WASH-1400: insights utilized in assessing alternate containment designs. [PWR]

The Reactor Safety Study (WASH-1400) identified two characteristics important for comparing the relative value and impact of alternate containment designs. First, that the public risk from nuclear reactor accidents stems principally from Class 9 or core-meltdown accidents, and second, that the nature of the containment failure in the core-meltdown accident is a major factor in determining the resultant public consequences. These two characteristics were used to identify a set of containment design alternatives which appear to provide the greatest potential for reducing public risk at the most reasonable cost.