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.     

Analysis of a loss of residual heat removal system during mid-loop conditions at PKL facility using RELAP5/Mod3.3

When a nuclear power plant is in shutdown conditions for refuelling, the reactor coolant system water level is reduced. This situation is known as mid-loop operation, and the residual heat removal (RHR) system is used in this situation to remove the decay power heat generated in the reactor core.In mid-loop conditions, some accidental situations may occur with not a negligible contribution to the plant risk, and all involve the loss of the RHR system. Thus, to better understand the thermal–hydraulic processes following the loss of the RHR during shutdown, transients of this kind have been simulated using best-estimate codes in different integral test facilities. This paper focuses on the simulation, using the best estimate code RELAP5/Mod3.3, of the experiment E3.1 conducted at the PKL facility. This experiment consists of the loss of the RHR system when the plant is in mid-loop conditions for refuelling and with the primary circuit closed. In particular, in this experiment the physical phenomena to investigate are the mechanisms of heat removal in presence of nitrogen and the deboration in critical parts of the primary system.     

ASTEC V2.0 computational evaluation of source term and its chemical forms under accidental conditions during mid-loop operation

The possibility of an accident or component failure during mid-loop operation has been identified in probabilistic safety studies as a major contributor to core melt frequency and source term risk. The fission products release and transport to the containment has been analyzed during mid-loop operation of a reference PWR 1000 MWe reactor using the severe accident integral code ASTEC V2.0. The analyses have been performed considering the loss of residual heat removal (RHR) system at various times after reactor shutdown for the reactor vessel configuration with the removed upper head (open reactor). In this configuration, the possible air ingress can have an impact on safety such as accelerated oxidation and increased volatility of certain FPs (particularly iodine and ruthenium). Sensitivity calculations have been performed in terms of air ingress simulation with a different intensity. Besides equilibrium chemistry model, most of the calculations have also used a limited kinetics model. The study has shown that without air ingress the only predicted gaseous form of iodine is HI (≤7.4% of the total mass of iodine released from core) and no gaseous RuO₄ is created. Sensitivity calculations have illustrated that the gross fraction of gaseous iodine (I₂ + HOI + HI) has an increased trend with growth of air ingress intensity and with the duration of sequence evolution. In most oxidative atmosphere the gross iodine gaseous fraction could increase by a factor form of two to several times as compared to the corresponding case without air ingress (particularly due to I₂ persistence). Creation of gaseous RuO₄ is sensitive to carrier gas temperature; therefore a considerable fraction (≤3%) is predicted only in the sensitivity cases with the shortest time of loss of RHR after reactor scram.     

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.     

Analysis of the cooling capability of steam generators during the loss of residual heat removal system at midloop operation with closed primary system

Loss of residual heat removal system (RHRS) at midloop operation is one of the most significant core damage risk contributor at low power and shutdown conditions. During this kind of transients the reflux-condensation is one of the cooling mechanisms anticipated in the abnormal procedure of loss of RHRS at midloop level. In this sense, several simulations of loss of the RHRS with closed primary system with the TRACE V4.160 code have been performed considering different availability of steam generators. The present study aims to analyze the thermal-hydraulic behavior after the loss of RHRS at midloop conditions with the reflux-condensation as the only cooling mechanism available and to investigate the capability of this cooling mechanism. The simulation results show that one steam generator is sufficient to remove core decay heat of 11 MW obtaining an equilibrium pressure, but the core uncovery depends on the number of steam generators operating. Finally, an analysis of the abnormal procedure and the event trees of the loss of RHRS sequences at midloop operation has been performed taking into account the results obtained in the simulation with TRACE.     

Simulator performance upgrade and evaluation of loss of RHR during midloop operation for Maanshan PWR plant

Because a greater risk than expected is introduced during midloop operation for typical PWRs, the performance of training simulator of Taiwan’s Maanshan 3-loop PWR plant was verified and upgraded for midloop operation (MLO) simulation. Besides, plant specific midloop abnormal operation procedure (AOP) also was quantitatively evaluated. Instead of modifying existing RCS module, a thermal-hydraulic code, namely ROSE (Reactor Outage Simulation and Evaluation) has been developed and transplanted into the training simulator of Maanshan PWR plant. A two-region approach with a modified two-fluid model was adopted as the theoretical basis of the ROSE code. The success of the simulator performance upgrade for the MLO was demonstrated by comparisons to W-GOTHIC MLO calculation as well as the original simulator performance. Moreover, regarding the evaluation of the associated AOP for MLO after loss of RHR, the most risky plant configuration as well as associated crucial timing before core uncovery was also identified by the upgraded training simulator.     

