CONFINEMENT OF THE RADIOLOGICAL SOURCE-TERM DURING BEYOND-DESIGN-BASIS EVENTS IN FUTURE PRESSURIZED-WATER REACTORS

Safety requirements on future nuclear power plants converge in the com mon objective that these plants should be so safe that even in case of a severe accident there will be no need of off-site emergency actions such as an evacuation or resettlement of the population from the vici nity of the damaged plant. It is shown by the example of a future 1400 -MW (electric) pressurized water reactor plant that this goal can be a ttained in principle by providing a double containment with the annulu s vented via an appropriate emergency standby fitter. Within the frame work of severe accident consequence mitigation, a set of parameters fo r accident conditions and emergency filter efficiencies is elaborated under which the German lower levels of intervention for evacuation are not attained.