Increasing nuclear power plant safety in densely populated areas

The siting of a nuclear power plant with a KWU pressurized water reactor by the West German BASF company in Ludwigshafen, a city with a high population density, necessitated the reduction of hazards of hypothetical accidents so as to reduce these hazards to approximately the same low level as that of other nuclear power plants. The emergency core cooling system for the Biblis-A and the Surry 1 power plants is described. A simplified diagram of the KWU-BASF protection system for the Biblis-A and the Surry 1 nuclear power plants is described and the diagram given for the connection of the emergency core cooling circuits of the KWU reactor. Technical measures are described for increasing the safety of the KWU reactor, namely the prevention of a sudden failure of the reactor vessel, a sudden pressure reduction in the containment in loss of coolant, also the increase in the capacity of the system of emergency core cooling and the improvement of the system of the quick shut-down of the reactor. (J.P.)