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The AP600 -- A Cooperative Effort As part of the cooperative U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Advanced Light Water Reactor (ALWR) Program and the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), the Westinghouse AP600 team has developed a simplified, safe, and economic 600-megawatt plant to enter into a new era of nuclear power generation. Designed to satisfy the standards set by DOE and defined in the ALWR Utility Requirements Document (URD), the Westinghouse AP600 is an elegant combination of innovative safety systems that rely on dependable natural forces and field-proven technologies. Go to top of page The Westinghouse AP600 design simplifies plant systems and significant operation, inspections, maintenance, and quality assurance requirements by greatly reducing valves, pumps, piping, HVAC ducting, and other complex components. The AP600 safety systems are predominantly passive, depending on the reliable natural forces of gravity, circulation, convection, evaporation, and condensation, instead of AC power supplies and motor-driven components. Go to top of page Extensive Use of Field-Proven Technology Although the AP600 uses simplified and passive plant systems to an unprecedented extent to enhance plant safety and operations, the effectiveness of the technology has been demonstrated through years of operations and testing. The AP600's major components are based on years of reliable operating experience. The canned motor reactor coolant pumps have been in use by the US Navy for decades. The steam generators, pressurizer, fuel, and reactor vessel are all based on field-proven technology with incremental improvements developed as a result of operating experience. The passive safety systems are an extension of the technology used previously, since Westinghouse-supplied PWRs have had accumulators for injection of core cooling water without the use of pumps for many years. The AP600 is the result of a logical progression in plant design. Go to top of page Safety and Licensing Certainty The AP600 provides a high degree of public safety and licensing certainty. It draws upon over 40 years of experience in light water reactor components and technology, so no demonstration plant is required. The AP600 has received final design approval from the US NRC. Go to top of page During the AP600 design program, a comprehensive test program was carried out to verify plant components, passive safety systems components, and containment behavior. When the test program was completed at the end of 1994, AP600 became the most thoroughly tested advanced reactor design ever reviewed by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). The test results confirmed the exceptional behavior of the passive systems and have been instrumental in facilitating code validations. Go to top of page The Westinghouse AP600 reactor has been designed as part of the Advanced Light Water Reactor (ALWR) Program sponsored by the U.S. DOE and EPRI. Following an extensive review by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the AP600 received final design approval on September 3, 1998. A detailed design program (FOAKE-First-of-a-Kind-Engineering) was completed under the sponsorship of DOE, the Advanced Reactor Corporation (ARC), and EPRI. Go to top of page The Westinghouse AP600 is a 600 MWe reactor which utilizes passive safety features that, once actuated, depend only on natural forces such as gravity and natural circulation to perform all required safety functions. These passive safety systems result in increased plant safety and can also significantly simplify plant systems, equipment, and operation. Go to top of page
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