New Publication

Bernd Hrdy and Raphael Zimmerl, as joint first authors, together with last author Nikolaus Müllner, have published an analysis in the journal Nuclear Engineering and Design. In collaboration with Bernhard Traxl from the Austrian Armed Forces’ CBRN Competence Center and an Italian engineering firm, they demonstrate that combat operations on nuclear power plant sites can pose significant risks to the public and the environment.

For the VVER-1000/320 reactor type, as used at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, the authors identified an accident sequence that is considered extremely unlikely under normal conditions but becomes realistic in the context of combat. This sequence could quickly lead to the release of radioactive materials — a scenario that has not previously been considered in nuclear power plant safety analyses.

Based on the analysis, Nikolaus Müllner derives two key recommendations: “First, it would be sensible to systematically review existing nuclear power plants for such potential accident sequences in order to minimize possible harm through targeted preparedness. Second, the planning and design of new nuclear power plants should take these risks into account from the outset. This is particularly relevant as several European countries now intend to build new nuclear power plants.”

Read the article:

Combat Induced Multiple Main Steam Line Break at VVER-1000/3