Some problems of the safety of PWR nuclear power plants viewed from the technical standpoint

The paper presents the views of the Czechoslovak design organization on the solution of the technical problems associated with PWR core emergency cooling using pressure accumulators and a system of low-pressure pumps. An analysis is made of the method and the point of inlet of the water to the primary circuit from the accumulators and of the volume and working pressure of the latter. The technical problems of the containment systems in connection with supplementary reactor cooling are discussed. The different types are compared with respect to their functioning, and the requirements which they must fulfil in order to meet the design solution are given. The basic requirements which the design solution must satisfy so as to permit the use of diagnostic methods are also indicated