Planning for the black swan.

• Autores: Adam Piore
• Localización: Scientific American, ISSN 0036-8733, Vol. 304, Nº. 6, 2011, págs. 48-53
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • In this article the author discusses how the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan has brought attention to nuclear reactors in the U.S., raising questions about their safety. He notes that the design of 22 U.S. nuclear reactors proposed by utility companies are under renewed scrutiny to determine whether they could survive extreme threats, such as a plane strike. Topics include an overview of the reactors' safety features, which are designed to work when electricity is loss and without the need for human intervention, questions regarding the AP1000 nuclear reactor by U.S. nuclear power company Westinghouse, which is awaiting approval from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and the economic aspects of balancing design costs with safety gains.