Search

Chapter 1 - Nuclear Safety Chapter 2 - Boiling Water Reactor Safety Systems Chapter 3 - Control Rod Chapter 4 - International Nuclear Event Scale Chapter 5 - Nuclear Meltdown Chapter 6 - Nuclear Safety in the United States Chapter 7 - Passive Nuclear Safety Chapter 8 - Nuclear Law Chapter 9 - Containment Building Chapter 10 - Radioactive Contamination

Le but de cet ouvrage est de faire partager des événements peu connus à un large public peu au fait de cette technologie tout en étant, scientifiquement et historiquement, rigoureusement exact. Une information scientifique de qualité est nécessaire dans un domaine aussi complexe que le nucléaire, au risque de produire des vérités creuses, voire même des contre-vérités.Les accidents de réacteurs nucléaires présente une analyse historique et scientifique objective des accidents de réacteurs significatifs depuis le début du nucléaire : l'incendie de Windscale et de Vandellos, l'excursion de puissance du SL-1, la fusion partielle des réacteurs Saint-Laurent et EBR-2, la perte du réacteur de TMI-2 et l'explosion de Tchernobyl pour finir par la récente affaire de Fukushima et ses développements les plus récents.Le déroulement des accidents et leurs conséquences à la fois techniques et humaines sont présentés objectivement, sans dédouaner le nucléaire de ses responsabilités.Le texte est rédigé de manière à ce qu'un non-spécialiste puisse aborder progressivement des aspects pourtant hautement techniques, habituellement réservés aux physiciens et présente des éléments rarement, voire jamais développés, dans la presse grand-public.Cet ouvrage est illustré de photographies et de schémas techniques qui agrémentent la lecture et aident activement à la compréhension de ces accidents.

Sitting near four significant fault lines on the coastline of California, Diablo Canyon is just one of 65 nuclear power plants in the United States. After the nuclear meltdown in Fukushima, Japan, Americans are now asking,'Could it happen here?'This e-book original, based on an in-depth investigation commissioned exclusively for Prevention magazine by the award-winning photojournalist team of Chanan Tigay and Colin Finlay, explores the risks--to our planet and ourselves--of the plant and its impact on the people who live and work in the'happiest place in America.'

Probabilistic safety assessment methods are used to calculate nuclear power plant durability and resource lifetime. Successful calculation of the reliability and ageing of components is critical for forecasting safety and directing preventative maintenance, and Probabilistic safety assessment for optimum nuclear power plant life management provides a comprehensive review of the theory and application of these methods.Part one reviews probabilistic methods for predicting the reliability of equipment. Following an introduction to key terminology, concepts and definitions, formal-statistical and various physico–statistical approaches are discussed. Approaches based on the use of defect-free models are considered, along with those using binomial distribution and models based on the residual defectiveness of structural materials. The practical applications of probabilistic methods for strength reliability are subsequently explored in part two. Probabilistic methods for increasing the reliability and safety of nuclear power plant components are investigated, as are the use of such methods for optimising non-destructive tests, hydraulic tests, technical certification and planned-preventative maintenance. Finally, the book concludes with information on the use of probabilistic methods in ensuring leak tightness of nuclear power plant steam generator heat exchanger pipes.With its distinguished authors, Probabilistic safety assessment for optimum nuclear power plant life management is a valuable reference for all nuclear plant designers, operators, nuclear safety engineers and managers, as well as academics and researchers in this field. - Discusses the theory and application of probabilistic safety assessment methods used to calculate nuclear power plant (NPP) durability and lifetime - Reviews probabilistic methods in their application to NPP components and ageing pipelines for the forecasting of NPP resource lifetime and safety - Addresses the key areas of probabilistic safety analysis, optimization of the operations through in-service inspection (ISI) utilising non-destructive testing, and maintenance, service and repair approaches

