Education and Training Series #51: Introducing New Plant Systems Design (PSD) Code

These webinars, organised by the GIF Education and Training Working Group are streamed live monthly. The recordings and slide decks are accessible after the webinar on this website. These webinars cover a very broad range of technical and policy related topics. At the end of 2023 they have been viewed by more than 15000 people (approximately half of the views during the live streams and the other half views being of the archives on the public GIF website). In total, the GIF webinars have reached Generation IV enthusiasts, scientists, and engineers in more than 80 countries.

These webinars are organised and hosted by the GIF Education and Training Working Group (ETWG). 

The nuclear sector is facing two major challenges. The first is to reduce cost of decommissioning old and building new nuclear power plants. In the UK, the Nuclear Sector Deal issued by the UK Government has called for 20% reduction in decommissioning costs and 30% reduction in the new build cost by 2030. The second challenge is to increase safety. The safety requirements have been toughened by the IAEA’s Design Extension Conditions that require plants to withstand multiple hazards and extreme hazards. The challenge is to reduce cost whilst increasing safety and that calls for a different design approach. The nuclear industry is responding to this challenge of reducing cost without compromising safety by taking part in the development of new Plant Systems Design (PSD) code that will change the way design and construction is done. This presentation will explain the new initiative that is being taken by committee of international experts under the aegis of ASME to develop the PSD code which is a technology neutral standard that provides a framework, including requirements and guidance, for design organisations. In traditional nuclear industry approach the design process goes through concept, preliminary design, detail design, construction, commissioning, and operation. The emphasis is mostly on component design not on system design and the whole design process is sequential. The PSD standard aims to bring in three main changes: (a) integrate process hazard analysis in the early stages of design; (b) incorporate and integrate existing systems engineering design processes, practices and tools with traditional architect engineering design processes, practices and tools; and (c) to integrate risk informed probabilistic design methodologies with traditional deterministic design. Main features and advantages of systems-based approach to integrate design and safety in the PSD code will be described. In brief, this presentation will show how the nuclear plants need to be designed in future to meet the ever-increasing cost and safety challenges.