Roadmapping - A Systematic Approach to Overcoming NGNP Challenges

Changing requirements, programmatic challenges, and technical risk hinder even the best projects. The Next Generation Nuclear Plant (NGNP) is a complex project with technical and programmatic uncertainty. This paper presents the path forward, methods, and tools used to understand the requirements, manage the uncertainty, and mitigate the risk for the NGNP project. The key tool, technology development roadmaps, is described in detail as a means to facilitate NGNP risk-informed decision making, technology down selection, and technology qualification and maturation. Technology roadmaps for each NGNP System, Structure, or Component (SSC) were developed to set the vision for and drive the needed actions to down select technologies and designs; to assure technology readiness is demonstrated through testing, modeling, piloting, and prototyping; and to develop the test plans required to provide demonstrable evidence of the technology maturation required for codification and qualification. In the NGNP application, technology roadmaps provide the framework and structure required to systematically perform decision analysis, reduce risk, and mature technologies in a cost effective and timely manner. The steps followed include Structure Identification, Technology Readiness Assessment, Technology Selection, Technology Maturation, and Test Plan Development.