Design of the Safe Integral Reactor

Abstract The Safe Integral Reactor (SIRTM) is an innovative pressurized water reactor (PWR) design with enhanced safety which has been developed jointly by ABB Combustion Engineering, Inc., Rolls-Royce and Associates Ltd., Stone & Webster Engineering corporation and AEA Technology. The concept is a unitized primary coolant system in which the reactor core, the pressurizer, the reactor coolant pumps, and the steam generators are contained in a single reactor pressure vessel. This simplified reactor coolant system is coupled with a reliable, easily operated and maintained balance of plant utilizing a pressure suppression containment. The safety systems are primarily passive, relying on natural circulation and a large heat capacity rather than active, AC-powered equipment. The design is intended to meet the requirements for passive light water reactors being developed in the United States and jointly sponsored by the Electric Power Research Institute and U.S. Department of Energy, and requirements for small, safer light water reactors (LWRs) in the United Kingdom.