Reflection on the Reasons of Using Dome-Formed Structures in Industrial Buildings (case study: Reactor Building of Nuclear Power Plants)

This article mentions that safety and security have been the most important concerns in the design process of nuclear power plants. Surveying the building form of these complexes shows that most of them have a dome-formed structure in their design. Therefore, the goal of this study is to specify why this form is prevailing in the design of nuclear power plants. The research method is based on the theoretical survey of the relevant standards and also the experimental survey of the existing power plant design. The results have indicated that confining the radioactive materials inside the building, preventing any leakage, avoiding the internal and external hazards, accommodating the active and passive safety systems, as well as reducing the pressure and temperature of internal air in LOCA events are the main intended safety/security functions of these one or two layered dome-formed structures, only some of which are actually realized.