GIF Framework for Risk-Informed Approach for Design and Licensing of Novel Advanced Reactors

Novel aspects of numerous advanced reactors require a systematic and technology-neutral approach for identification and categorization of event sequences to support their design and licensing. The risk-informed approach offers an iterative process, complementary to the traditional deterministic approach, for alternative searches of event sequences by examining both their probability and consequences to understand the risks and identifying additional requirements or regulatory actions as needed. The approach can also support safety classification of plant equipment and defense-in-depth (DiD) assessment as an integral part of the process to ensure compliance with the safety design criteria and establish links between required safety functions and design requirements. This paper will summarize the ongoing work on joint development of a risk-informed approach between GIF Risk and Safety Working Group (RSWG) and OECD/NEA's Working Group on Safety of Advanced Reactors (WGSAR). The paper will introduce foundational concepts and main elements of a risk-informed design process to establish the event sequence categories considered in design, integrate the deterministic input and risk insights to identify and classify the event sequences in each category,outline a process to classify the plant equipment based on their risk-significance and the role in plant safety, and assess the alignment of event sequence categories considered in design with the DiD levels. (author)