16 May 2022
The US Department of Energy (DOE) identified Idaho National Laboratory (INL as the preferred site to construct and operate the sodium-cooled fast nuclear reactor in its Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS).
The VTR as it could look (Image: INL).
The Versatile Test Reactor, or VTR, will be used to provide fast neutrons for the testing and evaluation of nuclear fuels, sensors, and instruments in support of developing advanced reactor technologies. Only a few countries have such facilities, and the USA hasn’t operated one in over 20 years.
Kathryn Huff, Assistant Secretary of Nuclear Energy, stated that VTR would provide US researchers from academia, industry, and our national labs with a critical tool to develop transformational technologies that will increase nuclear’s contribution to abundant, clean energy. Our commitment to protecting the environment and local communities is part of VTR’s contribution to combating climate change.
The US Nuclear Energy Innovation Capabilities Act was passed in September 2018. It directed the DOE to create a reactor-based fast-neutron source for the testing and evaluation of advanced reactor fuels. Also, it required the DOE to implement a program to increase the capability to develop new technologies through high-performance computer modeling and simulation techniques. Rick Perry, then-Energy Secretary, launched the VTR project in 2019. A draft EIS, which was released in December 2020 and was open to public comments during the first month of 2021, was made public.
The VTR will be a 300 MW (thermal) pool-type, sodium-cooled reactor using a uranium-plutonium-zirconium metal fuel based on GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy’s PRISM small modular reactor design.
The FEIS evaluates the potential effects of different options at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and INL. It includes the construction and operation, post-irradiation inspection experimental of specimens in hot cell facility, and the conditioning, storage, and disposal of used fuel pending its shipment to interim storage or permanent disposal. It also evaluates the production and operation of fuel for the reactor at INL or DOE’s Savannah River Site.
DOE’s preferred option is to construct and manage the VTR in INL. Existing facilities within the Materials and Fuels Complex are modified and used for post-irradiation analysis of test assemblies and treatment. The VTR would temporarily store the treated fuel at MFC’s spent fuel pad. The FEIS concludes that although ORNL and INL options could have little impact on the environment, the overall environmental impact would be lower at the INL location.
DOE has not yet identified the preferred location for fuel production services for VTR. However, they could choose to use INL, Savannah River or a combination of both to prepare feedstock and fabricate fuel. Existing facilities would need to be modified or adapted so that they could provide the necessary capabilities at both locations. The FEIS states that fuel production at Savannah River and INL would have minimal environmental impacts. The source of plutonium – US weapon grade plutonium, foreign nuclear-grade plutonium or any other material – must be determined, the FEIS states. The process to deploy plutonium will depend on the characteristics and feedstock.
DOE can now proceed to make a final determination on the project after it has issued the VTRFEIS. It expects that it will issue a formal Record of Decision sometime later in the year.
Download the FEIS Here.
Written by World Nuclear News.
