Thermal hydraulic behaviors during loss of RHR system at mid-loop operation of Chinese 300 MWe PWR NPP

Thermal hydraulic behavior of nuclear power plant (NPP) is analyzed by using mechanistic computer code for loss of residual heat removal (RHR) system during mid-loop operation of Chinese 300 MWe two-loop pressurized water reactor is presented. In the absence of recovery of RHR or other accident management measures, the reactor core will be uncovered for a long term resulting in core heat-up, degradation and relocation to the lower plenum. The effectiveness of available mitigate measures, such as safety injection system, gravity feed from refueling water storage tank (RWST) and steam generator (SG) reflux-condensation, are investigated. Coolant injection is highly effective in halting the accident progression and make the core recovered. The cooling capability of SG reflux-condensation has a relationship with different availabilities of steam generators and decay heat power. 6 days after shutdown, 2SG operation can keep the water level at mid-line of hot leg. 12 days after shutdown, both 2SG operation and 1SG operation can keep the water level at mid-line of hot leg. The analyses also indicate that the cooling mechanism of safety injection system is more effective than gravity feed from RWST and SG reflux-condensation. Through confirming the success criteria of SG reflux-condensation, time windows can be devided. Then, event trees for loss of RHR system under mid-loop operation are built with considering the analysis results and abnormal procedure.     

Thermal-hydraulic calculations using MARS code applied to low power and shutdown probabilistic safety assessment in a PWR

The methods developed for full-power probabilistic safety assessment, including thermal-hydraulic methods, have been widely applied to low power and shutdown conditions. Experience from current low power and shutdown probabilistic safety assessments, however, indicates that the thermal-hydraulic methods developed for full-power probabilistic safety assessments are not always reliable when applied to low power and shutdown conditions and consequently may yield misleading and inaccurate risk insights. To increase the usefulness of the low power and shutdown risk insights, the current methods and tools used for thermal-hydraulic calculations should be examined to ascertain whether they function effectively for low power and shutdown conditions. In this study, a platform for relatively detailed thermal-hydraulic calculations applied to low power and shutdown conditions in a pressurized water reactor was developed based on the best estimate thermal-hydraulic analysis code, MARS2.1. To confirm the applicability of the MARS platform to low power and shutdown conditions, many thermal-hydraulic analyses were performed for the selected topic, i.e. the loss of shutdown cooling events for various plant operating states at the Korean standard nuclear power plant. The platform developed in this study can deal effectively with low power and shutdown conditions, as well as assist the accident sequence analysis in low power and shutdown probabilistic safety assessments by providing fundamental data. Consequently, the resulting analyses may yield more realistic and accurate low power and shutdown risk insights.     

An estimation of an operator's action time by using the MARS code in a small break LOCA without a HPSI for a PWR

To estimate the success criteria of an operator's action time for a probabilistic safety/risk assessment (PSA/PRA) of a nuclear power plant, the information from a safety analysis report (SAR) and/or that by using a simplified simulation code such as the MAAP code has been used in a conventional PSA. However, the information from these is often too conservative to perform a realistic PSA for a risk-informed application. To reduce the undue conservatism, the use of a best-estimate thermal hydraulic code has become an essential issue in the latest PSA and it is now recognized as a suitable tool. In the same context, the ‘ASME PRA standard’ also recommends the use of a best-estimate code to improve the quality of a PSA. In Korea, a platform to use a best-estimate thermal hydraulic code called the MARS code has been developed for the PSA of the Korea standard nuclear power plant (KSNP). This study has proposed an estimation method for an operator's action time by using the MARS platform. The typical example case is a small break loss of coolant accident without the high pressure safety injection system, which is one of the most important accident sequences in the PSA of the KSNP. Under the given accident sequence, the operator has to perform a recovery action known as a fast cooldown operation. This study focuses on two aspects regarding an operator's action; one is how they can operate it under some restrictions; the other is how much time is available to mitigate this accident sequence. To assess these aspects, this study considered: (1) the operator's action model and (2) the starting time of the operation. To show an effect due to an operator's action, three kinds of control models (the best-fitting, the conservative, and the proportional-integral) have been assessed. This study shows that the developed method and the platform are useful tools for this type of problem and they can provide a valuable insight related to an operator's actions.     