Scaling study of in-core boil-off and heating process

A simple analytical method, which describes uncovery and heatup in the core under accident conditions, is derived, tested against experimental data, and used for generating the scaling criteria. Void fraction and core uncovery levels are analytically derived integrating mass and energy equations under the assumption of quasi-steady state. The coolant energy equation in the uncovered region is integrated to convert the partial differential equation for the fuel temperature into an ordinary differential equation through the assumption of the same axial distribution of the amount of energy loss from the fuel to the coolant as that of the decay heat generation rate. The ordinary differential equation for the fuel temperature, combined with the governing equation for cladding oxidation, is analytically solved assuming a linear variation of fuel temperature and oxidation thickness with time over a period.The present analytical model is tested against the Power Bursting Facility Scoping Test (PBF-ST) and SCDAP calculation. The model produces the estimation of inlet flow rates and its results which are in good agreement with the measured levels. There is an overprediction of the fuel temperatures and an underprediction of the rate of increase of the fuel temperatures by the model, presumed to be mainly caused by no consideration of reflux condensation and the higher prediction of radiation energy loss to the shroud through the treatment of one radial region of the bundle.The PBF-ST is examined with the scaling criteria generated by the present model. It is found out that the linear heat generation rate in the PBF should be by four times larger than that in the prototype system and the radiation number is highly distorted in the PBF.     

Thermal-hydraulic analysis on the effect of operator action in the loss of shutdown cooling system accident in a PWR

It is necessary to develop PSA methodology and integrated accident management technology during low power/shutdown operations. To develop this technology, thermal-hydraulic analysis is necessarily required to access the trend of plant process parameters and operator's grace time after initiation of the accident. In this study, the thermal-hydraulic behavior in the loss of shutdown cooling system accident during low power/shutdown operations at the Korean standard nuclear power plant was analyzed using the best-estimate thermal-hydraulic analysis code, MARS2.1. The effects of operator's action and initiation of accident mitigation system, such as safety injection and gravity feed on mitigation of the accident during shutdown operations are also analyzed.When steam generators are unavailable or vent paths with large cross-sectional area are open in the accident, the core damage occurs earlier than the cases of steam generators available or vent paths with small cross-sectional area. If an operator takes an action to mitigate the accident, the accident can be mitigated considerably. To mitigate the accident, high-pressure safety injection is more effective in POS4B and gravity feed is more effective in POS5. The results of this study can contribute to the plant safety improvement because those can provide the time for an operator to take an action to mitigate the accident by providing quantitative time of core damage. The results of this study can also provide information in developing operating procedure and accident management technology.     

Analysis of loss of coolant accident in MTR pool type research reactor

In MTR research reactors, heat removal is, safely performed by forced convection during normal operation and by natural convection after reactor shutdown for residual decay heat removal. However, according to the duration time of operation at full power, it may be required to maintain the forced convection, for a certain period of time after the reactor shutdown. This is among the general requirements for the overall safety engineering features of MTR research reactors to ensure a safe residual heat removal. For instance, in safety analysis of research reactors, initiating events that may challenge the safe removal of residual heat must be identified and analyzed.In the present work, it was assumed a total loss of coolant accident in a typical MTR nuclear research reactor with the objective of examining the core behavior and the occurrence of any fuel damage.For this purpose, the IAEA 10 MW benchmark core, which is a representative of medium power pool type MTR research reactors, was chosen herein in order to investigate the evolution of cladding temperature through the use of a best estimate thermalhydraulic system code RELAP5/mod3.2.     

严重事故管理导则入口条件研究

严重事故管理导则的入口是从电厂应急运行规程(EOP)向严重事故管理导则(SAMG)转换的条件,也是严重事故缓解行动的重要依据。本文选取失去四级电源导致的典型高压熔堆序列以及大破口失水事故(LLOCA)导致的典型低压熔堆序列,根据严重事故堆芯剧烈氧化机理,得出了燃料温度、氢气产生速率及产氢量、入口集管过冷度以及慢化剂液位的关系。结果表明入口集管过冷度小于0且持续十几分钟,同时慢化剂系统的状态指示慢化剂液位低于6 900mm,可以作为严重事故管理的入口条件。最后,阐述了目前电厂EOP向SAMG转换的机制,并提出了改进的意见。     

Analyzing the alternative shutdown cooling behaviors for Chinshan Nuclear Power Plant using CFD simulation

