KORA: Corrosion Crack Growth in Austenitic Structural Materials. KORA deals with ageing processes that affect steel components in the primary circuit in nuclear power plants, focusing specifically on two processes: stress corrosion cracking and corrosion fatigue.

In the case of Chernobyl, large quantities of radioactivity were released very quickly after the start of the accident. This made a prompt evacuation impossible, and not only the on-site operating staff but also the population in the surrounding areas were exposed to quite high doses of radiation. Over the following days and weeks, a…

One very crucial difference between the two accidents concerns the structural designs of the reactors.

Nine months after the disaster at the Fukushima nuclear power plant, Japan is working to contain radiation exposure in the region of the accident. The challenges confronting the country in this endeavour are shown by the new ENSI report on the radiological effects of the accident on 11 March 2011.

The analysis of the accidents at Fukushima confirms that Swiss nuclear plants are safe. However, the Swiss Federal Nuclear Safety Inspectorate (ENSI) has identified a variety of findings (Lessons Learned) from Fukushima which should now be utilised to continue optimising the safety of Switzerland’s nuclear power plants.