scholarly journals Nuclear Liability and Post-Fukushima Developments

Nuclear Law ◽  
2022 ◽  
pp. 249-269
Author(s):  
Steven McIntosh
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Civil Liability ◽  
International Community ◽  
Nuclear Industry ◽  
Expert Group ◽  
International Expert ◽  
Global Regime ◽  
Nuclear Damage ◽  
Patchwork Quilt

AbstractThe international community has developed a series of conventions on civil liability for nuclear damage, which aim to ensure compensation is available for damage, including transboundary damage, caused by a nuclear incident. Those conventions have struggled to gain universal adherence, and the “global regime” called for in 2011 is at best a patchwork quilt, with a number of treaties with differing memberships, and many States (including States with large and growing nuclear sectors) not party to any convention. However, the principles of the conventions are reflected in national laws in most States which operate nuclear power reactors and associated facilities. This chapter assesses the current global nuclear liability regime and discusses a series of recommendations made by the International Expert Group on Nuclear Liability (INLEX) to allow the international community to respond to the continued evolution of the nuclear industry.

Issues of Safety and Civil Liability Insurance for Nuclear Damage from Small Nuclear Power Plants

2019 ◽  
Vol 64 (6) ◽  
pp. 31-36
Author(s):  
V. Demin ◽  
A. Golosnaya ◽  
S. Korolev ◽  
V. Kuznetsov ◽  
V. Makarov ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Power Plant ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Nuclear Power Plants ◽  
Civil Liability ◽  
Third Parties ◽  
Liability Insurance ◽  
Financial Costs ◽  
Design Basis ◽  
Nuclear Damage

Purpose: To study the possibility of achieving assured safety for the environment and public in all modes of operation of small nuclear power plants (SNPP) and providing real civil liability insurance for nuclear risks at reasonable financial costs. Material and methods: Particular attention on small nuclear power plants is driven by regional development, local communities and productions, which are not covered by centralized transport and energy supply. The peculiar properties and benefits of energy production at SNPP are considered, including: the possibility of locating in remote regions; the short construction period and the modular structure of SNPP; availability of potential to improve safety and reliability; reducing the size of the sanitary protection zone up to the boundaries of the technological site; the reality of liability insurance (full financial responsibility of the operator) for nuclear damage to third parties caused by an accident at SNPP at reasonable financial costs; industrial serial production; ability to move the entire nuclear power plants with small modular reactors in the assembled form, etc. A comparative analysis of the technical characteristics of the SNPP and a conventional nuclear power plant from a safety perspective is made. Results: The results of the SNPP safety analysis performed on the basis of the design documentation of the floating nuclear power plant “Akademik Lomonosov” is presented, with particular attention to assessing the consequences of design and beyond design basis accidents, in terms of probabilistic safety analysis and assessment of the maximum possible damage to third parties. The maximum possible damage to third parties from severe accidents is estimated to be about 0.5 billion RUR, which is hundreds of times less than damage from a catastrophic accident at a conventional NPP. Estimated costs for insurance of damage to third parties from an accident at SNPP will not exceed 1 kopeck/kWh. Possible approaches to civil liability insurance for nuclear risks and aspects of legal support are considered. Conclusions: The results of the analysis allow to conclude that it is possible to provide in the future: the achievement of practically assured safety of the SNPP for the environment and the public in normal operation and possible design and beyond design basis accidents; real civil liability insurance for nuclear risks of SNPP at reasonable financial costs.

Issues of Insurance of Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage From Nuclear Low Power Plants

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vladimir F. Demin ◽  
Vyacheslav P. Kuznetsov
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Civil Liability ◽  
Severe Accident ◽  
Insurance Costs ◽  
Development Direction ◽  
Expert Analysis ◽  
Nuclear Damage ◽  
Total Life

In the frame of economic analysis of nuclear power (NP) with SMRs in their total life cycle the expert analysis of the problems associated with the civil liability for nuclear damage from SMRs on the example of transportable nuclear power units (TNUs) was performed. Purpose of the analysis is as follows: • Assessment of NP’ safety and economy changes in its development based on TNUs with KLT-40S and partly with RITM-200M reactor units. • Work out of recommendations on this development’ direction in terms of the insurance approach justification and amount of compensation for nuclear damage. The following aspects were considered in the analysis: 1. National and international approaches and practice of nuclear insurance. 2. Specific features of TNUs and differences from large NPPs basing on example of the design of floating power unit FPU “Academician Lomonosov” with KLT-40S reactors. 3. Assessment of severe accident consequences during TNU’ life cycle. 4. Analysis of insurances’ approaches and assessment of possible insurance costs.

