The International Fusion Materials Irradiation Facility (IFMIF) is aimed to provide an intense neutron source by a high current deuteron linear accelerator and a high-speed lithium flow target, for testing candidate materials for fusion. Liquid lithium is being circulated through a loop and is kept at a temperature above its freezing point.In the frame of the design phase called Key Element technology Phase (KEP), jointly performed by an international team to verify the most important risk factors, safety assessment of the whole plant has been required in order to identify the hazards associated with the plant operation. This paper discusses the safety assessments that were performed and their outcome: Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA) has been adopted in order to accomplish the task.Main conclusions of the study are that hazards are confined within the IFMIF security boundaries and main findings stress that there is negligible risk to the public and the environment from operating the IFMlF plant.In addition the analysis has provided as a result a set of Postulated Initiating Events (PlEs), that is off-normal events that could result in hazardous consequences for the plant, together with the total frequency and the list of component failures which could induce the PIE: this assures the complete list of major initiating events of accident sequences, helpful to the further accident sequence analysis phase.Finally, for each one of the individuated PlEs the evaluation of the accident evolution, in terms of effects on the plant and relative countermeasures, has allowed to verify that adequate provisions are being taken to cope with the accident consequences, thus assuring the fulfilment of the safety requirements.
Hazard Assessment of the International Fusion Materials Irradiation Facility
Burgazzi, L.
2003-06-01
Abstract
The International Fusion Materials Irradiation Facility (IFMIF) is aimed to provide an intense neutron source by a high current deuteron linear accelerator and a high-speed lithium flow target, for testing candidate materials for fusion. Liquid lithium is being circulated through a loop and is kept at a temperature above its freezing point.In the frame of the design phase called Key Element technology Phase (KEP), jointly performed by an international team to verify the most important risk factors, safety assessment of the whole plant has been required in order to identify the hazards associated with the plant operation. This paper discusses the safety assessments that were performed and their outcome: Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA) has been adopted in order to accomplish the task.Main conclusions of the study are that hazards are confined within the IFMIF security boundaries and main findings stress that there is negligible risk to the public and the environment from operating the IFMlF plant.In addition the analysis has provided as a result a set of Postulated Initiating Events (PlEs), that is off-normal events that could result in hazardous consequences for the plant, together with the total frequency and the list of component failures which could induce the PIE: this assures the complete list of major initiating events of accident sequences, helpful to the further accident sequence analysis phase.Finally, for each one of the individuated PlEs the evaluation of the accident evolution, in terms of effects on the plant and relative countermeasures, has allowed to verify that adequate provisions are being taken to cope with the accident consequences, thus assuring the fulfilment of the safety requirements.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.