ML22336A108
| ML22336A108 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 12/08/2022 |
| From: | NRC/OCM |
| To: | |
| Shared Package | |
| ML22293A445 | List: |
| References | |
| M221208 | |
| Download: ML22336A108 (9) | |
Text
© 2022 X Energy, LLC, all rights reserved 1
© 2022 X Energy LLC, all rights reserved 1
Clean
- Safe
- Secure
- Affordable Perspectives on Fuel Fabrication for Advanced Reactors Jennifer K. Wheeler, PE, Director of Regulatory Affairs, TRISO-X December 8, 2022
© 2022 X Energy, LLC, all rights reserved 2
TRISO-X Fuel Fabrication Facility - Oak Ridge, TN Project Overview:
110-acre site
~500,000 sq ft nuclear fuel fabrication facility Seeking Category II Special Nuclear Material NRC materials license 16 MTU/year full capacity (>2 million pebbles/year)
Operational by end of 2025
© 2022 X Energy, LLC, all rights reserved 3
TRISO-X Fuel Fabrication Facility - Licensing Status Date Licensing Activity 2/4/2022 Exemption request submitted to allow submittal of Environmental Report separately from and after the remainder of the license application 3/17/2022 NRC approved exemption request 4/5/2022 License Application submitted to NRC Chapters 1 - 13, Fundamental Nuclear Material Control Plan, Physical Security Plan, Site Emergency Plan, Integrated Safety Analysis (ISA) Summary, Decommissioning Funding Plan, Financial Qualifications 6/7/2022 Site visit by key members of NRC Environmental Review team 8/9/2022 NRC issued Request for Supplemental Information (RSI) questions ISA methods, Items Relied on for Safety (IROFS), structural design, site-specific geotechnical information 9/23/2022 Environmental Report submitted to NRC 10/13/2022 RSI responses submitted to NRC 11/4/2022 Updated ISA Summary and License Chapter 1 submitted to NRC 11/16/2022 Additional information submitted to NRC 11/18/2022 NRC accepted License Application for review with 30-month review schedule
© 2022 X Energy, LLC, all rights reserved 4
TRISO-X Fuel Fabrication Facility - Acceptance Review Process
- Acceptance review for application elements submitted in April took longer than TRISO-X anticipated when compared to previous licensing actions.
- National Enrichment Facility: Application submitted 12/12/2003, accepted for review 1/22/2004
- American Centrifuge Plant: Application submitted 8/23/2004, accepted for review 10/8/2004
- Eagle Rock Enrichment Facility: Application submitted 12/30/2008, accepted for review 3/12/2009
- Global Laser Enrichment Facility: Application submitted 6/26/2009, accepted for review 8/6/2009
- NMSS DFM Division Instruction LIC-FM-1, effective 12/3/2021, changed acceptance review standards from previous staff guidance in the Licensing Handbook.
- RSIs reflected detailed information requests that historically were part of the technical review / RAI process based on TRISO-X staff experience.
- The design at application submittal depicts system functional levels, whereas some RSIs requested detailed design information about IROFS components that are not identified until future design phases.
- TRISO-X provided feedback on review methods, timing, and level of detail expected in 10/13/2022 RSI response letter (ML22286A145).
© 2022 X Energy, LLC, all rights reserved 5
Water-Cooled SMR Liquid Metal-Cooled Micro Gas-Cooled Molten Salt Advanced Reactor Fuels - Vary Based on Reactor Design TRISO Molten Salt Metal Oxide Carbide
© 2022 X Energy, LLC, all rights reserved 6
Advanced Reactor Fuels - Market Demand is Growing
© 2022 X Energy, LLC, all rights reserved 7
Advanced Reactor Fuels - Predictable Licensing Process Effective and efficient licensing reviews
- Programmatic review of license application based on stage of design at submittal.
- In-office reviews and technical discussions to enhance NRC reviewer understanding of supporting design and safety basis information.
- Site visits to conduct horizontal and vertical slice reviews of Integrated Safety Analysis and supporting safety bases.
- Requests for Additional Information.
- Operational readiness reviews to evaluate / confirm IROFS detailed final design information and as-built conditions, procedures are complete, and operators are trained.
Risk information for inspection planning
- Plan and prioritize what needs to be inspected and why.
- Identify inspection methods, sample size, and frequency based on risk insights from the Integrated Safety Analysis
- In person observation of work in progress
- Documentation audits
© 2022 X Energy, LLC, all rights reserved 8
Advanced Reactor Fuels - The Future is Now
- If market demand does increase as predicted, more applications will come after TRISO-X.
- Each fuel facility may be unique due to variations in advanced reactor designs and fuel types.
- Use of lessons learned and proven techniques from past reviews will focus resources, improve predictability, and reduce uncertainty.
- At some point it may be appropriate to revisit Division of Fuel Management staffing levels and structure to ensure timely reviews of Advanced Fuel applications.
© 2022 X Energy, LLC, all rights reserved 9
x-energy.com @xenergynuclear X Energy, LLC