Physical design
The physical design safety and control area covers activities such as design, fabrication, installation, modification, repair, replacement, examination, and testing of structures, systems and components (SSCs) in nuclear facilities. CNSC staff review the physical design of SSCs and any design modification to verify that the design complies with the applicable codes, standards and regulations.
This SCA includes a comprehensive design program being implemented and maintained by the licensee of each nuclear power plant. The design program includes sub-programs of pressure boundary, civil structures, safety systems, fuel, nuclear core, electrical power systems, and instrument and control systems to ensure that SSCs that are important to safety and security, and any modifications to them, continue to meet their design bases given new information arising over time and taking changes in the external environment into account.
The design program also includes sub-programs to address environmental qualification (EQ) and seismic qualification (SQ). The EQ program ensures that all required equipment in a nuclear facility is qualified to perform its safety functions if exposed to harsh environmental conditions resulting from design basis accidents. The SQ program ensures that all seismically-credited SSCs are designed, installed and maintained to perform their safety function during and/or after an earthquake event.
In support of regulatory decisions regarding physical design activities, in this category you will find research and technical information about structural integrity of SSCs, robustness of containment, fire protection approach, seismic design and qualification, CANDU safety design, fuel design, nuclear core design, failure analysis, instrumentation and control, environmental qualification, and so on.
Research and support program
- RSP-760.1 A Study for the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission on Artificial Intelligence Applications and Implications for the Nuclear Industry
- RSP-726.1, High Temperature Gas Reactor Technical Seminar
- RSP-762.1, Review of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission’s Regulatory Framework for Readiness to Regulate Fusion Technologies
- RSP-730.1, High Temperature Gas Reactor Technical Seminar
- RSP-715.1, Identifying Limitations of ASME Section III Division 5 For Advanced SMR Designs
- RSP-658.2, Overview of State of Research to Characterize Properties of NaF-KF-UF4/ZRF4 Salts and Sodium Chloride and Actinide Trichloride Salts
- R656.2 - Licensing of safety critical software for nuclear reactors - Common position of international nuclear regulators and authorised technical support organisations
- RSP-613.2, Gas Generation From Organic Waste Over a Seven-Year Period: Implication for the Management of Low- and Intermediate-Level Radioactive Waste
- RSP-611.1, Bonded Pre-Stressed Concrete Slabs Open-Air Blast Testing
- RSP-586.2, IAEA technical document on fuel safety criteria for pressurized heavy-water fuel
- RSP-557.1, Assessing regulatory requirements and guidelines for the single failure criterion
- RSP-521.1, Testing and Development of Regulatory Requirements for Steel Plate Concrete Structures
- RSP-444.3, Effect of non-linear soil behaviour on the seismic response of soil-structure systems
- RSP-444.2, Development of Analytical Tools for Soil-Structure Analysis
- RSP-0302,Interfacing seismological description of strong ground motion with engineering analysis of soil structure interaction for nuclear power plants
- RSP-0299, Survey of design and regulatory requirements for new small reactors
- RSP-0273, Comparison of Canadian NPP design requirements with those of foreign regulators
- RSP-0272, CSA/ASME code comparison for Class 1-vessesls, piping and valves
- RSP-0269, Response of a large foundation mat resting on a layered medium to nonvertically incident waves
- RSP-0267, Assessment of seismic input and soil structure interaction for deeply embedded, large foundations
- RSP-0264, Non-linear modelling and analysis of structural impact
- RSP-0255, Independent review of staff review guides related to engineering aspects of protections against malevolent acts, seismic hazard, external hazards other than seismic, and internal hazards
- RSP-0254, Loading functions for aircraft crash
- RSP-0239, Review of current practices and knowledge on performance-based design-focus on the need of the nuclear industry
- RSP-0234, CANDU reactor core neutronic design: Design requirements and standards
- RSP-0223, Basis for the development of licensing requirements to prepare a site for new nuclear installations in Canada
- RSP-0218, Guidance on meeting regulatory expectations for the engineering safety aspects of protection from malevolent events
