Nuclear Reactors and Safety - An Introduction

Nuclear safety is today an important topic of discussions and debate, whenever we talk about Nuclear Energy. The concerns have arisen after the accidents at Chernobyl in Russia and Fukushima in Japan. Subsequent to the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the approach in all nuclear facilities right from their inception, has been to minimize the chance of any mal-operation, minimize the consequences of any event should it occur and containing any radiation from the plant, referred to as the Defence in Depth approach. Safety regulation under the International atomic Energy Agency has been the hallmark in the Nuclear arena. New designs like GEN IV utilize passive systems for shutting down and heat removal, making such designs more immune to failures in active systems. The follow up of the survivors of the Hiroshima Nagasaki bombings and their future off-springs have shown that a maximum of 2 cancers could only be attributed to the bombs. To appreciate the nuclear power and its benefits to mankind, one needs to understand the different safety approaches from site selection to operation of Nuclear reactors. It is also necessary to look at the regulatory approaches adopted, which assures safety. This course is expected to provide information to the graduate and post graduate students undergoing courses in nuclear engineering in IITs and other Universities on all aspects of nuclear safety.