The integral water reactor design (i.e. a design where all primary system components—steam generators, pumps, pressurizer and even control rod drive mechanisms-are within the reactor vessel) is presented here. A background discussion of how integral designs were introduced in the 1990s is provided, followed by a description of one of those designs, the safe integral reactor (SIR). The rest of the article is then devoted to the international reactor innovative and secure (IRIS) which is currently being developed by an international consortium led by Westinghouse and including 20 + members from 10 nations. In discussing how IRIS has furthered the integral reactor concept, the design characteristics of IRIS are described along with its unique approach to safety, which focuses on exploiting the integral configuration to eliminate by design the occurrence of accidents in lieu of coping with their consequences. The IRIS safety approach is so successful that seven of eight class IV accidents (the accidents that could eventually lead to a radioactive release to the environment) typical of loop PWRs are either eliminated or downgraded, and thus it is being considered to pursue the licensing of IRIS without the requirement for off-site emergency response. The main characteristics of the IRIS safety by design are provided along with a discussion of its licensing approach.
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