- RSP-0189, Review of ACR-LBD-001, licensing basis document for new nuclear power plants in Canada
- RSP-0184A, Licensing guide: Design
- RSP-0184C, Review of licensing approach for advanced CANDU reactor
- RSP-0157, Power reactor regulatory standards development – Phase 1
- RSP-0145, Study of geographic information systems as a corporate tool for CNSC
- RSP-0134, Establish a sound process for determining the adequacy of the design of uranium facilities
Technical papers and abstracts
- Investigation of the influence of some key parameters in the groundwater flow and solute transport modelling for in-situ decommissioning projects
- Performance Objectives and Criteria for the Annual Plant Condition Inspection (APCI) in Nuclear Power Plants
- Simplified FEA of Missile Impact on Reinforced Concrete Structures with Attached Equipment
- A Regulatory Perspective on Canadian Practices on the Use of Indirect Methods in Seismic Qualification and Their Evolution
- Nebojsa Orbovic’s Great Enthusiasm for Nuclear Safety
- Applicability of Sub-modelling Technique for Dynamic Analysis of Concrete Structures with Attached Equipment Under Missile Impact
- Proposal for New Design Provisions for Impactive and Impulsive Loading in ACI349 and ACI359/ASME Section III Division 2
- Proposal to Introduce Design Extension Loading Cases and Corresponding Acceptance Criteria in the ASME Code
- Defence in Depth Considerations for Inherent Safety Features and Passive Safety Systems in Advanced Reactor Technology Designs
- Effects of Shrinkage-Reducing Admixtures, Mixing and Curing Conditions on the Shrinkage of an Ultra-High-Performance Fibre-Reinforced Concrete
- Impact of Mixing And Curing Temperatures on Fresh and Hardened States Properties of UHPC
- Recent Developments in Ensuring Seismic Safety of NPPs Post-Fukushima: A Canadian Perspective
- OECD/NEA/CSNI Project ASCET on Numerical Simulations of Squat Shear Walls with Alkali-Silica Reaction
- Influence of Bottomed Out Spring Hanger Support on Steam Generator Nozzle Weld
- FE Analysis of Reinforced Concrete Structures Under Missile Impact Using Sub-modelling Technique
- Battery Aging: Battery Degradations in Safety Electrical Power Systems for Nuclear Power Plants
- Technical and Scientific Support Organization Forum – Supporting the Development of Technical and Scientific Capacities in Member States
- Use of the Commercial Grade Dedication (CGD) Process for Installed Commercial Grade Equipment for Safety Related Application
- CNSC Expectations for the Security of Prescribed Equipment containing Radioactive Sources, with emphasis towards the High Dose Rate (HDR) Brachytherapy Units
- Safety Impact of Exceeding Linac Vault Design Workload Limits
- Licensing Challenges of Advanced Nuclear Reactors in Canada
- Finite Element Analysis of Walls with Alkali–Silica Reaction Subject to Quasi Static Cyclic Loading
- Safety Objectives Proposed for CANDU Fuel in Design Extension Conditions
- Overview of Classification Requirements in Canadian Codes and Standards for Nuclear Power Plantss
- Finite Element Analysis of Walls With Alkali–Silica Reaction (ASR) Subjected to Constant Axial and Cyclic Lateral Loadings
- Proposed Review Framework for Design of Pressure Retaining Components in Small Modular Reactor (SMR)
- Effects of Non-Normal Input Distributions and Sampling Region on Monte Carlo Results
- Addressing Severe Accidents Through Design Extension Conditions and Severe Accident Management
- Effect of containment systems and (early) mitigation on fission product release
- Accident Tolerance Perspective on Evolution of CANDU Fuel Design
- Addressing Challenges in the Application of the Design Safety Requirements for Nuclear Power Plants to Small and Medium Sized Reactors in Pre-Licensing Vendor Design Reviews in Canada
- Regulatory Perspectives on the Condition Assessment and Monitoring of Safety Significant Major Reactor Components for Long-Term Operation
- Problems With Pigs – Radioisotope Handling Outside the Hot Cell
- Regulatory Oversight of New Accelerator Technologies
- CNSC research related to impactive and impulsive loading
- OECD/NEA/CSNI Benchmark ASCET Phase II: Summary, Conclusions and Recommendations
- Overview of the Historical and Regulatory Basis for Exclusion-Zone Sizing in Canada
- Environmental Qualification (EQ) Program at Canadian Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs) – A Status Report From a Regulator’s Perspective
- A Regulator’s Role in Research and Development – Status of Chemistry-Related Regulations and Research in the Canadian Nuclear Power Industry
- Canadian Approach to Defence in Depth, Design Extension Conditions and Severe Accident Management
