Five years ago, Southern Nuclear Operating Company identified a key atomic reactor safety risk: the potential for hydrogen generated from an atomic reactor meltdown to seriously damage the containment of the AP1000 atomic reactor at Vogtle Units 3 and 4. In a letter to the NRC, the Company states: “Design reviews in 2011 identified a credible scenario in which the applicable plant damage state meets the core damage frequency cutoff to be considered as part of the severe accident analysis”… The AP1000 containment is already within 1 pound per square inch of its design limit without considering the additional pressure that would be created by either a detonation or deflagration shock wave if one of the proposed igniters causes backflow into a sub-compartment.
Mining Awareness 2nd Aug 2016 read more »