Nuclear Energy

Nuclear energy is a baseline source of electricity (and heat) without the attendant carbon dioxide emissions. Electricity generation from nuclear fission has been a commercial reality for several decades. The nuclear energy sector has traditionally adopted a probabilistic approach to managing the power plants and waste disposal. In this chapter, a Bayesian network approach to probabilistic assessments of corrosion and stress corrosion cracking of metallic alloys is discussed. The approach is illustrated for SCC of Ni-base alloys in steam generator environments and stainless steels in atmospheric conditions. Additionally, the performance of nuclear waste disposal containers in geologic media is discussed from a BN perspective.