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Article Details

  • Article Code : FIRAT-AKADEMI-15136-5832
  • Article Type : Araştırma Makalesi
  • Publication Number : 1A0505
  • Page Number : 27-35
  • Doi : 10.12739/NWSA.2026.21.3.1A0505
  • Abstract Reading : 45
  • Download : 10
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Issue Details

  • Year : 2026
  • Volume : 21
  • Issue : 3
  • Number of Articles Published : 1
  • Published Date : 1.07.2026

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Engineering Sciences

Serial Number : 1A
ISSN No. : 1308-7231
Release Interval (in a Year) : 4 Issues

GEOTECHNICAL ASPECTS FOR NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS

Claudia Gonzalez1

Today, global awareness about preserving the planet is pushing mankind towards net-zero carbon emissions. This new perspective invites evaluation of the nuclear option as an attractive source of clean energy. In this context, small modular reactors (SMRs) integrated into deep-embedded nuclear power plants have great potential. An SMR has a smaller environmental footprint and is equipped with advanced features that make it safer to operate than larger conventional reactors. Following the Fukushima accident, the International Society for Rock Mechanics and Engineering (ISRM) Commission on Underground Nuclear Power Plant assessed that the disaster could have been avoided if the Fukushima NPP had been built underground based on the concepts presented in the commission’s report. Since then, the Geotechnical discipline has become a key contributor to SMR engineering design. At Laurentis Energy Partners (Laurentis), in Canada, engineers have advanced their expertise in geotechnical analysis for nuclear facilities, including SMRs, and this paper will comment on some of the key aspects of such a challenging design.

Keywords
Nuclear, Small Modular Reactors, Geotechnical Analysis, Deeply Embedded Nuclear Structures, Geotechnical,

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Authors

Claudia Gonzalez (1) (Corresponding Author)

University of Lethbridge
gonzalez.claudia@laurentisenergy.com | 0000-0001-9073-0178

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