New and advanced nuclear reactor technologies – including small modular reactors, or SMRs – and their associated fuel cycles represent growing opportunities for scalable carbon-free energy production. But their novel designs, new fuel types and forms, and unique operating environments pose distinct challenges for safeguards, the methods used to verify that nuclear materials are being used only for peaceful purposes.
Because of these challenges, the safeguards verification and security technologies implemented for the previous generation of nuclear reactors are not directly applicable to advanced reactors. Yet, the early stage of many next-generation nuclear power reactors and known challenges offer the unique and timely opportunity to integrate safety, security and safeguards, or 3S, solutions into the design phase.
While research by the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory is leading the charge on addressing the science and technology challenges, the lab is also engaging industry and the international safeguards community to accelerate secure advanced reactor adoption, licensing and deployment while enabling the industry to meet the highest standards of nuclear nonproliferation.
In early November, ORNL hosted the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Interregional Workshop on Safety, Security and Safeguards by Design in Small Modular Reactors, which welcomed 76 attendees representing 15 countries, three U.S. national labs, domestic and international industry partners, as well as IAEA officers.
The workshop brought together these diverse stakeholders to discuss and promote the timely implementation of 3S during the design stage, ensuring full integration into the lifecycle of a nuclear facility, from initial planning through design, construction and operation.
This Oak Ridge National Laboratory news article "ORNL leads international community on safeguards, security for advanced reactors" was originally found on https://www.ornl.gov/news
