Big data could improve nuclear installation safety, according to IAEA conference presenters
Big data could be used to enhance safety during nuclear installations, presenters told attendees at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) International Conference on Topical Issues in Nuclear Installation Safety held in Vienna, Austria this week.
“The industry has started exploring the possibility of using big data to enhance the reliability and safety of nuclear installations,” Petteri Tiippana, director general of the Finnish Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority and conference president, said. “The nuclear community has been very good at collecting data, and if we look into the possibilities and challenges, we might be able to discover nuanced approaches in the engineering and operations of nuclear power plants to make them safer in a way we could not imagine before.”
New technologies as well as updated safety requirements can also make demonstrating nuclear installation safety more complex, Tiippanna said.
Approximately 320 participants from 48 countries and five international organizations attended the conference in order to discuss topics including safety assessment and licensing of advanced reactor designs, design safety principles, improving the safety of existing installations and the effects of the Vienna Declaration on Nuclear Safety on nuclear power plant operation.
IAEA used the conference to deliver recommendations for future IAEA activities related to nuclear installation safety and for strengthening international cooperation.