Nuclear icebreaker fleet and power supply on the basis of floating power units

2018 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 110-113
Author(s):  
V. A. Tupchienko ◽  
H. G. Imanova
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Policy ◽  
Power Supply ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Arctic Region ◽  
Nuclear Industry ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Far North ◽  
The Arctic Region

The article deals with the problem of the development of the domestic nuclear icebreaker fleet in the context of the implementation of nuclear logistics in the Arctic. The paper analyzes the key achievements of the Russian nuclear industry, highlights the key areas of development of the nuclear sector in the Far North, and identifies aspects of the development of mechanisms to ensure access to energy on the basis of floating nuclear power units. It is found that Russia is currently a leader in the implementation of the nuclear aspect of foreign policy and in providing energy to the Arctic region.

scholarly journals An Approach to Analyze Diagnosis Errors in Advanced Main Control Room Operations Using the Cause-Based Decision Tree Method

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (13) ◽  
pp. 3832
Author(s):  
Awwal Mohammed Arigi ◽  
Gayoung Park ◽  
Jonghyun Kim
Keyword(s):  
Decision Tree ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Human Error ◽  
Cognitive Activity ◽  
Emergency Operation ◽  
Nuclear Industry ◽  
Working Environment ◽  
Control Rooms ◽  
Diagnosis Errors

Advancements in the nuclear industry have led to the development of fully digitized main control rooms (MCRs)—often termed advanced MCRs—for newly built nuclear power plants (NPPs). Diagnosis is a major part of the cognitive activity in NPP MCRs. Advanced MCRs are expected to improve the working environment and reduce human error, especially during the diagnosis of unexpected scenarios. However, with the introduction of new types of tasks and errors by digital MCRs, a new method to analyze the diagnosis errors in these new types of MCRs is required. Task analysis for operator diagnosis in an advanced MCR based on emergency operation was performed to determine the error modes. The cause-based decision tree (CBDT) method—originally developed for analog control rooms—was then revised to a modified CBDT (MCBDT) based on the error mode categorizations. This work examines the possible adoption of the MCBDT method for the evaluation of diagnosis errors in advanced MCRs. We have also provided examples of the application of the proposed method to some common human failure events in emergency operations. The results show that with some modifications of the CBDT method, the human reliability in advanced MCRs can be reasonably estimated.

Inservice Testing Program Improvements for New Reactors Small Modular Reactors (SMRs)

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronald C. Lippy
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Nuclear Power Plants ◽  
Nuclear Regulatory Commission ◽  
The United States ◽  
Nuclear Industry ◽  
Small Modular Reactors ◽  
American Society ◽  
Construction Permit ◽  
Regulatory Commission

The nuclear industry is preparing for the licensing and construction of new nuclear power plants in the United States. Several new designs have been developed and approved, including the “traditional” reactor designs, the passive safe shutdown designs and the small modular reactors (SMRs). The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) provides specific Codes used to perform preservice inspection/testing and inservice inspection/testing for many of the components used in the new reactor designs. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) reviews information provided by applicants related to inservice testing (IST) programs for Design Certifications and Combined Licenses (COLs) under Part 52, “Licenses, Certifications, and Approvals for Nuclear Power Plants,” in Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR Part 52) (Reference 1). The 2012 Edition of the ASME OM Code defines a post-2000 plant as a nuclear power plant that was issued (or will be issued) its construction permit, or combined license for construction and operation, by the applicable regulatory authority on or following January 1, 2000. The New Reactors OM Code (NROMC) Task Group (TG) of the ASME Code for Operation and Maintenance of Nuclear Power Plants (NROMC TG) is assigned the task of ensuring that the preservice testing (PST) and IST provisions in the ASME OM Code to address pumps, valves, and dynamic restraints (snubbers) in post-2000 nuclear power plants are adequate to provide reasonable assurance that the components will operate as needed when called upon. Currently, the NROMC TG is preparing proposed guidance for the treatment of active pumps, valves, and dynamic restraints with high safety significance in non-safety systems in passive post-2000 reactors including SMRs.

The Human Reliability Analysis in Fire PSA Using Spar-H Method

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yao Wang
Keyword(s):  
Reliability Analysis ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Significant Contribution ◽  
Fire Risk ◽  
Nuclear Industry ◽  
Total Risk ◽  
Human Reliability ◽  
Human Reliability Analysis ◽  
Study Results ◽  
In Fire

According to existing research results, fire risk makes a significant contribution to the total risk of a nuclear power plant (NPP). So fire probabilistic safety analysis (PSA) for NPPs is becoming more and more important in recent years. How to perform human reliability analysis (HRA) which is an essential part of PSA is therefore being paid more and more attention in fire PSA. This paper describes the characteristics and special considerations of HRA in fire PSA, and demonstrates in fire PSA how to use SPAR-H method which is so-called an advanced second-generation HRA method and is being widely used in PSA for Chinese NPPs. The study results can be a reference for other HRA analysts to use SPAR-H method in fire PSA models or other PSA models in Chinese NPPs or the world-wide nuclear industry.

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