Optimization of nuclear safety systems

Abstract

The paper presents an approach for selecting the level of ambition of nuclear safety by a process of optimization based on cost-benefit considerations. Optimization has been incorporated as a requirement for radiation protection, to keep doses “as low as reasonably achievable”. In radiation protection, optimization takes account of the costs of protection and the costs of the detriment, minimizing the sum of booth. Optimization of a nuclear safety system could conceptually treat similarly the cost of potential damages from nuclear accidents and the cost associated with achieving a given level of safety. Within the above framework a method of optimizing the design of nuclear safety systems is presented, and a simple case of redundancy by output voting techniques is given.