Nuclear power and probabilistic safety assessment (PSA): past through future applications

M. G. Stamatelatos; P. Moieni; C. J. Everline

doi:10.1117/12.204145

3 March 1995 Nuclear power and probabilistic safety assessment (PSA): past through future applications

M. G. Stamatelatos, P. Moieni, C. J. Everline

Proceedings Volume 2339, International Conference on Neutrons and Their Applications; (1995) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.204145
Event: 4th International Conference on Applications of Nuclear Techniques: Neutrons and their Applications, 1994, Crete, Greece

Abstract

Nuclear power reactor safety in the United States is about to enter a new era -- an era of risk- based management and risk-based regulation. First, there was the age of `prescribed safety assessment,' during which a series of design-basis accidents in eight categories of severity, or classes, were postulated and analyzed. Toward the end of that era, it was recognized that `Class 9,' or `beyond design basis,' accidents would need special attention because of the potentially severe health and financial consequences of these accidents. The accident at Three Mile Island showed that sequences of low-consequence, high-frequency events and human errors can be much more risk dominant than the Class 9 accidents. A different form of safety assessment, PSA, emerged and began to gain ground against the deterministic safety establishment. Eventually, this led to the current regulatory requirements for individual plant examinations (IPEs). The IPEs can serve as a basis for risk-based regulation and management, a concept that may ultimately transform the U.S. regulatory process from its traditional deterministic foundations to a process predicated upon PSA. Beyond the possibility of a regulatory environment predicated upon PSA lies the possibility of using PSA as the foundation for managing daily nuclear power plant operations.

Citation Download Citation

M. G. Stamatelatos, P. Moieni, and C. J. Everline "Nuclear power and probabilistic safety assessment (PSA): past through future applications", Proc. SPIE 2339, International Conference on Neutrons and Their Applications, (3 March 1995); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.204145

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available