Civil Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 17
Evaluation of the Security Status of German
and Foreign Facilities
Abstract
The security status of German and foreign nuclear facilities is discussed.
For the actual operating German reactors of type convoy it is not expected that an
impacting aircraft—even under the assumption of a large commercial aircraft—
would penetrate the shell of the building or that a significant amount of kerosene
would enter the interior of the building.
17.1 Security Status of German Reactors
Those facilities that are currently still in service in Germany are designed to
withstand the crash of a fast flying military aircraft according to the specifications
set forth in the RSK-LL. This results in large wall thicknesses of the enclosure walls
of
1.80 m and very high levels of shear and bending reinforcement in order to
ensure local protection against penetration. For example Fig.
17.1
shows the roof of
the recently completed vitrification facility in Karlsruhe, which is also designed
according to the RSK-LL with regards to aircraft crashes. This example illustrates
the high reinforcement density, especially of the shear reinforcement to prevent
local punching.
Due to this design of the convoy facilities (cf. Table
12.1
) there is a large
potential for resistance to the impact of a large commercial aircraft without major
damage. Even though the structural design of convoy reactor buildings in Germany
is not homogeneous—there are differences in the amount of reinforcement
according to the location—the examinations carried out to date show that the
reinforced concrete shell, consisting of a dome built on a cylindrical shell, would
most likely withstand the impact of a large commercial aircraft in the scenarios
presented in this contribution. This also holds true when considering the impact of a
jet engine and the effects of debris. Despite cracking and spalling on the front and
back as well as plastic deformation of the bending and shear reinforcements the
