF so WA) were awarded two vouchers to conduct a that the results are applicable to—and can be regulatory gap analysis for their Lead-Bismuth interpreted in terms of—designs being developed The Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF), located on the Hanford Site SMR design, and to evaluate functional contain- by advanced reactor vendors. north of Richland WA. ment requirements.