NUCLEAR-POWER-PLANTS - A UNIQUE CHALLENGE TO FIRE SAFETY

The evaluation of fire safety in a nuclear power plant must include the consideration of the impact of a fire on the operability of plant safety equipment and systems. This issue is not typical of the life safety and property protection issues which dominate traditional fire safety concerns. This paper provides a general discussion of the issue of nuclear power plant fire safety as it currently exists in the USA. Included is a discussion of the past history of nuclear power plant fire events, the development of nuclear industry specific fire safety guidelines, the adverse experience associated with the inadvertent operation of fire suppression systems, and the anticipated direction of fire safety requirements for future reactor designs in the USA.