Process Inherent Ultimate Safety

Forsherg, C.W., 1983. A Process-Inherent, Ultimate-Safety (PIUS), Boiling Water Reactor. CONF-850610-34. 

To apply inherent safety appropriately, research chemists must make an in-depth investigation into the process chemistry and into the entire process that may develop based on that chemistry. An adequate investigation necessitates input from a diverse team of people, including research chemists and business, engineering, safety, environmental personnel. They must consider the impact that the use of a particular process chemistry will have on a wide range of populations. These include the ultimate customer of the product, process operating personnel, the general public, and potentially impacted plant and animal populations. To chose the "inherently safest chemistry, the team needs to take into account ... 

New coal supplies are still obtainable at a capital cost of 1.5 billion to 2.0 billion per Quad per year. However, the mining, processing, and combustion of coal is attended by serious environmental and safety problems that may ultimately limit its rate of consumption, or at least cause increases in the cost of supply. Moreover, coal does not possess the flexibility of application inherent to oil and gas. The industrial sector could undoubtedly substitute more coal for such purposes as the raising of process steam, but any major increase in our reliance upon coal will depend, for the most part, upon its greater use by electric utilities. 

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