Dependability Enhancement of Reactor Containment in Safety Critical Nuclear Power Plants

Abstract

The use of nuclear energy to generate electric power is crucial in meeting the high energy demand of modern economy. The dependability of nuclear power plants has been a critical issue and the reactor containment is the most important safety structure acting as a barrier against the release of radioactive material to the environment. In this paper, we propose a practical framework for design, implementation, and V&V to enhance the dependability of reactor containment through an integrated leakage rate test.