Application of PSA Methodology to Design Improvement of JAERI Passive Safety Reactor (JPSR)

A probabilistic safety assessment (PSA) technique was applied to the design of JAERI Passive Safety Reactor (JPSR). A PSA was performed to clarify safety features and identify vulnerabilities of the original design. Based on the PSA results and considering thermal-hydraulic analyses and experiments, the JPSR design was improved to enhance plant safety. The improved design was re-evaluated with the PSA. Initiating events selected in this study were: large-break LOCA, medium- and small-break LOCAs, SGTR, main steam line break, loss of offsite power, loss of feed water, and other transients. Fault tree analyses were used to evaluate the system unavailabilities. The total core damage frequency due to internal events was estimated to be less than 10^?7/RY. The contribution of high frequency non-LOCA events could be significantly reduced by the design modification. The dominant initiating event was the small break LOCA and the dominant sequence was the failure of residual heat removal system. The present study indicated that the improved JPSR design has sufficient safety margin and the PSA methodology is very effective to improve reactor safety systems in a conceptual design phase.     

出口集管LLOCA始发严重事故分析

采用一体化分析程序建立了包括热传输系统、慢化剂系统、端屏蔽系统、蒸汽发生器二次侧系统的重水堆核电厂的严重事故分析模型。并选取出口集管发生双端剪切断裂的大破口失水事故（LLOCA）,同时叠加低压安注失效,辅助给水强制关闭的严重事故序列进行热工水力分析。由于主热传输系统环路隔离阀的关闭,使得两个环路的热工水力响应过程不同。最终由于低压安注的失效,慢化剂系统逐渐被加热,最终导致堆芯熔化、排管容器蠕变失效。在LLOCA事故序列中叠加向排管容器中注水的缓解措施,可以终止事故进程,使堆芯保持安全、稳定的状态。     

核电站工程模拟器用于SGTR事故仿真分析研究

核电站数值反应堆系统(DRS)是基于轻水反应堆瞬态系统分析程序RELAP5的工程模拟器。本工作使用该工具模拟恰希玛(CHASHMA)核电站蒸汽发生器传热管破裂(SGTR)事故，对30min不干预和30min内干预分别进行计算。仿真过程及计算结果验证了数值反应堆系统是进行核电厂仿真和分析的有效工具。     

核电厂SGTR规程优化研究

核电厂通过应急运行规程（EOP）来缓解蒸汽发生器传热管破裂（SGTR）事故,SGTR事故分析结果显示,在缓解过程中操纵员开启稳压器卸压阀进行反应堆冷却剂系统（RCS）降压后,安全注射（简称“安注”）流量大幅增加,导致稳压器水位大幅增加,可能存在潜在的危险。本文目的是为了更好地缓解SGTR事故,使事故缓解过程中稳压器水位不致上升过高,确保核电厂安全。通过对EOP缓解步骤进行优化,提前切除一列安注,并对优化后的EOP缓解事故过程进行分析计算,最终结果显示稳压器最高水位下降,减少了稳压器水位过高的风险,为后续核电厂规程的改进提供了依据。      

Accident management following loss-of-coolant accidents during cooldown in a Westinghouse two-loop PWR

Operation of pressurised water reactors involves shutdown periods for refuelling and maintenance. In preparation for this, the reactor system is cooled down, depressurised and partially drained. Although reactor coolant pressure is lower than during full-power operation, there remains the possibility of a loss-of-coolant accident (LOCA), with a certain but low probability. While the decay heat to be removed is lower than that from a LOCA at full power, the reduced availability of safety systems implies a risk of failing to maintain core cooling, and hence of core damage. This is recognised though probabilistic safety analyses (PSA), which identify low but non-negligible contributions to core damage frequency from accidents during cooldown and shutdown. Analyses are made for a typical two-loop Westinghouse PWR of the consequences of a range of LOCAs during hot and intermediate shutdown, 4 and 5 h after reactor shutdown respectively. The accumulators are isolated, while power to some of the pumped safety injection systems (SIs) is racked out. The study assesses the effectiveness of the nominally assumed SIs in restoring coolant inventory and preventing core damage, and the margin against core damage where their actuation is delayed. The calculations use the engineering-level MELCOR1.8.5 code, supplemented by the SCDAPSIM and SCDAP/RELAP5 codes, which provide a more detailed treatment of coolant system thermal hydraulics and core behaviour. Both treatments show that the core is readily quenched, without damage, by the nominal SI which assumes operation of only one pump. Margins against additional scenario and model uncertainties are assessed by assuming a delay of 900 s (the time needed to actuate the remaining pumps) and a variety of assumptions regarding models and the number of pumps available in conjunction with both MELCOR and versions of SCDAP. Overall, the study provides confidence in the inherent robustness of the plant design with respect to LOCA during cooldown to cold shutdown, and in the validity of a two-tier calculational method. The results have been directly used in updating the plant shutdown PSA, by changing the success criteria for core cooling during cooldown of the plant and showing a reduction in overall risk.     

