MDEP Brainstorming Workshop on light-water small medium and modular reactors (LW-SMMR)

Background and objectives

The Multinational Design Evaluation Programme (MDEP) has been and will continue to be a unique multinational initiative leveraging the resources and knowledge of national regulators to review new reactor designs. The programme has successfully operated for 17 years and is recognised as an effective framework for regulatory co-operation and harmonisation. We are considering making MDEP a significant platform for addressing present challenges and regulatory expectations concerning LW-SMMR designs. This would involve actively engaging with designers to gain a deeper understanding of the obstacles they encounter.

The event represents a preliminary step for MDEP members to evaluate the opportunity to establish a dedicated working group focused on LW-SMMR designs. The audience will explore key challenges encountered during the safety assessment of such designs. It will help set priorities for future international cooperation aligned with MDEP objectives.

The two-day workshop included sessions on:

• Prevention vis-a-vis mitigation
• LW-SMMR’s mandatory principle for the prevention and mitigation of accidents
• Implementation of probabilistic safety assessment (PSA) for LW-SMMR
• Research needs relevant to LW-SMMR
• Future perspective of recycling of SMMRs
• Verification and validation (V&V) computer benchmarking for LW-SMMRs
• Defense-in-depth (DiD) principles applicability to LW-SMMR
• Justification of the material selection for LW-SMMR reactor and primary and secondary circuits; validate the strength and lifetime of the materials used

Programme

Presentations

Session 1: SMMR designs presentations

• Safety Regulation Aspects for Nuclear Power Plant with RITM-200N SMR
• Safety regulation aspects of floating power units with the RITM-200C reactor unit
• Water cooled K-SMR development for carbon free future
• CAREM. Argentinian SMR

Session 2: LW-SMMR’s Principle for the Prevention and Mitigation of Accidents (application of the first principle of Vienna Declaration)

• Regulatory Control Features and Principles for a Land-Based RITM-200N SNPP Project
• Application of the first principle of Vienna Declaration

Session 3: Justification of the material selection for LW-SMMR reactor and primary and secondary circuits; validate the strength and lifetime of the materials used

• Justification of the material selection for LW-SMMR reactor and primary and secondary circuits; validation of strength and lifetime of the materials used

Session 4: Future perspective of recycling of SMMRs

• Future perspective of recycling of SMMRs

Session 5: Verification and validation (V&V) computer benchmarking for LW-SMMRs Future perspective of recycling of SMMRs

• Challenges in Code Usage and Validation on China’s Small Modular Reactor ACP100

Session 6: Implementation of Probabilistic Safety Assessment (PSA) of LW-SMMR computer benchmarking for LW-SMMRs Future perspective of recycling of SMMRs

• Implementation of PSA to CAREM

Session 7: Research needs relevant to LW-SMMR

• Progress of SMR test facility
• Main R&D needs for LW-SMR

Session 8: Defense in depth (DiD) principles applicability to LW-SMMR

• Realization of defense-in-depth principles for light water small modular reactors (SMMR)
• IAEA activities on LW-SMRs and the implementation of Defence-in-Depth principles

Conclusions

Participation

Participation was free of charge and open to:

• industry representatives;
• international organisations and associations;
• countries' nuclear regulatory organisations and their technical support organisations.

Language

All presentations and discussions were conducted in English.

Contact

For additional information, contact the MDEP Technical Secretariat.

Last reviewed: 11 July 2024