- CANDU Fuel Safety Criteria: A CNSC Perspective
- Overview of Canadian Regulatory Practice and Requirements for Nuclear Core Design
- CNSC – Irradiated Fuel Bay (IFB) Loss-of-Cooling Severe Accident Work
- Regulatory Review of CANDU Fuel Thermal Hydraulic Analysis and Associated Challenges
- The Measurement of Neutron Energy Spectra in Different Licensed Facilities Using the Nested Neutron Spectrometer
- Technetium 99m – From Reactors to Accelerators – Regulatory and Safety Aspects
- Beyond the Modified Kersey’s Method
- Environmental Qualification Program Requirements for the Long-Term Operation of Canadian Nuclear Power Plants
- On the Functional Failure Concept and Probabilistic Safety Margins: Challenges in Application for Evaluation of Effectiveness of Shutdown Systems
- Canadian Regulatory Perspective on CANDU Fuel Thermalhydraulic Design
- Reflecting Digital I&C Design Lessons Learned in Technology-Neutral Design Requirements
- Application of a Graded Approach to Safety Standards of Research Reactors and Subcritical Assemblies
- Use of a Graded Approach in the Regulation of Research Reactors at the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission
- Regulatory Challenges for Human Factors in Small Modular Reactors
- Presentation on CSA standard N290.12, Human factors in design for nuclear power plants
- Highlights of Canadian Nuclear Criticality Safety Standards, Regulation, and Guidance
- Regulatory considerations in long-lead items for nuclear reactor facilities
- Current fire protection regulatory approach for nuclear facilities in Canada
- Emergency power systems at Canadian nuclear power plants, including portable alternating current power sources
- CANDU heat sinks improvements as a follow up to Fukushima Daiichi Accident "The regulator perspective"
- Emergency mitigating equipments – post Fukushima actions at Canadian nuclear power plants portable AC power sources
- Establishing and advancing electronic nuclear material accounting capabilities: A Canadian perspective
- Regulatory review of the CANDU fuel modification program in Canada
- CANDU safety design
- Lack of correlation (incoherence) modeling and effect from realistic 3D inclined, body and surface seismic motions
- IRIS – 2012 Benchmark, Part I
- IRIS – 2012 Benchmark, Part II
- Effect of transverse reinforcement for missile impact on reinforced concrete slabs
- Tests to determine the influence of transverse reinforcement on perforation resistance of RC slabs under hard missile impact
- Synthetic earthquake ground motions at closely spaced distances with SYNACC
- Regulatory oversight – Approach to life extension of nuclear research reactors
- Why an effective national regulatory infrastructure is essential for a country's radiation protection system
- Readiness to regulate SMRs in Canada
- Quasi-heterogeneous 3-D discrete ordinates CANDU calculations using Attila
- Amplification of seismic input due to 1D, 2D and 3D effects, and their importance for nuclear power plant structures
- Tests on concrete slabs under hard missile impact to evaluate the influence of transverse reinforcement and pre-stressing on perforation capacity
- Projecting regulatory expectations for advanced reactor designs
- CNSC approach to the review of reactor core thermalhydraulic design for new nuclear power plants
- Heterogeneous 3-D SN transport reactor calculations using ATTILA
- Assessment of the impact of ageing on the performance of CANDU special safety and safety related systems; Safety analysis perspective
- Regulatory assessment of integrated safety reviews for nuclear plants refurbishment
- Safeguards-by-design: The Canadian experience
- Tests on reinforced concrete slabs with pre-stressing and with transverse reinforcement under impact loading
- Update on Canadian regulatory oversight of ageing management for nuclear power plants
- Investigation of discrepancies in waterhammer structural integrity analysis simulation and actual vibration testing
- CNSC Approach to the design review of nuclear fuel systems for new nuclear power plants
- Regulatory approach for the assessment of fire protection programs at nuclear power plants in Canada
Publications
Health studies
Videos
- Post-Fukushima improvements to nuclear power plants
- Nuclear power plant safety systems
- Understanding nuclear power plants: total station blackout
- Nuclear power plant safety systems – Part 1: Introduction
- Nuclear power plant safety systems – Part 2: Controlling the reactor
- Nuclear power plant safety systems – Part 3: Cooling the fuel
- Nuclear power plant safety systems – Part 4: Containing radiation
- Nuclear power plant safety systems – Part 5: Canada's nuclear regulator
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