The Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) Working Group on the Analysis and Management of Accidents (WGAMA) aims to contribute to the assessment of the prevention, mitigation and management of accidents, ultimately furthering reactor safety by improving the state of knowledge andknowledge management. This activity is pursued under the NEA Committee for the Safety of Nuclear Installations (CSNI) as a follow-on to the work of the former principal working group (PWG)-2 on coolant system behaviour and that of PWG-4 on the confinement of accidental radioactive releases.
The WGAMA activities relate to potential accident situations in nuclear power plants and mainly focus on existing reactors, with some applying to advanced reactor designs as well. It has over 100 participants from 28 countries to pursue such a wide scope, with more than 400 scientists and engineers involved. Such experts are both contributors to the activities and beneficiaries of the outcomes.
This report aims to facilitate communication between reactor safety stakeholders by summarising the main aspects of the WGAMA’s activities: the context and key safety topics related to the analysis and management of accidents; the approach and methodologies to cope with reactor safety issues; recent reactor safety issues that have been dealt with; and a discussion of potential future activities.