Energy Research, Inc. is leading the U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s support program for the licensing activities for various reactor types, including:

• Advanced Boiling Water Reactor

  Energy Research, Inc. is the prime contractor responsible for regulatory assessment of the two unit ABWR plants that are to be constructed at the South Texas site by Toshiba Corporation. This is a multi-million dollar project that was awarded to Energy Research, Inc. during 2007 and is expected to continue over the next four years. The specific areas of on-going support include technical evaluation and analyses related to:

  • Core neutronic design
  • Fuel design
  • Core thermal-hydraulics design
  • Transient and accident analysis
  • Transient and LOCA analysis methods
  • Containment response analysis
  • Plant electrical systems
  • Impact of external hazards (e.g., explosions)

• Economic Simplified Boiling Water Reactor

  Energy Research, Inc. is the prime contractor responsible for work related to design certification, combined operating license, and environment assessment of the General Electric-Hitachi Economic Simplified Boiling Water Reactor (ESBWR). This is a multi-million dollar project that was also awarded to Energy Research, Inc. during 2007 and is expected to continue over the next four years.

  The specific areas of on-going support for the Office of New Reactors and Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research include technical evaluation and analyses related to:

  • Containment response analysis
  • Balance of Plant systems
  • Plant electrical systems
  • Ex-vessel debris coolability
  • Waste and health physics
  • Environmental Report (Fermi, River Bend and Victoria)
  • Technical evaluation of the Probabilistic Risk Analysis (PRA) and Severe Accident Mitigation Alternatives (SAMDAs)
  • Development of models and simulation of severe accidents and containment response
  • Experimental benchmarking of the TRACE computer code
  • Analysis of loads due to ex-vessel fuel coolant interaction energetics (i.e., steam explosions)
  • Analysis of High Pressure Melt Ejection-induced Direct Containment Heating

• U.S. Evolutionary Pressurized Water Reactor

  Energy Research, Inc. is providing technical support to the U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research, and Office of New Reactors as related to the following aspects of the AREVA’s U. S. Evolutionary Power Reactor (EPR) design certification activities:

  • Experimental assessment and qualification of the TRACE computer code
  • Development of models and analysis of severe accidents and containment response
  • Technical evaluation of the Probabilistic Risk Analysis (PRA) and Severe Accident Mitigation Alternatives (SAMDAs)

• U. S. Advanced Pressurized Water Reactor

  Energy Research, Inc. is providing technical support to the U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research, and Office of New Reactors as related to the following aspects of the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) U. S. Advanced Pressurized Water Reactor (APWR) design certification activities:

  • Development of TRACE computer code models for application to transient and LOCA analysis
  • Technical evaluation of the Probabilistic Risk Analysis (PRA) and Severe Accident Mitigation Alternatives (SAMDAs)

• Advanced Plant (AP)600 and 1000

  Energy Research, Inc. provided technical support to the U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research as related to the following aspects of the Westinghouse AP600 and AP1000 design certification activities:

  • Development of models and analysis of severe accidents and containment response
  • Development of models for analysis of in-vessel melt retention and lower head integrity
  • Analysis of loads resulting from ex-vessel fuel coolant interaction energetics