Extreme Environment Events and Physical Protection Systems.

Abstract

: Extreme Environmental Events (E 3 s) such as forest fires, hurricanes, drastic temperature increases, floods, droughts and storms have been on the rise. 1 The combination of increasing E 3 s and the potential remote deployment for small modular and advanced reactors creates a unique situation in which the implementation of physical protection systems and their resiliency to E 3 s must be addressed 2 . In this work we examine the impact of E 3 s on the physical protection systems at a small modular reactor (SMR) facility. This will include an assessment of all levels of stakeholder responsibility, from State-level requirements, to the competent authority’s regulatory framework, to the operator’s responsibilities, and the site’s implementation. In this effort we attempt to analyze the resiliency of the physical protection system (PPS) technologies to E 3 s and address strategies for response force members to adequately secure the site before, during and after an extreme environment event. Facility designers and security personnel must understand the effects of an E 3 on physical security systems and identify unique strategies to secure these facilities before, during and after. The results of this effort may be directly applicable to other critical infrastructure sites.