Civil Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
In BWRs, hydrogen detonations can be avoided by inertization of the inner
containment with nitrogen, by equipment of the inner containment with hydrogen
recombiners and cooling of the inner atmosphere by spray cooling with steam
condensation.
The outer concrete part of the outer double containment can be designed against
the impact of large commercial airplanes. As described in Chap. 7 LWR plants can
also be designed against relatively high intensity earthquakes and against high level
tsunamis or floods and hurricanes.
However, the LWR plants must be designed following such requirements from
the very beginning . (For already operating reactor plants the buildup of dikes with
adequate height for protection against tsunamis or floods is feasible.)
New reactor designs aim at an operation time of 60 years for LWR plants. Many
of the presently operating reactors, e.g. in the USA and France,
originally
designed for about 35-40 years—have obtained a license for an operation time of
60 years after additional amendments. While this prolongation of operation time is
helpful for the economics of these plants, it also prevents new LWR plants with
improved safety concepts (Chaps. 3 and 10 ) to be built in time.
The KHE safety concept described in Sect. 10.2 (no evacuation, no relocation
etc. in case of a severe core melt accident) which is applied, e.g. to EPR and
SWR-1,000 (KERENA), was required mainly in Europe until now by licensing
organizations and safety advisory commissions [ 15 , 16 ]. These requirements had
been incorporated already in an amendment of the German Atomic Law for future
nuclear power reactors [ 100 ].
Acknowledgment The authors are grateful to Dr. E. Kiefhaber for critically reviewing the
contribution and for his scientific advice.
References
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environment-and-health/environmental-health-policy-institute/responses/costs-and-conse
quences-of-fukushima.html
2. Fukushima cleanup could cost up to $250 billion. http://newsonjapan.com/html/newsdesk/
article/89987.php
3. Rose M (2013) Major nuclear accident would cost France $580 billion: study. http://www.
reuters.com/article/2013/02/07/us-france-nuclear-disaster-cost-idUSBRE91603X20130207
4. Samet JM et al (2013) Selected health consequences of the chernobyl disaster; a future
systematic literature review, focus group findings, and future directions. http://www.
greencross.ch
5. Hennies HH, Kessler G, Eibl J (1989) Improved containment concept for future pressurized
water reactors. In: 5th International conference on emerging nuclear energy systems
(ICENES), Karlsruhe, Germany, 3-6 July 1989
6. Hennies HH, Kessler G, Eibl J (1992) Containments and core catchers in future reactors.
Atomwirtschaft 37:238-247
7. Eibl J et al (1992) How to eliminate containment failure in tomorrows PWRs (pressurized
water reactors). Nucl Eng Int 37(453):51-55
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