Nuclear power currently contributes some 20% of the electricity needs of the UK and is rising rapidly on the political agenda due to environmental and economic factors, and yet all but one of the UK's existing nuclear reactors is expected to close by 2023. The increasing emphasis towards nuclear power rests on security of supply and reducing carbon emissions. This comprehensive book provides an account of the recent advances in securing safe performance of graphite-moderated nuclear reactors both within the UK and abroad which underpin life extension whilst maintaining high levels of plant performance. These reactors rely on graphite as a moderator in the form of layers of interlocked graphite bricks which undergo complex changes when exposed over long periods to the effects of neutron irradiation and radiolytic oxidation. The objective of this book is to outline the current approaches in terms of assessment methodologies, surveillance and test methods, performance prediction, graphite reactor decommissioning, regulatory requirements and the relevance to future reactor designs. The book is a sequel to the successful RSC publication'Managing of Ageing Processes in Graphite Reactor Cores', but with the emphasis on the challenges for the future safe performance. It is hoped that the contributed papers will also help in the design, construction, operation and eventual decommissioning of the new generation of graphite-moderated reactors. Papers presented in the book represent contributions from the most eminent specialists in the field and reflect the UK's contribution over the past 50 years to graphite reactor technology that will remain significant for years to come, especially in the development of Generation IV designs. This seminal book is written in a way that takes the reader from fundamental knowledge to reactor operation in a straight forward and understandable manner - ideal for non-specialist as well as a unique reference for the specialist. It is fully illustrated to aid understanding and is relevant to a wide range of readers from policy makers to reactor operators.

Geoscientists worldwide are developing and applying methodologies to estimate geologic hazards associated with the siting of nuclear facilities. Understanding such hazards, particularly in the context of the long functional lifetimes of many nuclear facilities, is challenging. This book documents the current state-of-the-art in volcanic and tectonic hazard assessment for proposed nuclear facilities, which must be located in areas where the risks associated with geologic processes are quantifiable and demonstrably low. Specific topics include overviews of volcanic and tectonic processes, the history of the development of hazard assessment methodologies, description of current techniques for characterizing hazards, and development of probabilistic methods for estimating risks. Hazard assessment examples are drawn from around the world. This volume will promote interest and debate about this important topic among researchers and graduates developing methods in geologic hazard assessment, geologists and engineers who assess the safety of nuclear facilities, and regulatory bodies that evaluate such assessments.

Safety is a paradoxical system property. It remains immaterial, intangible and invisible until a failure, an accident or a catastrophy occurs and, too late, reveals its absence. And yet, a system cannot be relied upon unless its safety can be explained, demonstrated and certified. The practical and difficult questions which motivate this study concern the evidence and the arguments needed to justify the safety of a computer based system, or more generally its dependability. Dependability is a broad concept integrating properties such as safety, reliability, availability, maintainability and other related characteristics of the behaviour of a system in operation. How can we give the users the assurance that the system enjoys the required dependability? How should evidence be presented to certification bodies or regulatory authorities? What best practices should be applied? How should we decide whether there is enough evidence to justify the release of the system? To help answer these daunting questions, a method and a framework are proposed for the justification of the dependability of a computer-based system. The approach specifically aims at dealing with the difficulties raised by the validation of software. Hence, it should be of wide applicability despite being mainly based on the experience of assessing Nuclear Power Plant instrumentation and control systems important to safety. To be viable, a method must rest on a sound theoretical background.

Nuclear Safety provides the methods and data needed to evaluate and manage the safety of nuclear facilities and related processes using risk-based safety analysis, and provides readers with the techniques to assess the consequences of radioactive releases. The book covers relevant international and regional safety criteria (US, IAEA, EUR, PUN, URD, INI). The contents deal with each of the critical components of a nuclear plant, and provide an analysis of the risks arising from a variety of sources, including earthquakes, tornadoes, external impact and human factors. It also deals with the safety of underground nuclear testing and the handling of radioactive waste. - Covers all plant components and potential sources of risk including human, technical and natural factors. - Brings together information on nuclear safety for which the reader would previously have to consult many different and expensive sources. - Provides international design and safety criteria and an overview of regulatory regimes.