Site evaluation process for

Indian nuclear installations

Prabir C. Basu
Consultant, Mumbai, India
 Content
• Introduction
• Site and adjoining zones
• Siting process
• Site evaluation process
• Monitoring
• Quality assurance
• Graded approach
• Acceptance criteria
• Summary

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 Introduction

Fuel Cycle
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 Introduction
• The Nuclear safety aspects ensure protection
of plant personnel, public and environment
from the harmful effects of ionizing radiation
both during
– Normal operation of the facility, and
– Following postulated accident scenarios.
• Above primary safety objective is achieved by
preventing and mitigating the consequences
of nuclear & radiation accident adopting the
defense-in-depth (DID) approach.
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 Introduction
• Defense-in-depth is provided by an
appropriate combination of specified system
and measures.
• This, with reference to the site, the above calls
for
– Selection of a suitable site,
– Evaluation of the site characteristics
• to ascertain suitability of the site, and
• For incorporation of good design and engineering
features providing safety margins, diversity and
redundancy.

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 Introduction
• The above safety objective is applicable to all nuclear
facilities (NFs) and activities that may cause
radiation exposure to the people [IAEA-GSR Part 4]
and also the environment.
• All facilities and activities do not pose same level of
radiation exposure. Therefore, same level of safety
measures may not necessary for all of them; though
same level of safety goal could be mandatory.
• Same level of safety goal can be taken as the same
level of risk during operation for all NFs.
• This is accomplished by means of graded approach
for which NPP has the highest grading.
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 Introduction
• Nuclear facilities covered in this presentation are
land based stationary nuclear power plant (NPP) and
research reactor (RR) as well as front and back end
plants of nuclear fuel cycle facilities excluding
ultimate disposal units.

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Site and adjoining zones

1.0

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 Site and adjoining zones

• Exclusion zone (EZ) is the area around an NF, under

the control of plant management. The radioactive
dose, considering all exposure pathways and
including inhalation and ingestion routes, to the
public at EZ boundary or beyond shall meet:
– Prescribed limit during normal operation, and
– Acceptable limit during DBA without taking credit of
emergency counter measure in public domain.
• EZ shall satisfy the nuclear security requirements.
• EZ for an NPP shall not be less than 1.0 Km from each
reactor center for new reactor.

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 Site and adjoining zones
• Natural growth zone (NZ)
– A zone of 5 Km radius from each reactor centre,
– Is established by administrative measure
– Only natural growth is permitted, and
– Also known as precautionary action zone (PAZ) for emergency
planning.
• Emergency planning zone (EPZ)
– A zone of 16 Km radius from each reactor centre,
– Adequate infrastructure shall be ensured in this zone for
emergency management purpose (EMP).
– Also known as urgent protective action planning zone (UPAZ)
for emergency planning.

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 Site and adjoining zones

• Radiological surveillance zone (RSZ)

– A zone of 30 Km radius from each reactor centre,
– Establishing baseline radiological data,
– Continuous environmental surveillance , and
– Also known as long-term protective action planning zone
(LPZ) for emergency planning.
• For other nuclear facilities, establishment of EZ , NZ,
EPZ and EPZ is dependent upon their hazard potential.
• AERB-NF-SC-S specifies the prescribed and acceptable
dose limits .

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 Siting process in India

Siting process of an NF (AERB/NF/SC/S (R-1)

The siting process of AERB/NF/SC/S consists of two
sub-processes: (1) site selection, and (2) site
evaluation.
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 Siting process in India
• Total number of stages of two processes together is 6 in
AERB/NF/SC/S (R-1) and 5 in IAEA-NS-R-3.
• There are variation in terminology between IAEA-N-S-R-3
and AERB/NF/SC/S (R-1).

These changes are necessary for accounting the

need arising out from India scenario.
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 Siting process in India

Site evaluation begins at the second stage of siting

process which is also the second stage of site selection
and continues over the activity cycle of an NPP site
whose end activity is decommissioning.
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 Site evaluation process in India
• Site evaluation entails the following categories of
activity
– Site characterization, and
– Derivation of design basis.
• Site characterization includes evaluation of site
features in relation to geological set up, geotechnical
aspects, meteorological parameters and
identification of hazards due to external events (EE)
that are credible to the site:
– Investigation and assessment of characteristics (geological,
geotechnical, meteorological that may affect the safety of
the nuclear facilities as well as those having potential
radiological impact on the public and the environment;

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 Site evaluation process in India
– Investigation of characteristics of the external natural &
man made environment in the region for identification and
screening of hazards resulting in potential radiological
impacts in operational states and accident conditions; and
– Investigation and assessment of characteristics of the site
and region (at least covering EPZ) that would have impact
on implementation of EMP.
• Derivation of design basis covers identification and
determination the values of external hazard
parameters that will be used in the design and
operation procedure of the facility and EMP.
• Monitoring of site characteristics and design basis
hazard parameters
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 Site evaluation process in India
Missiles

