Recent Initiatives at the IAEA and Within Canada to Develop Small Reactor Safety Criteria

Abstract

Recent interest focussed on small reactors has indicated that safety criteria specific to these reactors are lacking. This paper summarizes recent work undertaken by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and by an inter- organizational Small Reactor Criteria working group in Canada to develop comprehensive safety criteria needed for small reactors. The Canadian work described in this paper is aimed at producing top- tier criteria, compatible with the current work of the IAEA and applicable to a broad spectrum of small reactors. The treatment is comprehensive, covering all factors of major importance to safety, for all reactor life-cycle phases. To date, the scope and structure of the criteria have been developed, consisting of a safety philosophy and a set of criteria for specific reactor applications. Since a top-tier document is being prepared, the criteria are more descriptive than prescriptive.