With “theory of nuclear safety (TONS)”, this paper intends to explain the Core Damage (CD) scenario of a Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) with the systematic methodology, many notions introduced here can be extended to other types of nuclear installations, as well. This systematic methodology combines the Risk-Informed Safety Margin Characterization (RISMC) Metatheory of TONS, and the basic reliability theory. A “metatheory” of such theories, here, is a theory to analyze the Theory of Nuclear Safety (TONS); in its own theory system, it is designed to summarize the safety of a NPP. Meanwhile, the basic reliability theory, which is decided by the authors, is focus on the mission reliability model (a model can be established by Reliability Block Diagram (RBD)); then the related basic concepts, is simple and clear, and quite mature in NPP field.
The present work outlines the traditional reliability theory and the RISMC-based Metatheory, and these two concepts here are taken as the appropriate TONS to analyze the CD Scenario, after that, a renovate or renew TONS, from these two sides, can be introduced to analyze the fundamental safety of NPP.
