Scribd
Upload
53 views

Transformational Challenge Reactor Demonstration Program

The Transformational Challenge Reactor (TCR) Demonstration Program aims to dramatically reduce the costs and timelines for deploying new nuclear technologies. It will design, build, and operate a microreactor using advanced manufacturing to establish new nuclear system designs and manufacturing processes. The TCR seeks to integrate digital data for rapid innovation, accelerate adoption of advanced manufacturing and materials for nuclear applications, and lower deployment costs and timelines for new nuclear technologies.

Uploaded by

La LALA
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
53 views

Transformational Challenge Reactor Demonstration Program

The Transformational Challenge Reactor (TCR) Demonstration Program aims to dramatically reduce the costs and timelines for deploying new nuclear technologies. It will design, build, and operate a microreactor using advanced manufacturing to establish new nuclear system designs and manufacturing processes. The TCR seeks to integrate digital data for rapid innovation, accelerate adoption of advanced manufacturing and materials for nuclear applications, and lower deployment costs and timelines for new nuclear technologies.

Uploaded by

La LALA
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 2

Transformational Challenge Reactor

Demonstration Program
An accelerated, cost-effective approach to nuclear
energy system development and deployment

Nuclear energy’s approaching cliff Delivering change through TCR


More than half of America’s nuclear power plants could retire To achieve a paradigm shift in new nuclear costs, the TCR
in the next 20 years, with all current nuclear reactor licenses program will design, build, and operate a microreactor
expiring by 2055. Premature retirements could accelerate this using a rapid advanced manufacturing approach. The program
trend, which would ultimately result in a loss of a fifth of the will accelerate innovation by:
country’s electricity supply and nearly 500,000 domestic jobs.¹,²
To replace the country’s largest source of carbon-free energy,
• establishing advanced nuclear energy system designs
unconstrained by conventional manufacturing;
new reactors are needed; however, industry is constrained by • developing processes for the advanced manufacturing of
the extreme costs of lengthy design and deployment timelines. nuclear reactors;
• embedding sensors into key structures to obtain real-time
Using scientific innovation to information about their health for enhanced diagnostic
and prognostic assessments;
advance nuclear energy • building a sound process for automated
operating procedures to establish a pathway for
The overarching goal of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s
autonomous operations;
Transformational Challenge Reactor (TCR) Demonstration
Program is to change the deployment costs of new nuclear • creating a digital platform by coupling data analytics with
design and manufacturing information for rapid quality
power generation. To accomplish this, the TCR program will evaluation of manufactured products;
leverage advances in numerous scientific areas—materials,
manufacturing, sensors and control systems, data analytics, and
• demonstrating the value of integrating technology
advances through operation of an additively
high-fidelity modeling and simulation—to accelerate design, manufactured microreactor; and
manufacturing, qualification, and deployment of advanced
nuclear energy systems. Through this innovative approach, the
• engaging with industry, standards development
organizations, and regulatory bodies to enable broad
TCR program seeks to: adoption of this new approach.
• integrate digital data for rapid nuclear innovation; The demonstration delivers two distinct outcomes:
• accelerate the adoption of advances in manufacturing,
• a set of technological advancements at the ripe readiness
materials, and computational sciences for nuclear level for adoption by industry.

•
applications; and
dramatically reduce deployment costs and timelines for
• reestablishing the credibility of the national complex to
undertake and deploy advanced nuclear energy systems
new nuclear technologies. at a low cost and reduced timeline.

Reduction in Cost, Schedule & Risk in Nuclear Energy

Flexible, scalable solutions More efficient regulatory Operational envelopes


Design constraints
can be deployed because approaches because of depth widened with insights into
relaxed. rapid innovation
the machine can be rapidly of understanding gained real-time and predictive
cycle possible with rapid
adapted with assurance of while manufacturing and in performance. Autonomy is
demonstration.
consistent quality. use of embedded sensors. achievable.

Design Manufacturing Regulatory Operation


tcr.ornl.gov November 2019

The overall TCR system layout is innovative and simple, which provides
low cost, reliability, safety and ability for rapid deployment.
Transformational
Core. The TCR core will be advanced manufactured and housed Challenge Reactor Design
inside a conventionally manufactured and qualified vessel made
from grade 304H stainless steel. The core consists of uranium
nitride coated fuel particles within an advanced manufactured
silicon carbide structure. The fuel blocks are arranged within
advanced manufactured grade 316L stainless steel
structures and are interspersed with yttrium
hydride moderator elements. The hydride
moderator minimizes the amount of high-
assay low-enriched uranium required to
reach criticality.
Controls. The TCR reactor
instrumentation and control (I&C) system
consists of a reactor protection system
interfacing with the central shutdown rod
and a reactor control system driving the
external control shrouds. Each system is
independently capable of shutting down
the reactor and keeping it subcritical
under all conditions. The I&C architecture is
designed with diversity and independence
in mind. The control shrouds will move
between the reactor vessel and an advanced-manufactured steel
reflector. A concrete biological shield will enclose the vessel and
reflector and will also be advanced manufactured.
Facility. The reactor system will be housed inside a vented confinement within an Oak Ridge
National Laboratory building. Inside the confinement resides a single pressurized helium gas-cooled
loop, including the circulator, vessel, and a heat exchanger moving the heat harvested from the core
to the outside.
Safety. TCR is an inherently safe nuclear energy system based on proven, physics-based passive safety
principles. An assessment of postulated and hypothetical accident scenarios will be performed to show
that the system has safety margins that exceed requirements. To further enhance safety and limit the
overall system footprint and environmental impact, TCR will operate at a thermal power of 3 megawatts.
Safety assessments will be reviewed by the Department of Energy prior to granting authorization to
conduct the operational demonstration.
Schedule. To maximize the transformative impact and kickstart a new nuclear era for the nation,
adhering to an aggressive schedule of the TCR program is essential. Starting in 2019, the program targets
designing, manufacturing, and operating a demonstration reactor by 2023. An agile approach to
design, manufacturing, and testing is employed to meet this schedule and to deliver a new paradigm to
designing and deploying nuclear systems.

1
https://www.nei.org/resources/statistics/us-nuclear-plant-license-information
2
https://www.nei.org/advantages/jobs

Contact:
Kurt Terrani, TCR Technical Director, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
[email protected], 865-576-0264
One Bethel Valley Road, Oak Ridge, TN 37831

Oak Ridge National Laboratory is managed by UT-Battelle LLC for the US Department of Energy

You might also like