Aircraft crash
Extreme
wind
Accident
condition
Shock wave s due to
internal Flood
events

Earthquakes

Major accident conditions considered in design of NPP

Impact of site on plant 17
 Site evaluation process in India

Impact of site (natural hazards) on NF:

1. Geological hazards
2. Geotechnical aspects
3. Seismic events
4. Hydrological events
5. Meteorological events
6. Costal flooding including Tsunami & Seiches
7. Inland (river) flooding
8. Stability of foundation
9 Shoreline erosion
10. Ultimate heat sink

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 Site evaluation process in India
Impact of site (external human induced events) on NFs
1 Stationary sources
i) Oil refineries
ii) Chemical plants
iii) Storage and handling facilities of explosive materials
iv) Mining or quarrying operations
v) Military facilities especially shooting ranges, arsenals
vi) Co-located facilities
2 Mobile sources
i) Transportation routes
ii) Pipelines
iii) Air traffic corridors and flight zones (both military and civilian)
iv) Transportation of fresh and spent fuel
3 Other characteristics
i) Oil slick
ii) Transportation of over dimension consignment (ODC)
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 Site evaluation process in India
Impact of NF on site (dispersion of radioactivity release)
1 Dispersion through air
i) General meteorology
ii) Site specific data
iii) Atmospheric modelling
2 Dispersion through aquatic body
i) Hydrological features
ii) Site specific data
iii) Radiological dose assessment
iv) Hydrological parameter
v) Hydrological model
3 Population distributions
4 Land and water use
5 Ambient radioactivity
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 Site evaluation process in India
Considerations for emergency planning
1 Site characteristics that may hinder emergency plans
2 Emergency management procedures
3 Infrastructure
i) Evacuation routes
ii) Shelter
iii) Transportation
4 Population considerations within
i) Exclusion zone (population in this zone is plant
personnel)
ii) Sterilized or low population zone
iii) Emergency planning zone
iv) Radiation monitoring Zone
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 Site evaluation process in India
Other Considerations:
1. Topography
2. Accessibility
3. Available industrial infrastructure and construction facilities
4. Availability of power supply and transmission lines
5. Condenser cooling water and Fresh water for consumptive
use
6. Township for operator
7. Proximity load centres
8. Non-radiological environmental impact including ecological
considerations
i) Heat sinks – water bodies/atmosphere
ii) Presence of bio-sensitive areas adjacent to site
iii) Reserve forest or monuments or tourist spots

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Site evaluation process in India
Site evaluation during operation
• Site evaluation during operation
– Confirmatory and monitoring; and
– Re-evaluation as per PSR.
• Eleven safety factors, considered in PSR, are important
for operational safety and to an extent for accident
prevention and mitigation (AERB-SG-O-12).
• With regard to the second safety factor, “Safety Analysis”,
the site characteristics should be reviewed as per latest
codes and guides, along with land usage and off-site
population growth for accidents having off-site impact.
• The impact of external hazards on overall safety should
be considered where necessary in both deterministic and
probabilistic analyses.
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 Site evaluation process in India
Site evaluation during operation

• The impact of external hazards (fire, floods,

earthquakes, explosions, aircraft crashes, etc.) on
overall safety should be considered where necessary
in both deterministic and probabilistic analyses.
• In addition, the site characteristics and design bases
of site specific external events have significant
concern with;
– The safety factors emergency planning and environmental
impact, and
– Equipment qualification,

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Site evaluation process in India
Site evaluation during operation

• Re-evaluation of site characteristics and site specific

design basis may be called for if situation warrant.
• Re-evaluation may become necessary after major
events of natural phenomena, or NPP operation, or
combination there of, or change in regulatory
requirements.

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 Monitoring

• All hazards and site characteristics that are

considered pertinent to safety of a nuclear facilities
shall be monitored and assessed.
• Comprehensive periodic monitoring scheme shall be
included in environmental surveillance program.
• The monitoring shall be
– commenced at least three years before commissioning of
the first facility at a site, and
– continued till decommissioning of the last facility at the
site.

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 Quality Assurance
• The siting process involves assessment of site
characteristics by means of technical & engineering
investigation, analyses and judgements.
• Some of them may not lend to direct verification by
inspection, test or other techniques.
• A comprehensive quality assurance program shall be
established to control the effectiveness of the
execution of activities at different stages of siting
process.
• The investigation, analysis and judgment made in
each stage of siting process shall be documented in
sufficient detail for independent review.

