Requirements for the primary circuit in the safety standards of different countries

The design of nuclear power plants (NPPs) in the world outside centrally planned economies area (WOCA) countries essentially is based on the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code set up in the United States of America as a national code which contains detailed rules regarding materials, construction, design and calculation, manufacture and quality assurance. In the Federal Republic of Germany NPPs are designed, constructed and operated on the basis of safety criteria, guidelines and technical codes: Safety Criteria of the Bundersminister des Innern, Guidelines of the Reaktorsicherheitskommission, Safety Standards of the Kerntechnischer Ausschuss and conventional codes and standards. The Federal German Basis Safety Concept is an approach to NPP safety which allows the possibility of catastrophic failure to be completely excluded. Basis Safety is provided by optimization of design, material and manufacturing. In France a special regulation was created, the Decree of 26 February 1974. This rule defines some basic principles such as the declaration of one main manufacturer, the responsibilities of the manufacturer and owner and the giving of prior information to the authorities. The means adapted by the French manufacturer to meet these requirements are fully codified in the Recueil de Regles de Conception et de Construction (RCC-M) code (design and construction rules for mechanical components). In the USA the following safety criteria and codes form the prerequisites for the design of NPPs: Code of Federal Regulations, Standard Review Plan, ASME Code and the American Society for Testing and Materials Standards. Further national codes in the United Kingdom are the British Standards, the Pre-Construction Safety Reports and the Safety Assessment Principles for Nuclear Reactors; and in Japan the Ministry of International Trade and Industry Code. The national codes and regulations are essentially on the same level. 14 refs, 7 figs, 5 tabs