ML24103A051
| ML24103A051 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 04/12/2024 |
| From: | Bernie White Storage and Transportation Licensing Branch |
| To: | |
| References | |
| Download: ML24103A051 (1) | |
Text
NRC Perspectives on Micro-Reactor Spent Fuel Management NEI Used Fuel Management Conference Bernard White Senior Project Manager Division of Fuel Management U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission 1
Purpose
- Provide an overview and regulatory considerations for post-operation stages of micro-reactor deployment lifecycle
- Discuss the importance and benefit of timely pre-application engagements in the regulatory process 2
Micro-Reactor Deployment Lifecycle NRC issued SECY-24-0008, Micro-Reactor Licensing and Deployment Considerations:
Fuel Loading and Operational Testing at a Factory 3
Considerations for Storing Spent Fuel from a Micro-Reactor
- How spent fuel is stored may determine how it is licensed - see definition of spent fuel in 10 CFR 72.3
- Cooled at least 1 year
- Withdrawn from reactor
- Storage location or co-located facilities may determine type of license 4
Considerations for Transporting Spent Micro-Reactors
- Evaluate transportation safety concurrently with reactor safety
- Features to preclude criticality
- Alternate package approvals
- Alternate environmental and test conditions (§71.41(c))
- Exemptions
- Department of Transportation co-regulates radioactive material transport:
Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 173, Subpart I, Class 7 (Radioactive) Materials 5
Importance of Pre-Application Engagements
- Provide NRC with knowledge on specific designs and technologies
- Enhances quality of applications and review efficiency
- Helps NRC to understand future needs and inform its budget
- Ensures shared understanding of
- the applicable requirements
- review approach and
- whether data gaps exist (e.g., testing) that need to be addressed, as these may be the critical path, impacting the overall schedule
- Allows NRC to schedule application reviews
- DFM Division Instruction LIC-FM-1: Overview and Expectations of the Certification and Licensing Process 6
Closing Remarks
- NRC is ready to review applications for micro-reactors
- NRC regulatory framework is adequate for approving transportable micro-reactors
- Package approval method could be reactor dependent
- NRC is aware of numerous transportable microreactor designs but has not had pre-application engagement on most of them 7
References
- Micro-reactors Licensing Strategies, (ML23264A802 and ML23264A803
- Project Pele Risk-informed Methodology (ML23268A331)
- Draft Methodology Review Evaluation for Project Pele risk-informed methodology (ML23296A083)
- Summary Report of the 711th Meeting of ACRS December 6-7, 2023, (ML23354A012)
- NRC Advanced Reactor Webpage
- LIC-FM-1: Overview and Expectations of the Certification and Licensing Process 8