Nuclear Facility Hazards Identification and Evaluation at Los Alamos National Laboratory

摘要

In the past 5 years at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), the process for conducting hazard analyses has become considerably more formalized and mature. In that time, more than 20 major safety analyses have been conducted for various nuclear facilities. With more than 200 LANL employees and subcontractors performing safety and related analyses, it is incumbent upon manage ment at LANL and the Department of Energy to provide uniform and consistent guidance for the required safety-basis analyses. That guidance is in place at LANL. This paper will define terms, identify requirements, describe a LANL procedure for conducting hazard analyses, identify hazard analysis steps, walk through a typical analysis, discuss results, and cite some of the lessons learned in the performance of hazard analyses. In addition to discussing the identification of hazards, there will be emphasis placed on the hazard evaluation process to include the unmitigated hazard evaluation and the identification of reasonable potential controls. Such information will assist a system safety practitioner in the designation of design-basis and other facility boundin; accidents for further analysis. The conclusions of this effort include the importance of early and focused data compilation and a clear understanding and acceptance of the specific hazard analysis process between management and the regulator.