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Light Water Reactor Design Against External Events

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The Risks of Nuclear Energy Technology

Part of the book series: Science Policy Reports ((SCIPOLICY))

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Abstract

LWRs must be designed against earthquakes, air plane crashes, chemical explosions, flooding, tsunamis and tornados. The design of LWRs against earthquakes must meet certain guidelines required by regulatory authorities. These distinguish between the design basis earthquake and the safe shut down earthquake. The design basis earthquake is the highest intensity earthquake which can occur according to scientific findings at the site of the nuclear power plant. In a safe shut down earthquake the fundamental safety functions of the LWR must remain fulfilled. The mechanical loads and stresses acting on nuclear power plants in an earthquake are determined by horizontal and vertical displacements and accelerations as well as the associated frequencies of vibration and the duration of the earthquake. Besides the rules recommended by regulatory authorities also two- and three-dimensional finite-element codes are employed on the mechanical analysis of the plant. Where horizontal or vertical displacements and the resultant stresses are too high, pipings and components may be supported by means of damping elements. Also the entire nuclear plant may be built on thousands of damping elements located in the foundation bottom concrete slab of the reactor building. LWR plants are designed against air plane (military or commercial) crashes into the plant. Impulse models and experiments form the basis for a shock load versus time curve which has to be applied for the design of the plant.

LWRs must also be designed against a given pressure wave resulting from chemical explosions in the vicinity of the plant.

The risk of flooding by a maximum-level flood must be taken into account on the basis of scientific findings about floods for the past 10,000 years. Similar requirements exist for tsunamis and for tornados.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Stutensee, Germany

    Günter Kessler

  2. Eggenstein, Germany

    Anke Veser

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  1. Günter Kessler
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  2. Anke Veser
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Kessler, G., Veser, A. (2014). Light Water Reactor Design Against External Events. In: The Risks of Nuclear Energy Technology. Science Policy Reports. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-55116-1_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-55116-1_7

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-55115-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-55116-1

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