RAMTAR Research

Objective / Purpose

Given the state of development and plans for licensing / deployment of advanced reactors, RAMTAR research aims to prioritize the identification and implementation of research to address gaps that support near-term licensing actions for advanced reactors.

Scope

Research topics are aligned with identification and assessment of issues related to the definition, execution, and application of PRAs to the design, licensing, construction, and operation of advanced reactors. The topics listed below are limited to active or future research as part of EPRI’s Advanced Reactors research initiatives. Additional research on these topics is also being conducted by other organizations (i.e., the list is not intended to be all encompassing). Research topics include what is shown in Figure 1 on the landing page.

Ongoing Research on Advanced Reactor Risk Assessment Methods and Tools – List of Active Project Topics

1 - Risk Metrics

Risk metrics currently used for LWRs may not necessarily be applicable to advanced reactors depending on the specific advanced reactor design. There are currently a range of different solutions being investigated such as generalizing the CDF definition and/or applying the definition to become plant specific, or creating new risk metrics that are specific to plant characteristics such as mission or possible impact.

2 - Passive Safety System Reliability

Passive safety systems (PSSs) will serve as a cornerstone requirement for the licensing of advanced nuclear reactor plants. Having a reliance on safety systems that are passive, that is, those that rely on natural/physical laws and require minimal or no intervention by plant operators provides a significant reduction in the probability of a serious accident.

3 - External Hazards

Current PRA models consider external hazards such as seismic events, high winds, and external flooding. These events will continue to be considered in the risk assessment modeling for advanced reactor designs.

4 - HRA

Human Reliability Analysis plays a large role in identifying not only possible failures caused by plant personnel failing to follow plant procedures, but also ways in which operators can mitigate plant failures preventing an accident. Since there are no current plant procedures for advanced reactors this will present additional challenges and may even require a different methodology than what has been used for HRA applied to LWRs.

5 - PRA Data

This research activity will focus on identification of data and relevant characteristics necessary to support plant safety analysis and plant risk assessments that will be used for plant licensing submittals and operational decision-making.

6 - Digital I&C

There have been substantial challenges related to obtaining efficient regulatory reviews and approvals when digital upgrades have been deployed to replace the original analog systems that interface with plant safety systems in the current fleet. To address this issue, EPRI has developed the Hazards and Consequences Analysis for Digital Systems (HAZCADS) approach.

7 - Economic Risk Analysis

Develop methods to measure and manage project risk (with particular focus on licensing and plant construction), assess and manage plant economic risk throughout the life-cycle (design, construction, commissioning, and operation), and develop guidance to select the most advantageous licensing approach (applicable to the US where various options exist).