IMSR400’S Holistic Approach to Nuclear Security

Abstract

Nuclear security has traditionally been retrospectively applied to nuclear facilities based on prescriptive national regulations. These regulations have aimed to protect the facility from the ‘outside-in’ via the provision of a physical protection system and armed response force. Developments in the adversarial threat over the recent years, in particular the insider and cyber threat, are challenging this approach to nuclear security. This paper presents an alternative approach, developed by Risktec, which starts with the asset requiring protection and applies an understanding of the reactor design and safety systems to deliver a pragmatic and holistic nuclear security solution founded on a clearly defined hierarchy of controls. This paper illustrates the practical implementation of the ‘security-by-design’ approach by Terrestrial Energy Inc. (TEI) for the Integral Molten Salt Reactor (IMSR400) design, a Small Modular Reactor (SMR) technology, as part of its Basic Engineering program and presents the benefits of this new approach compared to the traditional approach.