MARVEL Safety Analysis Strategy and Main Results

The Microreactor Applications Research Validation and EvaLuation (MARVEL) Project will demonstrate a new microreactor concept intended for installation and demonstration in the Idaho National Laboratory Transient Reactor Test facility. This paper (1) describes the unique challenges with developing the MARVEL safety analysis approach and plan that complies with 10 Code of Federal Regulations 830, “Nuclear Safety Management,” for protection of the public, worker, and the environment, while implementing a qualitative risk-informed performance-based approach for a Department of Energy microreactor, and (2) provides a brief summary of the overall safety analysis results. Overcoming these challenges described in this paper resulted in a unique strategy that may be pursued by other reactor developers, including President Trump’s plan to have multiple demonstrations critical by July 4, 2026.