Civil Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
17.2 Design of Foreign Reactors
Few nuclear facilities in Europe and worldwide are designed for the impact of a fast
flying military aircraft. The European pressurized water reactor (EPR) Olkiluoto
3 currently under construction in Finland is designed for the crash of a large
commercial aircraft. Official specifications and details are not common available,
however. Switzerland and Belgium adopted the German design standards in the
1980s. In France, where a large amount of nuclear power plants are operating,
the design only incorporates small civilian aircraft such as the Lear Jet 23 or the
Cesna 210. However now in the design of the EPR-Reactor currently under
construction in Flamanville, Normandy, the crash of a military aircraft and a
large commercial aircraft are included in the design specifications. The effects of
an aircraft impact have only recently been regarded in the construction of new
projects around the world. It is not known to the author whether or not induced
vibrations are also considered in the design of these facilities. For these reasons,
even the nuclear power plants that were shut down last year in Germany have a
standard of safety that is comparable or superior to the majority of facilities
operating around the world.
