ML24155A194
| ML24155A194 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 06/17/2024 |
| From: | Jesse Seymour NRC/NRR/DRO |
| To: | |
| References | |
| Download: ML24155A194 (1) | |
Text
ANS Topical Meeting on Advanced Reactor Safety A Regulatory Perspective on the Remote Operation of Advanced Reactors Jesse Seymour Senior Reactor Engineer (Examiner)
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission June 17, 2024
A Regulatory Perspective on the Remote Operation of Advanced Reactors Note The views expressed in this presentation are those of the presenter and do not necessarily represent an official position of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). This presentation material is declared as a work of the U.S. Government and is not subject to copyright protection in the United States.
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Background===
- The NRC staff recently prepared SECY 24-008, Micro-Reactor Licensing and Deployment Considerations: Fuel Loading and Operational Testing at a Factory
- This SECY paper is publicly available via the NRCs Agencywide Document Access and Management System (ADAMS) under Accession No. ML23207A252 at https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html
- Provides Commission with options for regulating fuel loading and testing of commercial factory-fabricated micro-reactors
- Includes an enclosure that is a focus of this presentation
- Topics addressed include (in part) remote micro-reactor operations
- Recognizes that stakeholders have expressed interest in the incorporation of both remote and autonomous operational characteristics into plant designs
Remote Operations Perspectives (SECY 24-008)
- Objective of remote operations is to locate operations staff centrally
- Automatic load following is a related topic because it would enable grid control centers to directly control electrical generation of the micro-reactor facility
- NRC staff anticipates that developers will propose to operate (or in the case of autonomous reactors, monitor) one or more micro-reactor units from a remote location
- Suitable approaches would need to provide assurance in the ability of operators to remotely accomplish important actions or, instead, eliminate reliance on such actions
- Potential loss of remote-control capability (e.g., a loss of communications) is of particular concern
Recent Human Factors Efforts
- The NRC has initiated research with Idaho National Laboratory on human factors engineering (HFE) guidance for remote operations
- A workshop with industry on remote operations was held in February
- A summary is available via NRC ADAMS at ML24061A181 and outcomes will be captured in Research Information Letter 2024-06
- Topics explored during the workshop included (in part):
- Communications between reactor and operations facilities
- Local and remote staffing models
- Technologies that could support remote operations (e.g.,
automation, passive safety systems, and design simplicity)
- The NRC is also developing scalable HFE review guidance that can address a wide variety of unique operational characteristics, to include remote operations
Near-term Considerations
- Near-term deployment models will likely include systems that allow automatic response by the plant to demand from the grid (i.e., load following), as well as some degree of remote monitoring
- The NRC staff are assessing the suitability of current review guidance
- The proposed 10 CFR Part 53 regulatory framework accounts for the possibility of both highly automated operations and reduced operations staffing
- Framework utilizes a performance-based approach to operator staffing and does not prescribe where operators must be located
- Current status of the Part 53 rulemaking is available via:
https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/rulemaking-ruleforum/active/ruledetails.html?id=1108
Questions?
I wish to express my sincerest appreciation for the opportunity to present on this topic.
Contact:
Jesse Seymour Jesse.Seymour@nrc.gov