Passive ALWR requirements to prevent containment failure. Advanced Reactor Severe Accident Program

The purpose of this report is to document a systematic evaluation of the Passive Advanced Light Water Reactor (ALWR) design requirements which address severe accident mitigation. This evaluation was performed concurrent with completion of the ALWR Requirements Document to assure the adequacy of these mitigation requirements. The passive plant approach to containment integrity assurance reflects an expansion of the approach established earlier for evolutionary ALWRs. The report identifies containment challenges that might occur coincident with or result from a core damage event, compiles the set of passive ALWR design requirements which addresses each challenge, and evaluates each set of requirements on an integrated basis to confirm that the requirements provide substantial assurance that coincident core damage and containment failure are precluded. Based on past PRAs, a review of pertinent safety functions, severe accident analyses, current regulatory requirements, and reviews by ALWR design personnel, twenty-three (23) potential containment challenges were identified. The report concludes that the relevant ALWR requirements severe to limit the likelihood and magnitude of the challenges, and to assure the capability of the containment to accommodate all challenges which remain potentially risk-significant.