Testing, Inspection and Consulting in Nuclear Facilities and Research Laboratories
Civil and mechanical engineering – Testing, inspection and consulting in nuclear facilities and research laboratories
Assessment of the safety features of plant buildings and their structures, reactor containment, cranes, handling and transportation equipment for hazardous materials and fuel flasks by means of mechanical and structural engineering. Comprehensive evaluation of physical protection features with respect to plant layout, detection and monitoring systems and organisational procedures.
Our assessments and advisory services
- Transport and handling, reactor containment
- Structural engineering and fire protection
- Security and physical protection
Transport and handling, reactor containment
TÜV SÜD performs the required assessment with respect to mechanical and structural engineering for the nuclear facility´s cranes, handling and transportation equipment to ensure the safety of nuclear transports and the safe handling of flasks, containers, system components and heavy loads. This includes structural and strength design, constructional, acceptance and periodic tests. To verify structural and fatigue analyses of these components, we use internationally validated codes such as ANSYS or SOFISTIC.
In addition, we cover the entire spectrum of the stress analysis of the complex reactor containment including the existing penetrations in the containment (e.g. pipes, locks and cables).
Civil engineering and fire protection
The complex nature of nuclear facilities calls for special fire protection measures and structural design features that may extend far beyond normal building regulations. For this purpose, we evaluate fire protection concepts, analyse fire hazards and model design fires with highly specialised computer codes such as KOBRA 3D. TÜV SÜD performs on-site inspections in the facilities including the operational procedures for fire protection. Due to the high requirements on safety associated with the structural design in the nuclear facilities, we perform assessments and approval of the concepts against external impacts, e. g. earthquake, aircraft crash, extreme weather conditions such as flooding and internal impacts, e. g. shock wave, internal flooding. With respect to decommissioning of nuclear facilities our assessments cover structural engineering and fire protection.
In addition, we approve the stability of complex steel structures and perform experimental dynamic tests for safety-related components (“vibration test”) using internationally accepted codes like SOFISTIC.
Security and physical protection
For effective protection against theft, sabotage and economic espionage in a properly functioning organisation, security concepts need to be developed and implemented that are tailored to the given local and structural conditions. Thus TÜV SÜD’s assessment considers technical and structural security precautions, as well as personnel and administrative measures. The target is to implement all measures into a well-balanced security concept which keeps interference with daily operation to a minimum.