Structural integrity issues in nuclear engineering

摘要

Driven by rising fossil fuel prices and concerns about meeting greenhouse gas emission limits, a nuclear power industry revival was about to happen. More and more countries believe that nuclear power should be an important part of the country's energy diversification plan. Up to March 2011, China has planned 25 nuclear power plants besides 6 plants in operation and 12 under construction, and there are also a considerable number of new reactors being built and developed in different countries. However, the crisis at Japan's Fukushima nuclear plants has prompted leading energy-consuming countries to review the safety of their existing reactors and the planned nuclear power plants. The accidents may probably produce a virtual standstill on new reactor build worldwide. The positive side, however, will be the accelerating developments relating to reactor safety and consequently structural integrity.