1. Nuclear Safety and Regulatory Considerations for Nuclear Hydrogen Production
William D. Reckley, Branch Chief
Project Management & Technical Review Branch
Advanced Reactor Program
Office of New Reactors

2. Energy Policy Act of 2005
The NRC shall have licensing and regulatory authority....
The DOE and NRC shall jointly submit ...a licensing strategy for the prototype nuclear reactor...
Not later than September 2011, DOE shall select the technology for high temperature hydrogen production and initial design parameters for the prototype nuclear plant...
Not later than September 2021, complete construction and begin operation...

3. Part 50 Licensing Process
NRC Review x
Construction Permit Hearing
NRC Review x
Operating License Hearing
Construction
Operation
Construction Permit Application
Operating License Application
Wolf Creek Nuclear Generating Station

4. New Plants Proposed in the US
TBD -
TBD -
ABWR -

5. NRC History with Gas-Cooled Reactors
Licensed
Peach Bottom 1
Fort St. Vrain
Pre-application review of Modular High Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor (MHTGR)
Preapplication Discussions with Exelon/PBMR
Ongoing Discussions with DOE/NGNP

6. Preparing for NGNP NUREG/CR-6944
NGNP Phenomena Identification and Ranking Tables (PIRTs)
Volume 6: Process Heat and Hydrogen Co-Generation
Chemical Releases
Process Thermal Events
Heat Transport System Failures
Reactor Events that Impact the Chemical Plant

7. Hazards from hydrogen/chemical facility: Chemical releases Explosive
Flammable
Corrosive
Toxic
Suffocation
Operators
Nuclear Plant

8. Close Coupling of Nuclear and Process Plant: Loss of heat load
Temperature transients / cycles
Process heat exchanger failure
Intermediate heat exchanger failure
Loss of intermediate fluid
PHX
(IHX)

9. Reactor Impacts on Process Facility
Tritium Migration to Product
Radiological Releases through Hxs
General reactor transients
(e.g., reactor trips)

10. NGNP Licensing Strategy
Joint DOE/NRC Licensing Strategy submitted to Congress in August 2008
Success depends on:
productive use of pre-application period (now to 2013)
meeting major milestones, including supporting research and code development
developing supporting regulatory infrastructure
Prototype may include compensatory measures to address uncertainties in the design (e.g., caused by delayed demonstration testing)

11. Going Foward Assess gaps in regulations and guidance
Identify and propose resolution of key technical and policy issues, such as:
Process heat applications
Emergency preparedness
Staffing requirements
Containment functional requirements
Coordinate licensing and research programs