Step 3 technical reports - Westinghouse

The HSE have published a number of technical assessment reports on the Westinghouse AP1000, following the conclusion of step 3 of the assessment process for new nuclear power station designs (completed in October 2009).

These reports are internal HSE reports that are published on this web site in the interests of openness. They underpin the main assessment reports which have been written for a more general audience.

• View step 3 assessment summary reports

• Step 3 internal hazards assessment of the Westinghouse AP1000
  Safety assessment of the internal hazards, e.g. fire, explosion, flood, dropped loads, pressure part failure, and steam releases within the reactor buildings, including consideration of the adequacy of the identification, prevention and mitigation of hazards.
• Step 3 civil engineering and external hazards assessment of the Westinghouse AP1000
  Safety assessment of the integrity of structural components such as steel-framed buildings, concrete structures such as walls and the containment, and the reactor building foundations and their ability to withstand external hazards such as  earthquakes, aircraft impacts, extreme weather, etc.
• Step 3 probabilistic safety analysis of the Westinghouse AP1000
  Probabilistic Safety Analysis (PSA) is an integrated, structured, logical safety analysis that combines engineering and operational features in a consistent overall framework. It provides an analysis of the overall risk to the public that might result from a range of faults (e.g. equipment failure, human error, or hazards such as fires).
• Step 3 fault studies assessment of the Westinghouse AP1000
  Safety assessment of the design basis analysis and fault studies on matters such as reactor core physics, thermal hydraulics, heat transfer and a wide range of other physical phenomena under steady state, transient and fault conditions.
• Step 3 control and instrumentation assessment of the Westinghouse AP1000
  Safety assessment of the control systems typically used to operate the plant under normal conditions, and reactor protection systems used to maintain control of the plant if it goes outside normal conditions. This includes assessment of both hardware and software aspects.
• Step 3 electrical systems assessment of the Westinghouse AP1000
  Safety assessment of the essential electrical power supply systems under a wide range of transient and fault conditions.  This includes consideration of their likely reliability, and the performance of protection devices.
• Step 3 fuel design assessment of the Westinghouse AP1000
  Safety assessment of the performance of the reactor fuel under a wide range of reactor and storage conditions.
• Step 3 reactor chemistry assessment of the Westinghouse AP1000
  Safety assessment of the chemistry of new nuclear reactors, including the effects of coolant chemistry on pressure boundary integrity, fuel and core component integrity, fuel storage in cooling ponds, radioactive waste generation, and radiological doses to workers.
• Step 3 radiological protection assessment of the Westinghouse AP1000
  Safety assessment of the radiation exposure to workers and the public during normal operation, (including outages, maintenance and work such as refuelling).  This includes consideration of whether the principles of radiological protection, namely optimisation and limitation, had been applied appropriately.
• Step 3 mechanical engineering assessment of the Westinghouse AP1000
  Safety assessment of essential mechanical items important to safety, e.g. pumps, valves, lifting equipment, fuel handling equipment, etc.  This includes the layout and routing of mechanical equipment and systems to ensure appropriate maintenance regimes and protection from degradation.
• Step 3 structural integrity assessment of the Westinghouse AP1000
  Safety assessment of nuclear safety related structures, e.g. metal pressure vessels, piping, etc, and their supports.  This includes an analysis of the selected materials, design, fabrication, in-manufacture examination and testing, etc.
• Step 3 human factors assessment of the Westinghouse AP1000
  Safety assessment of the human factors aspects of the new nuclear power stations, focussing on ensuring that the human actions needed to contribute to safety are feasible. 
• Step 3 management of safety and quality assurance assessment of the Westinghouse AP1000
  Safety assessment of the RP’s Quality Assurance and Management of Safety arrangements.
• Step 3 radioactive waste and decommissioning assessment of the Westinghouse AP1000
  Safety assessment of the RP’s proposals for the safe minimisation, handling, storage and disposal of radioactive waste arising from all parts of the power station, including a review the proposals for decommissioning.
• Step 3 security assessment of the Westinghouse AP1000
  Safety assessment of the RP’s plans to ensure protection against the theft or sabotage of nuclear materials or associated facilities.

• View step 3 assessment summary reports