NRC ‘Indicates Acceptance’ of Kairos Safety Rating: Regulation & Safety

November 23, 2021

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has issued a draft safety assessment report confirming their initial acceptance of the Kairos Power source term methodology for their Kairos Power fluoride salt cooled high temperature reactor (KP-FHR). The latest report, which Kairos submitted to the regulator in June 2020, is the first of its kind to be reviewed by the NRC.

This is what the KP-FHR plant could look like (Image: Kairos Power)

The report, which outlines the company’s approach to calculating the amount of radioactive material that could be released into the environment in an accident, was developed through a shared cost benefit from the US Department of Energy (DOE). If approved, a final safety assessment report could be produced by February 2022 and used throughout the approval process to reduce the risks associated with the approval and use of the reactor.

The KP-HFR uses TRISO – TRI-structural ISOtropic – fuel, which was first developed by DOE in the 1960s. Research by the Idaho National Laboratory has found that the source term for TRISO-based fuels is significantly lower than that of traditional fuels, DOE said, adding that this “further enhances the improved safety and operation of Kairos’ reactor design with the pre-licensing process” . Phase of the NRC process “.

“This achievement strengthens the extensive commitment of our team prior to filing the application with the NRC and creates license security for our advanced reactor technology,” said Mike Laufer, CEO of Kairos Power. “In combination with our iterative hardware demonstrations, our license engagement contributes to the cost security required for commercial demonstration and deployment.”

On September 29th, Kairos filed the first part of an application for planning permission to build the 35 MWe Hermes molten salt test reactor at a location in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. This has now been made available by the NRC for public comment.

Researched and written by World Nuclear News

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