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 Graded Approach for Site Evaluation

• Measures to ensures safety against the hazard

potential of a facility should be commensurate with
the magnitude of possible consequences of radiation
exposure and their amenability to control.
• This is achieved by the GRADED APPROACH.
• The graded approach is applicable to both of the
following:
– Scope and stringency of regulations – requirements and
criteria, and
– Resources devoted for the specified safety by licensee.

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 Graded Approach for Site Evaluation
• An NPP has highest grading hence its site also. It
attracts most stringent regulatory requirements,
conservative design basis, detailed investigation,
developed database, sophisticated and proven
analysis, exhaustive EMP covering larger area, etc.
requiring huge resources.
• A downgraded NF may need less conservative design
basis, not so developed database, medium level
analysis, less exhaustive EMP etc. resulting in lesser
resource.
• If not graded properly, all NF would attract same
level of stringent regulatory requirements and
exhaustiveness in investigation/study as that of NPP.
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 Graded Approach for Site Evaluation
Category Hazard Potential Example of NFs
I Off-site NPP, fuel reprocessing, high level WMP,
radiological impact vitrified waste storage, waste tank farm,
plutonium fuel fabrication, HPRR.
II On-site Fuel enrichment, LPRR, mixed oxide fuel
radiological impact fabrication, independent SFSB, spent fuel
dry storage, near surface disposal,
intermediate and low level waste
treatment, thorium storage, tailing dam.
III a) Radiological impact Natural uranium fuel fabrication,
within plant boundary
b) Radiological impact Reprocessed uranium oxide, thorium
within plant boundary plant, uranium mills, H2S based heavy
water plant .
and off-site chemical
hazard or off-site
chemical hazard
General Industrial Zirconium sponge plant, other plants. 30
 Graded Approach for Site Evaluation
Category Mean annual frequency of exceedance
Earthquake ground motion Flood/rain wind
I SSE: ~ 1.0 E-04 1.0 E-04 1.0 E-04
OBE: ~ 1.0 E-02S (for NPP only)
II 4.0 E-04 1.0 E-03 2.0 E-03
III a) Deterministic method following 1.0 E-02 1.0 E-02
graded approach3,
b) Deterministic method following 1.0 E-02 1.0 E-02
graded approach4,
General Deterministic method3 1.0 E-02 1.0 E-02
1. DBE with I=1.5 & R’=0.67 x response reduction factor for structures
without any special seismic resistance provision (BIS 1893).
2. MCE with I=1.5 & R’=0.67 x response reduction factor for structures
without any special seismic resistance provision (BIS 1893)
3. DBE with I=1.0 & R’=0.67 x response reduction factor (BIS 1893).

Mean annual frequency of major natural events 31

 Additional statutory requirements

 Additional statutory requirements from other regulatory

bodies in relation to siting are,

Item Agency
Civil aviation clearance National Airport Authority,
Govt. of India
Proximity to defence Ministry of Defence,
installations Govt. of India
Proximity to international Ministry of External Affairs,
borders Govt. of India
Waterways State Maritime Boards,
Ministry of Shipping

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 Acceptance criteria

• The site shall be deemed unsuitable for a proposed

nuclear facility of a given size if the evaluation
considering all the concerned aspects indicates that
the deficiencies identified, cannot be compensated
by means of
• engineering provisions, i.e. design features,
• measures for site protection, and / or
• administrative procedures.

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 Further points on site evaluation

• A site for NF could be

– a green field site where first NF will be located, or
– existing one with operating NF; may be of same type or of
different types , or
– existing one with operating NF and same type of NF of new
generation, but of different class is proposed, or
– a location where mix of different types of NFs are operating
and other type of NF is proposed.
• Varying/additional concerns may challenge evaluation
of a site with different categories of NFs.

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 Summary
• India has a well established siting process, evolved
over the years.
• The process is generic in nature and applicable for
different type of NFs.
• Site for Indian NPP is selected primarily on the basis
of exclusion criteria and to ensure engineerability.
• The site selection process in India is similar to the
one given in IAEA-SSG-35 . Certain modifications
have been incorporated to account for the special
conditions imposed by Indian scenario.

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 Summary
• Indian siting process for an NF consists of two sub
process – 1) site selection, and 2) site evaluation.
• The criteria and requirements of siting (i.e. site
selection and site evaluation) for a nuclear facility
depends on its type and size.
• Category III NFs cause least radiological risk and
attracts minimal siting constraints.
• Full criteria and requirements of siting process, for
an NPP, are applicable on other Category I facilities.
• Siting constraints of Category II facilities are in
between Category I and III.
• Site evaluation continues throughout NF’s life cycle.

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Thank
you
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