Selection of Licensing Basis Events for the U.S. Design Certification of the PBMR

TL;DRAbstract

In support of the pre-application interactions with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), leading to the design certification of the Pebble Bed Modular Reactor (PBMR) in the U.S., Licensing Basis Events (LBEs) are being selected with information derived from a reactor- and design- specific Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA). This approach builds upon the risk-informed licensing approach that was developed by the Department of Energy (DOE) for the MHTGR in the 1980's [1,2] and the more recent experience with the Exelon-proposed licensing approach for the PBMR [3]. The key elements of this technology-neutral approach include (1) the use of accident frequency vs. radiological dose criteria that are derived from current U.S. licensing requirements, referred to as Top Level Regulatory (TLRC), (2) use of a full-scope PRA to select the LBEs, (3) development of reactor-specific functions, selection of the corresponding safety-related Systems, Structures, and Components (SSCs), and their re

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