energies Review Integral PWR-Type Small Modular Reactor Developmental Status, Design Characteristics and Passive Features: A Review Chireuding Zeliang, Yi Mi * , Akira Tokuhiro, Lixuan Lu and Aleksey Rezvoi Faculty of Energy Systems and Nuclear Science, University of Ontario Institute of Technology, Oshawa, ON L1H 7K4, Canada;
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[email protected] (A.R.) * Correspondence:
[email protected]; Tel.: +1-905-924-2741 Received: 5 March 2020; Accepted: 1 June 2020; Published: 5 June 2020 Abstract: In recent years, the trend in small modular reactor (SMR) technology development has been towards the water-cooled integral pressurized water reactor (iPWR) type. The innovative and unique characteristics of iPWR-type SMRs provide an enhanced safety margin, and thus offer the potential to expand the use of safe, clean, and reliable nuclear energy to a broad range of energy applications. Currently in the world, there are about eleven (11) iPWR-type SMRs concepts and designs that are in various phases of development: under construction, licensed or in the licensing review process, the development phase, and conceptual design phase. Lack of national and/or internatonal comparative framework for safety in SMR design, as well as the proprietary nature of designs introduces non-uniformity and uncertainties in regulatory review. That said, the major primary reactor coolant system components, such as the steam generator (SG), pressurizer (PRZ), and control rod drive mechanism (CRDM) are integrated within the reactor pressure vessel (RPV) to inherently eliminate or minimize potential accident initiators, such as LB-loss of coolant accidents (LOCAs).