Containment Building

it is the reinforced steel/lead/concrete structure enclosing the nuclear reactor. It is designed to contain the escape of radioactive steam or gas between 275-550 kPa

• It is the forth step in the nuclear reactor defense-in-depth design against radioactive release Either free standing or attached to a missile shield - must be strong enough to withstand a 9/11 attack

Although it is made to withstand accidents, it is NOT meant to condense/contain steam - like in the 3 mile and fukushima accidents - wherein in Three Mile gas was intentionally released to prevent overpressure, and fukishima all generators went down.

Containment Buildings differ based on the type of reactor, but in general it is going to be bigger for PWR reactorPWR reactorThis reactor is a PWR reactor - a pressurized water reactor. This is a specific type of Nuclear Reactor--in that it is pressurized water. This is also the most common type of reactor used and produced. The fuel rods are pressurized with helium, and the fission gas products result in more stability; as fuel "burns" in the reactor, the density increases resulting in small voids developing. Helium pressurization is necessary as these voids can cause potential rupture of fuel rods. Furthermore, thes (up to 7x) due to the design basis requiring adequate space for the steam/air mixture in the event of a LOCALOCALoss of Cooling Accident - inside of Nuclear Reactors, this is the official term for if there is a loss of coolant used to cool the reactor. \#stub. Most designs involve a combination of a sphere and a half spherical top - there are different designs.