What physical barriers and emergency equipment protect the nuclear reactors?
The nuclear reactors are housed in massive steel-reinforced concrete reactor containment buildings that are designed to withstand earthquakes, floods and extreme weather conditions, such as hurricanes and tornadoes. The reactor vessel itself is made of solid steel and is housed within the containment building. Additionally, the uranium fuel pellets inside the reactor are all encased in zircaloy, an extremely strong metal alloy. Redundant safety shutdown systems are also available to respond in the event of an emergency. The Electric Power Research Institute, an independent, non-profit energy research group, also recently analyzed aircraft impacts on nuclear plant structures that house reactor fuel. The study results determined that the structures would not be breached, the fuel would be protected and there would be no radiation release. In addition to the containment building, other protective barriers include concrete shields within the building and the 5- to 9-inch-thick steel reacto
