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What are the six major categories of 10CFR50, Appendix A, “General Design Criteria” (GDC)? How do the GDCs impact the detailed design of an individual commercial nuclear power plant?
The major categories for GDC are Overall Requirements, Protection by Multiple Fission Product Barriers,
Protection and Reactivity Control Systems, Fluid Systems, Reactor Containment, and Fuel and Reactivity
Control. These categories summarize the many and vital systems of a reactor plant. Everything from the core design itself, cooling circulating water, electric and electronic controls, air handling, and all those in between will fall underneath these headers. The requirements contained underneath them ensure that the fundamental requirements of safety and control are implemented early in the design phase of nuclear design. This framework provides “reasonable assurance that the nuclear power plant can be operated without undue risk to the health and safety of the public” (
Perspectives on Reactor Safety (NUREG/CR-
6042, SAND93-0971, Revision 2)
, n.d.).
With regard to “Reactor Site Criteria”, 10CFR100, what does the term “siting-basis accident” mean and how is it related to the terms “maximum credible accident” and “design-basis accident”?
A design-basis accident (DBA) is the most serious possible casualty, within reasonable doubt, that the reactor plant is designed to withstand without causing hazard to the public. This then relates to a siting-
basis accident, which refers to a DBA that takes into account the location of the plant, and the associated risk to public due to proximity and population. Maximum credible accident is the original term for the concept that DBA replaced.
Siting-basis accidents are generally a loss of coolant accident, in which a series of worst-case compounding issues continues to cause a catastrophic failure of reactor plant systems. The calculations based on this scenario are used to establish many of the protective ceilings of reactor plant systems. Describe the conflicting roles of the Atomic Energy Commission that existed before the 1974 Energy
Reorganization Act. What was the resolution of this conflict?
One of the major issues faced by the AEC was that the group had a dual purpose; both to design and regulate the nuclear power industry. A time of general distrust from the public in both nuclear power and government officials led to much debate of the efficacy and morality of the AEC, with a larger amount of scrutiny on the Commission’s ability to uphold quality and safety. In 1974, the AEC was dissolved, or more accurately split. The 1974 Energy Reorganization Act created the Energy Research and Development Administration, now the Department of Energy, to run the design and advancement of nuclear technology. Similarly, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission became a separate entity, governing regulations and licensing. Per the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, describe the rights of state and local governments to license and
regulate nuclear facilities.
The Atomic Energy Act of 1954 gives the NRC control of regulation and licensing of nuclear materials and facilities in the United States. The Act also allows for a state to take authority in place of the NRC
when an agreement is formed between the state governing authority and the NRC. The major allowance for this to occur is that the state’s regulatory process must, at a minimum, match that of the NRC in order to provide adequate protection to public health and safety (
NRC: Governing Legislation
, 2019).
Describe the International Nuclear Event Scale (INES). Include in your answer the number of levels, consequence to both on-site and off-site and examples of each level of event where appropriate.
The INES is was implemented by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in the 1990’s in an effort to streamline the reporting of a nuclear incident or accident. The scale has eight levels, ranging from a Major Accident (Level 7) to a Deviation (Level 0). The scale does also include “below scale” as a minimum, with no reporting requirements. Level 7 accidents cause a major release of radioactive material, causing larger a widespread effects to the public. The only events to have occurred that meet this category are the Chernobyl and Fukushima Daiichi accidents. These events involve catastrophic damage to the site.
Level 6 is a slight step down, requiring a significant release and requiring that localized emergency plans have taken full effect. The Kyshtym Disaster of 1957, in which a nuclear materials processing plant, suffered an explosion release nuclear waste. This event also involved serious damage to the site.
Level 5 events have a smaller release, but still have consequences to the public and require emergency action, and have severe on-site impacts. The Three Mile Island incident in the US met this category.
Level 4 has a minor release of radiation, with no serious exposure to the public, but may still have significant on-site damage involved. The Tokai-Mure accident in an experimental Japanese reactor was Level 4.
Level 3 has a very small release, with no notable exposure to the public, although there may be serious contamination effects on-site. This can also be referred to as a near-accident. One of the reactors at Fukushima Daiichi managed to only rise to this category, while the others suffered more severe damage.
Level 2 has no release of radioactive material, but an internal contamination only. An example of this can be as seemingly simple as a worker exceeding their dosage limit. Finally, a Level 1 incident has no exposure involved, but something such as simple as an operating anomaly that raises some concerns. Buck, A. (1983).
The Atomic Energy Commission
. https://www.energy.gov/management/articles/history-
atomic-energy-commission
INES LEVEL: 2
. (n.d.). Stichting Laka. https://www.laka.org/docu/ines/level/2
NRC: Governing Legislation
. (2019). Nrc.gov. https://www.nrc.gov/about-nrc/governing-
laws.html#atomic
Perspectives on Reactor Safety (NUREG/CR-6042, SAND93-0971, Revision 2)
. (n.d.). NRC Web. https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/nuregs/contract/cr6042/index.html
World Nuclear Association. (2022, March).
Safety of Nuclear Reactors - World Nuclear Association
. World-Nuclear.org; World Nuclear Association. https://www.world-nuclear.org/information-library/safety-and-security/safety-of-plants/safety-of-nuclear-
power-reactors.aspx
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