ABSTRACT
Among the costs composing the life-cycle cost of nuclear containment, the expected loss due to failure of nuclear containment is usually exorbitant, and it takes large amount in the evaluation of life-cycle cost. The expected loss arising from the failure of containment will be the most important factor in determining target reliability. This study presents a process to determine optimal target reliability for nuclear containments, mainly focuses on its expected loss. The expected loss was evaluated annually, and summated throughout the life time of containment. It is estimated considering the surrounding environment of nuclear containment. Target reliability of containments having different lifespan can be determined by revising the expected loss estimated from the 20, 40 and 60 years of operation. The study revealed that containments having longer operation should increase its design target reliability.
