Precursors to potential severe core damage accidents: 1997 -- A status report. Volume 26
- Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (United States)
- Science Applications International Corp., Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
This report describes the five operational events in 1997 that affected five commercial light-water reactors (LWRs) and that are considered to be precursors to potential severe core damage accidents. All these events had conditional probabilities of subsequent severe core damage greater than or equal to 1.0 {times} 10{sup {minus}6}. These events were identified by first computer-screening the 1997 licensee event reports from commercial LWRs to identify those events that could be precursors. Candidate precursors were selected and evaluated in a process similar to that used in previous assessments. Selected events underwent engineering evaluation that identified, analyzed, and documented the precursors. Other events designated by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) also underwent a similar evaluation. Finally, documented precursors were submitted for review by licensees and NRC headquarters to ensure that the plant design and its response to the precursor were correctly characterized. This study is a continuation of earlier work, which evaluated 1969--1996 events. The report discusses the general rationale for this study, the selection and documentation of events as precursors, and the estimation of conditional probabilities of subsequent severe core damage for the events.
- Research Organization:
- Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Safety Programs Div., Washington, DC (United States); Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Science Applications International Corp., Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC05-96OR22464
- OSTI ID:
- 304156
- Report Number(s):
- NUREG/CR-4674-Vol.26; ORNL/NOAC-232-Vol.26; ON: TI99001379; TRN: 99:003099
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: PBD: Nov 1998
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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