Light Water Reactor Safety Perspectives Derived from 25 Years RD Experience at the Karlsruhe Research Center

摘要

In early 1972, which means 25 years ago, light water reactor safety research became a main activity in the then Karlsruhe Nuclear Research Center by establishment of the Nuclear Safety Project. The time span passed since has been characterized by an evolution type development of the R&D topics in this field. Work accomplished in the seventies focused on quantifying the safety reserves in nuclear power plants (deterministic approach) while the investigations performed in the eighties related to risk analyses of the same plants (probabilistic approach) and the subjects treated in the nineties have been oriented towards an enhanced safety quality for further improved nuclear power plants, which can even handel core melt down accidents. This continuous tendency will be illustrated in this contribution by the example of results of research activities pursued in the respective periods; at the same time, an outlook will be presented to future R&D activities of the Center.