Licensing and the increased safety of power reactors’ operation

Abstract The implementation of accident tolerant fuel concepts will increase the safety of nuclear power plant operation. This increased safety will occur not only because of the actual performance of the material concepts under normal and accident conditions but also because of the full evaluation of plant operation. This assessment can be accomplished by considering the concept of source term, which is defined as the type and number of radioactive contaminants that can be released for a nuclear power station owing to an accident. The analyses of several areas of improvements by use of ATF concepts in the reactor showed a decrease in the source term when compared with the current fuel designs.