Speaker
Description
The Versatile Test Reactor (VTR) is a fast spectrum test reactor currently being developed in the United States under the direction of the US Department of Energy (USDOE), Office of Nuclear Energy. The mission of the VTR is to enable accelerated testing of advanced reactor fuels and materials required for advanced reactor technologies. The conceptual design of the 300 MWth sodium-cooled metallic-fueled pool-type fast reactor has been led by US National Laboratories in collaboration with General Electric-Hitachi and Bechtel National Inc.
The VTR is utilizing a risk-informed performance-based approach for authorization by the USDOE, derived from recent efforts by the US industry led Licensing Modernization Project (LMP). As part of this methodology, the probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) is a key input into decisions regarding the identification and selection of safety basis events, the safety classification of structures, systems, and components, and the evaluation of the adequacy of defense-in-depth. This paper provides an overview of key factors in the development of the VTR PRA, including applicable USDOE and industry PRA standards, the risk metrics and criteria to be utilized for risk-informed decision-making, and the selected structure of the PRA technical elements. The work reported in this summary is the result of studies supporting a VTR conceptual design, cost, and schedule estimate for DOE-NE to make a decision on procurement. As such, it is preliminary.
| Affiliation/Organization | Argonne National Laboratory |
|---|---|
| Speaker's email address | dgrabaskas@anl.gov |
| Country/Int. organization | United States of America |
| Speaker's title | Mr |
