Overview of the SAMG-D Toolkit

The Tool to Enhance Severe Accident Management

The SAMG-D describes the elements necessary to develop a set of Severe Accident Management Guidelines (SAMG), which serve to achieve the main goals of severe accident management at a Nuclear Power Plant (NPP). Severe accident management is a subset of accident management as follows:

Accident management is taking of a set of actions during the evolution of an accident:
(a) To prevent escalation to a severe accident;
(b) To mitigate the consequences of a severe accident;
(c) To achieve a long term safe stable state.

The second aspect of accident management (to mitigate the consequences of a severe accident) is also termed severe accident management. It includes measures to: Read more →
(1) Terminate the progress of core damage once it has started;
(2) Maintain the integrity of the containment as long as possible;
(3) Minimize releases of radioactive material.

See Accident Management, Anticipated Operational Occurrence, Beyond Design Basis Accident, Design Extension Condition, Design Basis Accident, Operational states, Severe Accident, and Severe Accident Management.

Guidelines that have been developed for the operating staff for managing severe accidents are called Severe Accident Management Guidelines (SAMG).

The SAMG-D is also an education and training tool to help plant staff understand the severe accidents phenomenology and mitigation strategy and the associated procedures and guidelines. The SAMG-D describes the elements that a set of SAMG should encompass to achieve the goals of severe accident management. It constitutes a useful input for utilities which are in the process of selecting proper SAMG products from the various vendors and implementing those at their plants. The SAMG-D is designed for use with LWRs and PHWRs. The SAMG-D is not designed to independently construct a full SAMG package.

The IAEA Nuclear Power Technology Development Section (NPTDS) developed the SAMG-D as part of its contributions to the IAEA Action Plan on Nuclear Safety. The current updated version was developed in 2020 jointly with the IAEA Safety Assessment Section (SAS).

Please, before starting the use of SAMG-D have a look at the DISCLAIMER and the information provided in About.

Module 2

Severe Accident Challenges and Mitigation Strategies

Go to Module 2 »

Module 2 describes the complex physicochemical and radiological phenomena associated with severe accidents. It identifies the processes that challenge fission product barriers and the potential releases if these fail. It indicates possible strategies to protect the fission product barriers and to mitigate the consequences of potential radioactive releases.

Module 1

Fundamentals of Reactor Safety

Go to Module 1 »

Module 1 presents the fundamentals of nuclear safety, introducing basic concepts such as the fundamental safety principles, defence-in-depth and safety functions. It also provides an overview of IAEA Safety Standards with a focus on Safety Standards for the design and operation of nuclear power plants, in particular the most recent standards revised after the Fukushima-Daiichi accident.

Finally, it presents the basic principles of accident management, introducing the role of procedures and guidelines to mitigate the consequences of accidents, notably the Emergency Operating Conditions (EOP) and the Severe Accident Management Guidelines (SAMG).

Module 4

Implementation, Requirements and Infrastructure

Go to Module 4 »

Module 4 describes the organizational measures needed to develop and implement the plant specific guidelines in the overall plant emergency organisation.

Module 3

Severe Accident Management Guidelines

Go to Module 3 »

Module 3 describes how mitigation strategies described in Module 2 are developed into plant specific guidelines, to most effectively manage an accidental scenario. The guidelines should be written so that execution by trained staff is well possible. The guidelines should be properly interfaced with other plant procedures and guidelines.