Safety and operational issues in off-grid SMRs in remote locations and their potential solutions

偏远地区离网 SMR 的安全和运行问题及其潜在解决方案

• 批准号: 580474-2022
• 负责人: Jiang, JinJ
• 金额: $ 8.73万
• 依托单位: University of Western Ontario
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Alliance Grants
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2022-01-01 至 2023-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=751850
• 关键词: Safety; operational; issues; off; grid

One of the potential applications of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) is for remote off-grid deployment. Due to the remote locations, it is not always feasible to station a sufficient number of operating and supporting staff on-site. A few SMR designs were also proposed for below-grade installation, which may cause additional difficulties and technical challenges for manual inspection/information-gathering. The remote locations also render an SMR vulnerable to potential adversaries, e.g., cyber-attacks and sabotage. Therefore, SMRs in remote locations will require reliable communication channels for safety and safeguarding radioactive materials, both locally on-site and through long-distance telemetry. The safety and operation of a nuclear installation rely on information collected from a large number of sensors measuring vital physical parameters. This data is forwarded to control centers and/or emergency response teams for action. Data transmission within a confined space or to remote locations will require highly reliable communication systems. In this case, it can cover multiple pressure and shielding boundaries on-site or a vast distance with a variety of geographical conditions. There are still many unknowns to be investigated specifically for off-grid SMRs deployed in remote locations. The proposed project first investigates issues generic to different types of off-grid SMRs, and identifies specific needs for remote monitoring and operation, with a specific focus on the safety and safeguarding of radioactive materials in these plants. Then, the second part of the project is to design and prototype a novel multichannel communication system specifically for off-grid SMRs in remote locations. The knowledge generated from the proposed project will provide the CNSC with a comprehensive list of questions relevant to regulation for off-grid SMRs in remote locations with limited on-site staffing, and potential solutions to enhance operational safety and safeguard against nuclear proliferation with the help of advanced communication and information technologies.

小型模块反应器（SMR）的潜在应用之一是用于远程离网部署。由于偏远地区，在现场有足够数量的运营和支持人员并不总是可行的。还提出了一些SMR设计用于低于年级的安装，这可能会给手动检查/信息收集带来其他困难和技术挑战。远程位置还使SMR容易受到潜在对手的影响，例如网络攻击和破坏。因此，偏远地区的SMR将需要可靠的通信渠道，以确保安全和维护放射性材料，包括本地现场和通过长距离遥测。 核装置的安全性和操作取决于从测量重要物理参数的大量传感器收集的信息。将这些数据转发到控制中心和/或应急响应小组以进行行动。在限制空间或远程位置内的数据传输将需要高度可靠的通信系统。在这种情况下，它可以在现场覆盖多重压力和屏蔽边界，或者在各种地理条件下覆盖距离。对于部署在远程位置的离网SMR，仍然有许多未知数需要研究。 拟议的项目首先调查了不同类型的离网SMR的通用问题，并确定了远程监控和操作的特定需求，并特别关注这些工厂中放射性材料的安全性和保护。然后，项目的第二部分是设计和原型一种新型的多通道通信系统，专门针对远程位置的离网SMR。拟议项目产生的知识将为CNSC提供与偏远地区的离网SMR有关的全面问题列表，其现场人员配备有限，以及潜在的解决方案，以增强操作安全和保护核增殖，以防止核扩散，并提供帮助。高级通信和信息技术。