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This book presents an overview of state-of-the art approaches to determine thermal safety margins in nuclear reactors. It presents both the deterministic and probabilistic aspects of thermal safety margins of nuclear reactors to facilitate the understanding of these two difficult topics at various academic levels, from undergraduates to researchers in nuclear engineering.It first sets out the theoretical background before exploring how to determine thermal safety margins in nuclear reactors, through examples, problems and advanced state-of-the-art approaches. This will help undergraduate students better understand the most fundamental aspects of nuclear reactor safety. For researchers and practitioners, this book provides a comprehensive overview of most recent achievements in the field, offering an excellent starting point to develop new methods for the assessment of the thermal safety margins.This book is written to bridge the gap between deterministic and appropriate treatment of uncertainties to assess safety margins in nuclear reactors, presenting these approaches as complementary to each other. Even though these two approaches are frequently used in parallel in real-world applications, there has been a lack of a consistent teaching approach in this area.This book is suitable for readers with a background in calculus, thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, and heat transfer. It is assumed that readers have previous exposure to such concepts as laws of thermodynamics, enthalpy, entropy, and conservation equations used in fluid mechanics and heat transfer.Key Features: Covers the theory, principles, and assessment methods of thermal safety margins in nuclear reactors whilst presenting the state-of-the-art technology in the field Combines the deterministic thermal safety considerations with a comprehensive treatment of uncertainties, offering a framework that is applicable to all current and future commercial nuclear reactor types Provides numerous examples and problems to be solved

The U.S. Congress asked the National Academy of Sciences to conduct a technical study on lessons learned from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident for improving safety and security of commercial nuclear power plants in the United States. This study was carried out in two phases: Phase 1, issued in 2014, focused on the causes of the Fukushima Daiichi accident and safety-related lessons learned for improving nuclear plant systems, operations, and regulations exclusive of spent fuel storage. This Phase 2 report focuses on three issues: (1) lessons learned from the accident for nuclear plant security, (2) lessons learned for spent fuel storage, and (3) reevaluation of conclusions from previous Academies studies on spent fuel storage.

The March 11, 2011, Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami sparked a humanitarian disaster in northeastern Japan. They were responsible for more than 15,900 deaths and 2,600 missing persons as well as physical infrastructure damages exceeding $200 billion. The earthquake and tsunami also initiated a severe nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station. Three of the six reactors at the plant sustained severe core damage and released hydrogen and radioactive materials. Explosion of the released hydrogen damaged three reactor buildings and impeded onsite emergency response efforts. The accident prompted widespread evacuations of local populations, large economic losses, and the eventual shutdown of all nuclear power plants in Japan. Lessons Learned from the Fukushima Nuclear Accident for Improving Safety and Security of U.S. Nuclear Plants is a study of the Fukushima Daiichi accident. This report examines the causes of the crisis, the performance of safety systems at the plant, and the responses of its operators following the earthquake and tsunami. The report then considers the lessons that can be learned and their implications for U.S. safety and storage of spent nuclear fuel and high-level waste, commercial nuclear reactor safety and security regulations, and design improvements. Lessons Learned makes recommendations to improve plant systems, resources, and operator training to enable effective ad hoc responses to severe accidents. This report's recommendations to incorporate modern risk concepts into safety regulations and improve the nuclear safety culture will help the industry prepare for events that could challenge the design of plant structures and lead to a loss of critical safety functions. In providing a broad-scope, high-level examination of the accident, Lessons Learned is meant to complement earlier evaluations by industry and regulators. This in-depth review will be an essential resource for the nuclear power industry, policy makers, and anyone interested in the state of U.S. preparedness and response in the face of crisis situations.