CPR1000型核电站给水泵事故瞬态分析

以CPR1000型核电站3×50%电动给水泵为研究对象,采用基于RELAP5和Simulink程序开发的CPR1000数字化仪控系统仿真试验台,详细计算分析了给水泵单泵故障和双重故障对反应堆运行的影响及相应的缓解措施。结果表明,给水泵单泵故障对反应堆运行的影响较小,各相关参数能够很快重回事故前的稳态工况。在给水泵双重故障情况下：初始核功率在75%FP及以下时,不会出现蒸汽发生器(SG)低-低水位;初始核功率高于75%FP、汽机初始负荷在90%FP及以下时,需将汽机负荷阶跃降至50%FP,才不会出现SG低-低水位;汽机初始负荷在90%FP以上时,建议停堆。     

核电厂蒸汽发生器二次侧三维流场分析

为弄清核电厂蒸汽发生器二次侧的流动和传热特性机理,以确保蒸汽发生器的稳定性,文章采用数值软件根据蒸汽发生器的结构特点和运行模式进行简化建模,利用相似原理,使用相变模块模拟了蒸汽发生器的二次侧汽液两相流的流场分布情况。研究了相同结构下不同给水比例对二次侧流场分布的影响,尤其是对空泡份额分布特性的影响。研究发现,不同的给水工况对直管段的空泡份额分布和流体流速分布都有明显的影响,但对传热管上部区域的空泡份额和速度分布的影响不大。     

西安脉冲堆反应性引入事故瞬态安全特性分析

为研究西安脉冲堆（XAPR）在意外引入反应性且停堆系统失效事故下的瞬态安全特性,本文基于XAPR的结构和运行特点,建立了适用于XAPR的瞬态热工水力分析模型,并开发了用于XAPR安全特性分析的瞬态热工水力程序TSAC-XAPR。利用TSAC-XAPR程序对反应性引入事故进行模拟计算,结果表明：当XAPR在额定功率范围内运行时,发生反应性引入事故后,堆芯能依靠自身的固有反馈机制使脉冲堆重新达到稳定运行状态;当运行功率过高尤其是超过临界值时,反应性引入事故将导致脉冲堆关键热工水力参数发生振荡,无法再次达到稳态。此外,不同反应性引入方式将影响堆芯参数在反应性引入过程中的变化趋势,但并不影响其最终稳态值。     

900MWe压水堆蒸汽发生器部分给水管线破口情况下的给水流量分析

在900 MWe压水堆中,蒸汽发生器的给水是非常重要的,特别是在1根给水管线破口的情况下,给水泵必须通过另外2根未破损的给水管线向蒸汽发生器提供足够的流量.本工作对上述情况下未受影响的蒸汽发生器的给水流量进行了分析,并阐述了对其进行测量、计算及误差处理的主要原理和方法.     

“华龙一号”征兆导向应急事故规程开发

In order to compensate for the defects of event-oriented emergency procedure (EOP) and state-oriented emergency procedure (SOP), HPR1000 nuclear power technology takes the advantages of the two operation procedures. Considering probabilistic safety analysis (PSA), a new symptom based emergency operating procedures (SEOP) through a large number of operation analysis supporting calculations is established. As an example, the operator actions during steam line break accident guided by SEOP is studied and compared with EOP and SOP. The results show that SEOP can deal with the accident rapidly and directly and can defend multi-accidents. The accident identification and mitigation measures are reasonable and effective. It can make full use of HPR1000 active and passive safety systems to deal with accidents, give full play to the design advantages of the safety system, and enhance the safety level of HPR1000. The principle, methodology and technique of the development can be used in the procedure development for the similar plant and can be used as a reference to improve the procedures for nuclear power plants in service.     

“华龙一号”征兆导向应急事故规程开发

为了弥补事故导向应急事故规程（EOP）和状态导向应急事故规程（SOP）的缺陷，“华龙一号”核电技术将两者优势相结合。借鉴概率安全分析（PSA），通过大量的运行分析支持性计算，形成全新的征兆导向应急事故规程（SEOP）。以主蒸汽管道破裂事故为例，进行了SEOP引导下的典型事故应用研究及其与EOP和SOP的对比。结果表明，SEOP具有迅速直接处理事故以及较强的叠加事故应对能力，事故判断和缓解措施有效、可靠，能够合理调用能动加非能动安全系统应对事故，充分发挥了“华龙一号”安全系统设计优势，进一步提升了“华龙一号”的安全水平。SEOP开发过程所形成的思路、方法、技术体系，可用于同类核电厂的事故应急规程开发，并可为现役核电厂规程的改进提供借鉴。      

Transient Safety Characteristic Analysis of Xi’an Pulsed Reactor during Reactivity Insertion Accident

In order to study the transient safety characteristics of Xi’an Pulsed Reactor (XAPR) when unexpected reactivity insertion accident happened and shutdown system failed, the main mathematical models were established based on the specific core structure and operation conditions of XAPR. Meanwhile, a transient thermal-hydraulic code called TSAC-XAPR was developed to analyze the safety characteristics of XAPR. The TSAC-XAPR code was then used to simulate the reactivity insertion accident of XAPR. The calculation results indicate that when XAPR operating under rated power, reactor can reach a new steady state for reactivity insertion accident, depending on its inherent feedback mechanism. When XAPR operating under high power, especially above the critical power, key thermal-hydraulic parameters of reactor will tend to oscillate and can’t reach a steady state again for reactivity insertion accident. Besides, it is also found that different reactivity insertion modes will only affect the variation trend during the phase of reactivity insertion instead of the final value at steady state.     

