Design certification process: Licensing the next nuclear power generation

Conference · Fri Jun 01 04:00:00 EDT 1990 · Transactions of the American Nuclear Society; (USA)

OSTI ID:6180979

Quirk, J M ^[1]

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1. General Electric, San Jose, CA (USA)

The US today does not have a viable nuclear option. A more than 10-yr hiatus in US nuclear orders has been accompanied by the development of a number of institutional impediments that must now be removed before any return to nuclear power can occur. These impediments include an unpredictable regulatory process at the federal level and the lack of effective design standardization, which has characterized the US nuclear program. In 1985, US utilities initiated a complementary effort toward standardization by commissioning the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) to develop an advanced light water reactor (ALWR) requirements document - in effect a standard utility bid specification - for future ALWRs. This effort represents a key first step toward future plant standardization. Manufacturers in the US have also taken important initiatives toward the development of future standard ALWR designs. In 1988, the NRC began the process of revising their rules to streamline the regulatory process. The US utilities (through EPRI), manufacturers, and DOE are also pursuing cooperative programs aimed at developing and certifying a new generation of ALWRs, combining the characteristics of smaller size, simplified design, and passive safety features, and reduced dependence on operators. The challenge now is to demonstrate the effectiveness of NRC's new part 52 process, beginning with the timely and effective safety approval and certification of the standardized designs now pending before NRC.

• OSTI ID: 6180979
• Report Number(s): CONF-900608--
• Conference Information: Journal Name: Transactions of the American Nuclear Society; (USA) Journal Volume: 61
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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