Some design considerations for improved reliability of nuclear reactor components

High system reliability has to be aimed at in the design of nuclear reactor components to ensure safety of the public and workers as well as to ensure minimum energy cost. This is of particular importance in nuclear reactors because of their high capital cost and high hazard potential. A number of general principles for achieving high reliability can be very effectively put to use in the design of reactor components. Some of the important ones are fail-safe design, use of assessed quality components, fault indicators, routine diagnostic inspection, good repairability and redundancy. While it is true that this type of provisions along with a detailed systematic design leads to high costs, the reliability gained in this manner pays off much larger dividends. In this paper various such considerations have been highlighted in the context of reactors being designed in India. (author)