Safety Methodology for Stress Testing Reactor Plant Designs and Optimization to Reduce Through-Life Costs

Abstract

This paper presents a proven methodology for conducting an assessment of an integrated reactor plant design through a combination of Stress Testing and Design Optimisation to improve resilience to credible events whilst minimising through life costs. The stress testing methodology describes the targeted assessment of a design to evaluate plant performance and safety margins during credible Beyond Design Basis Events, enabling the identification of potential design features for consideration as ALARP measures early in the design programme. Complementing that technique is a systematic methodology of Design Optimisation aimed at reducing through life costs by considering the design at a range of levels from site-wide down to component level, mitigating some of the issues caused by more traditional ‘vertical’ analyses. An integrated approach, combining Stress Testing with Design Optimisation presents an opportunity for developing a design which is both resilient to credible safety challenges as well as being value for money.