Nuclear safety research

Nuclear safety activities have always been supported by a significant research effort. In fact, the majority of accident situations studied are not directly observable as they are extremely rare or even beyond any practical possibility of happening. Therefore, these situations are reproduced in laboratories or in experimental facilities, sometimes on a large scale. 

At the start, the research was mainly concentrated on reactivity accidents (SPERT and BORAX experiments in the USA). Subsequently, in the 1960s, the most studied issue was a large LOCA. After Three Mile Island, the attention moved to small LOCAs because that event, together with the results of the Rasmussen Report, highlighted their danger, and to severe accidents. 

Obviously, the subjects considered by safety research have been over the years much more numerous than those listed above. The main subjects have been  

The safety research budget on a worldwide basis gradually increased until the 1980s, when it started to decrease dangerously. It can be calculated that the world annual investment on nuclear research has been of the order of 1 bn (of which roughly 200 m has been spent in the USA alone). 

Even during the period of high investment (Birkhofer, 1984), the cost of the safety research in terms of nuclear energy production (calculated on the basis of 0.05 kWh ), has been only a few units. 

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Olgaard, P.L. (1996) Accidents in Nuclear Ships. Nordic Nuclear Safety Research, Dec. 1996. NKS/RAK-2(96)TR-C3... 

This paper gives an overview of risk criteria used in the nuclear industry, European railway and offshore oil and gas industries. A survey of risk criteria has been made within a Nordic project dealing with the use of probabihstic safety criteria for nuclear power plants, see Hohnberg Knochenhauer (2006 and 2008). The project is performed during the period 2005-2009. It was initiated by NKS (Nordic Nuclear Safety Research) and NPSAG (Nordic PSA Group), and has relations to an OECD/NEA WGRisk task on probabilistic safety criteria in the NEA member countries. 

We thank the NKS (Nordic nuclear safety research) and the members of NPSAG (Nordic PSA Group) and SAFIR-2010 (The Finnish Research Programme on Nuclear Power Plant Safety) for financial support of the project as well as for other input. 

Holmberg, J.-E. and Knochenhauer, M. 2006 Probabilistic Safety Goals Phase 1 — Status and Experiences in Sweden and Finland Nordic Nuclear Safety Research Report NKS-153, 2006 (issued in parallel as SKI research report... 

The fast reactor activities of FZK are part of the Nuclear Safety Research Project. The R D program of this project has been restructured in accordance with the demands of the Federal Government. The key issues and tasks of the program concern LWR and FBR safety and transmutation of minor actinides. 

This work was funded by the Department of Energy as part of the General Nuclear Safety Research Programme. We would Hke to thank Dr. R.P. Anderson of Argonne National Laboratory for a useful discussion on detonations that led to us examining the effect of the presence of a permanent gas. 

RUOKOLA, E., Guidance on Clearance from Regulatory Control of Radioactive Material, Final Report of the Nordic Nuclear Safety Research Project KAN-1.1, Roskilde (1994). 

Chome, Kasumigaseki, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100, Jq>an Nuclear Safety Research Association... 

Technology Research Department Nuclear Safety Research Association 2-2, 1- Chome, Uchisaiwai, Cho.,... 

Interface Problems between EC Chemicals Law and Sector-Specific Environmental Legislation (IPPC/WFD) Environmental Research of the Federal Ministry of the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety. Research Report 360 12 008. UBA-FB 000776. Available at http //www.elni.org/fileadmin/Dokumente/ Studien/2005/Interface Problems UBA-Texte 04-2005 05.pdf (accessed October 25,2013). 

Authen, S., Gustafsson, J., Holmberg, J.E. Guidelines for reliability analysis of digital systems in PSA context - Phase 3 status report. NKS Report NKS-277, Nordic Nuclear Safety Research, NKS (2013)... 

M. Suzuki and H. Saitou, Light Water Reactor Fuel Analysis Code FEMAXI-6 (Ver.l) Detailed Structure and User s Manual, Department of Reactor Safety Research, Nuclear Safety Research Center, Tokai Research Establishment, Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute (JAERI)... 

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