Loss of residual heat removal during mid-loop operation: BETHSY experiments

Loss of residual heat removal has occurred in several PWRs during mid-loop operation after plant shutdown, and is now recognized as an accident situation whose relevant physical phenomena require improved understanding. Several cases have been selected for investigation in the frame of the BETHSY program, with the main purpose of providing an experimental basis for the assessment of safety codes which have been so far especially involved with accident transients initiated during full-power operation.The major results from four experiments are presented in this paper, which addresses two main kinds of physical problem: mechanisms for, and rate of, primary mass inventory reduction in the case of manways opened at various locations in the primary coolant system; cooling of the plant when the primary is only half-open through vent paths and one steam generator is available to remove decay heat in reflux condenser mode with the presence of non-condensable gas.     

低功率及停堆工况PSA中的电厂运行状态分析

电厂运行状态(POS)分析的目的是将核电厂低功率停堆运行这一连续的动态过程离散化,这是用事件树表示发展事故序列的必要条件。以某300 MW参考核电厂的设计、运行经验、操作规程等基础做为参考,采用相关准则进行详细的POS分析,得到合理的POS,并根据该参考电厂实际运行情况计算得到每个POS的持续时间。这项工作为开展低功率及停堆工况PSA奠定了重要的基础,其分析方法和內容为国內开展此项工作提供了参考。     

MAAP5 simulation of the PWR severe accident induced by pressurizer safety valve stuck-open accident

The Modular Accident Analysis Program version 5 (MAAP5) is a computer code that can simulate the response of light water reactor power plants during severe accident sequences. The present work aims to simulate the severe accident of a typical Chinese pressure water reactor (PWR) with MAAP5. The pressurizer safety valve stuck-open accident is essentially a small break loss-of-coolant accident (SBLOCA), which becomes one of the major concerns on core melt initiating events of the PWR. Six cases with different assumptions in the pressurizer (PZR) safety valves (SVs) stuck-open accident stuck open accident were analyzed for comparison. The results of first three cases show that the severe accident sequence is correlated with the number of the stuck open valve. The primary system depressurized faster in a more SVs stuck open case, and the consequences in which is hence slighter. The remaining 3 cases along with the case 2 were then analyzed to study the effect of operator intervention to the accident. The results show that the auxiliary feed water (AFW) is effective to delay the core degradation and hence delayed the finally system recovery. The high pressure injection (HPI) operation and manually opening the steam generator (SG) SVs are effective to mitigate this kind of severe accident. The results are meaningful and significant for comprehending the detailed process of PWR severe accident, which is the basic standard for establishing the severe accident management guidelines.     

Development of a thermal-hydraulic analysis software for the Chinese advanced pressurized water reactor

A point reactor neutron kinetics model, a drift-flow U-tube steam generator model, a non-equilibrium three-region pressurizer model and other models were established and a transient analysis code with Visual Fortran 6.5 has been developed to analyze the thermal-hydraulic characteristics of the Chinese advanced pressurized water reactor (AC-600). Visual input, real-time processing and dynamic visualization output were achieved with Microsoft Visual Studio.NET 2003, which greatly facilitate applications in the engineering. The software were applied to analyze the transient thermal-hydraulic characteristics of the loss of feed-water accident, the double loops loss-of-flow accident, the reactivity insertion accident, the sudden increase of feed-water temperature accident and the loss of offsite power accident for the Qinshan nuclear power plant in China. The obtained analysis results are significant to the improvement of design and safety operation of the plant.     

高压安全注射系统对压水堆全厂断电事故的缓解能力分析

选择一个典型的3环路压水堆作为参考对象,采用最佳估算程序RELAP/SCDAPSIM/MOD3.2建立了一个典型的3环路压水堆严重事故计算模型。分析了全厂断电(SBO)事故引发的堆芯熔化基准事故后,高压安全注射系统对该事故的缓解能力。敏感性分析表明,堆芯出口温度达到920 K时,采用卸压充水缓解措施可以有效地阻止堆芯熔化,维持堆芯长期处于稳定、安全状态。