The Establishment of Object Selection Criteria for Effect Analysis of Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) in Operating Nuclear Power Plants

The electromagnetic pulse (EMP) can be used as a strategic weapon by inducing damaging voltage and currents that the electrical circuits are not designed to withstand. EMPs are lethal to electronic systems. All EMP events have three common components: a source, coupling path, and receptor. It can also travel across power grids, destroying electronics as it passes in less than a second. There have been no research studies on the effect analysis for EMP in domestic nuclear power plants and power grids. To ensure the safety of operating nuclear power plants in this environment, the emission of EMP is needed for the effect analysis and safety measures against EMPs. Actually, it is difficult and inefficient to conduct the effect analysis of EMP with all the equipment and systems in nuclear power plants (NPPs). Therefore, this paper presents the results of establishing the object selection criteria for the effect analysis of EMP in operating nuclear power plants through reviewing previous research in the US and the safety related design concepts in domestic NPPs. It is not necessary to ensure the continued operation of the plant in intense multiple EMP environments. The most probable effect of EMP on a modern nuclear power plant is an unscheduled shutdown. EMP may also cause an extended shutdown by the unnecessary activation of some safety related systems. In general, EMP can be considered a nuisance to nuclear plants, but it is not considered a serious threat to plant safety. The results of EMP effect analysis show less possibility of failure in the tested individual equipment. It was also confirmed that there is no possibility of simultaneous failure for devices in charge of the safety shutdown in the NPP