Safety of nuclear power plants

A probabilistic safety analysis or assessment (PSA) or risk analysis of a nuclear power plant is a method to assess the safety of nuclear power plants integrally. Such an analysis tests the design as well as the operational management of the plant. PSA also assesses the site of the plant with regard to the public health. An overview is given of the multi-barrier concept as applied in the Borssele pwr type reactor in the Netherlands. Special attention is paid to the use of three PSA-levels in a pwr type reactor (Borssele in the Netherlands). A level-1 analysis consists of ten specific tasks, which are briefly discussed. A level-2 analysis consists of an analysis of the physical and chemical events from the start of a nuclear degradation process to the release of nuclear products into the environment. In a level-3 analysis the consequences of the release for the public health can be determined by means of atmospheric distribution models and so-called consequence models. 5 figs