27 Feb (NucNet): NuScale Power has completed testing activities of its helical coil steam generator (HCSG) at the SIET S.p.A. facilities in Italy, the Oregon-based company said in a statement.
NuScale also said that during the testing phase, the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) conducted a quality assurance inspection of the testing activities. The result was “a rare outcome” in that the NRC inspection concluded with no findings, observations, violations, recommendations or non-conformances identified, NuScale said.
NuScale is developing and testing computer code design analysis software to support the NRC design certification of its advanced light water small modular reactor (SMR) design.
The NuScale design includes a first-of-a-kind HCSG for conversion of nuclear heat into process steam.
NuScale contracted the services of SIET for the full-scale testing of the HCSG performance over the expected range of reactor operating conditions. SIET has extensive experience with similar heat exchanger test bundle fabrication and testing for other reactor vendors, NuScale said.
In December 2013, NuScale was picked as the winner of the second round of funding for the US Department of Energy’s cost-sharing programme to develop SMR technology.
As part of the award, NuScale will receive funding that will support the accelerated development of its NuScale Power Module SMR technology. NuScale and the DOE are negotiating an agreement that formalises the public-private relationship for the funding and establishes milestones for the five-year funding programme.
