CONCEPTUAL BENEFITS OF PASSIVE NUCLEAR-POWER-PLANTS AND THEIR EFFECT ON COMPONENT DESIGN

Today, nearly ten years after the Advanced Light Water Reactor (ALWR) Program was conceived by US utility leaders, and a decade and a half s ince a new nuclear power plant was ordered in the US, the ALWR passive plant is coming into its own. This design concept, a midsized simplif ied light water reactor, features extremely reliable passive systems f or accident prevention and mitigation and combines proven experience w ith state-of-the-art engineering and human factors. It is now emerging as the front runner to become the next generation reactor in the US a nd perhaps around the world. Although simple and straightforward in co ncept, the passive plant is in many respects a significant departure f rom previous trends in reactor engineering. Successful implementation of this concept presents numerous challenges to the designers of passi ve plant systems and components. This paper provides a brief history o f the ALWR Program, it outlines the ALWR passive plant design objectiv es and principles, and it summarizes with examples their implications on component design.