The EASI-SMR project intends to address the safety issues related to the LW-SMR in order to provide advances that should support implementation of such technologies as soon as possible. The EASI SMR project activities are aimed at ensuring that these reactors will be designed, constructed, commissioned and operated in the safest possible way and in accordance with existing regulations. EASI-SMR will address the safety issues associated with major LW-SMR innovations: Passive systems; Soluble Boron-free cores; Co-generation and hybridation; Additive manufacturing to improve compactness of Nuclear Steam Supply System; Multi-unit operation.
The consortium was carefully chosen so that the research entities can provide the necessary research teams and support facilities across the European Continent and beyond.
IFE is involved in the WP5 on Human and Organsational factors. The main objective of WP5 is to create new knowledge about the safety of LW-SMRs from the point of view of human and organizational factors (HOF). The aim is to explore these issues broadly, considering not only those specific to supervision, but also other aspects that can have an impact on safety: the supply chain, cybersecurity/security and maintenance. There are 4 tasks in WP5 (IFE leads task 5.1, 5.3, and is involved in 5.4):
• Task 5.1 Identification of the specific features of LW-SMRs from the point of view of control room supervision
• Task 5.2 Understanding the relations between SMR supply chains configurations and safety
• Task 5.3. Reinforcing the Safety of LW-SMRs addressing Human Factors and Cyber Security
• Task 5.4. Identification of the specific features of LW-SMRs from the point of view of maintenance
The IFE-Halden SMR simulator will we used for empirical studies for task 5.1 and 5.3.
In a context of growing global and EU demand for low carbon energy solutions, Light-Water Small Modular Reactors
(LW-SMRs) represent an energy solution for the future as complement to renewable sources of energy. This four-year Horizon Europe Euratom project embarks on a mission to address the pressing R&I challenges related to LW-SMRs in Europe, in order to ensure their safety, efficiency, and sustainability. The consortium was carefully chosen so that the research entities can provide the necessary research teams and support facilities across Europe and beyond.
The project will tackle the key areas that have been identified within the EU SMR pre-partnership (dialogue between ENSREG and SNETP) and especially those related to the LW-SMR safety specificities:
• Passive safety systems, to demonstrate their efficiency and reliability in various conditions;
• Human and Organisational Factors (HOF), to assess the robustness and safety of human/machine interface of multi-units control room;
• Additive manufacturing, to ensure the fitness for purpose and reliability of components;
• Neutron physics, to demonstrate the safe behavior of the envisaged core designs;
• Harmonisation of licensing approaches, to facilitate the dialogue between regulators in order to ease the deployment of SMRs in series;
• Waste minimization, to enhance the sustainability of SMRs and support the IAEA Sustainable Development Goals;
• Safety, Security and Safeguards.
The work aims to provide insights into European LW-SMR projects, in particular:
• NUWARD SMR, a French design of a reactor generating 170 MW of electricity production,
• LDR-50, a Finnish design of a district heating reactor of 50 MW.
EASI-SMR is closely linked with NUGENIA TA6 and the European SMR pre-Partnership’s WS5.
IFE`s main role in the project is to utilize our human performance expertise in conducting controlled, realistic simulator studies - and we will use IFE's One-of-a-kind SMR simulator as a test bed.
