ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the design and function of reactor containment buildings in general, and some reactor-specific containment buildings. It explains how the containment building responds to a reactor accident in more detail. The chapter focuses on the design of pressurized water reactors (PWR) and boiling water reactors containment buildings. It also discusses some aspects of the nuclear steam supply system (NSSS) in more detail. The chapter also focuses on to a discussion of spent fuel pools and their function. All nuclear power plants use an NSSS to convert the heat that is generated by the core into useful power. The NSSS serves the same function as the steam boiler in a conventional coal-fired power plant. About 70% of all the reactors operating in the world today are PWRs, and about 50% of the world’s reactors use an NSSS supplied by Westinghouse.