The Chinshan Nuclear Power Plant (CSNPP) is a GE-designed BWR4 plant, having two identical units with rated core thermal power of 1804 MWt each unit. Several alternative shutdown cooling methods driven by natural or mixed convection has been proposed by the plant for studying the core cooling capability when the Residual Heat Removal (RHR) systems are not available or the refueling tasks, such as the In Vessel Visual Inspection (IVVI) work etc., is being proceeded. One of the examples is to connect a pipe from the outlet of the new spent fuel heat exchanger to the reactor cavity. The design of the alternatives shall ensure that the maximum core fluid temperature is limited below the boiling temperature of water. In this study, a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model is developed to analyze the natural convection phenomena during the shutdown period. Through a series of assumption, modeling and meshing processes, a calculation domain with approximate four million meshes including the RPV, reactor cavity and spent fuel pool, have been solved in this study. The analysis results showed that the passive alternative shutdown cooling system could provide sufficient heat removal capability to maintain the maximum core fluid temperature below boiling temperature. The results also indicated that the alternative shutdown cooling system could be served as an appropriate solution for CSNPP when the RHR is inoperable.     

Mid-loop工况冷凝回流冷却措施分析

核电厂在Mid-loop工况下由正常余热排出（RHR）系统移出堆芯衰变热,一旦丧失RHR系统,若不采取措施,堆芯在沸腾后可能裸露并最终损坏。本工作以300 MW核电厂为对象,采用RELAP5/Mod3.2程序对Mid-loop工况下丧失RHR系统时的冷凝回流冷却措施进行分析。结果表明,在RCS回路封闭的情况下,两台蒸汽发生器（SG）均充满水,或1台SG充满水且辅助给水系统可用时,通过冷凝回流可维持24 h堆芯不裸露,即冷凝回流是可行的缓解措施之一。     

Assessment of the residual time to rupture of fuel pins after reactor core disturbances using the Lebensanteil rule

An important aspect of disturbances in the reactor core is the way in which they affect the service life of fuel rod cladding tubes. This factor also determines whether and how long the reactor core can be continued in operation, i.e., matters of safety and economy are involved. Potential disturbances of the reactor core affect the fuel rod cladding tubes as increases in temperature and, sometimes, as mechanical stresses for limited periods of time. As thermomechanical stresses acting on a cladding tube also give rise to creep events which may limit the service life of fuel elements, it is important to know how much creep life or time to rupture is consumed in the course of a core disturbance, and what the residual life is. For this purpose, the times to rupture before and during the accident must be added up and the balance calculated. As a rule of computation, the Lebensanteil rule is used in its form expressing the time to rupture of creeping solids. The simulation of accidents with unirradiated cladding tubes revealed a drastic decrease of the residual time to rupture in those cases in which the cladding material had recrystallized. On the other hand, because of its structural stability, irradiated material turned out to be almost insensitive even under extremely severe accident conditions. The materials data so far available are sufficient for useful estimates. Presuming one of the damage accumulating processes of the creeping cladding material is predominant, there are no further validity limiting ranges concerning kind of accident, loading condition, cladding material and so on.     

基于RELAP5程序的AP1000典型事故瞬态特性研究

基于最佳估算程序RELAP5/MOD3.3,对AP1000系统进行了详细的建模分析,选取冷却剂泵卡轴事故、蒸汽发生器(SG)传热管破裂事故和直接注射管线双端断裂事故作为典型事故,获得了典型事故工况下关键参数的瞬态特性和非能动系统响应特性。结果表明:对于冷却剂泵卡轴事故,一回路最大压力为16.82 MPa,燃料包壳表面温度最大值为1 299K,满足验收准则的要求;对于SG传热管破裂事故,破损SG的水体积为231.54m3,小于AP1000蒸汽发生器255.563m3的总容积;对于直接注射管线双端断裂事故,AP1000的非能动堆芯冷却系统能对一回路进行冷却和降压,并防止堆芯裸露和燃料包壳过热。     

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.     

Development of a swing check valve model for a low velocity pipe flow prediction

A swing check valve is commonly used to prevent a reverse flow in the pipe lines of a nuclear power plant. The flow resistance by the swing check valve varies with the location of the swing disk in the velocity range lower than the required minimum velocity for a full opening of the swing disk, thereby the fluid flow is significantly affected by the dynamic motion of the swing disk. Such a phenomenon is very important to analyze safety issues, one of which is the gravity feed following a loss of the residual heat removal (RHR) which occurs during a mid-loop operation. This paper focused on the development of a new check valve model to enhance the capability of the thermal-hydraulic system code. A new angular momentum equation for the disk of a swing check valve is proposed. The proposed model is implemented into the MARS code and verified through a comparison of the simulation results with the experimental data. In particular, the results of the simulation for the gravity feed line are comparably consistent with the real test data performed in a nuclear power plant.     

Experimental analysis of the power curve sensitivity test series at ROSA-III

The rig of safety assessment (ROSA)-III facility is a volumetrically scaled (1/424) boiling water reactor (BWR/6) system with an electrically heated core designed for integral loss-of-coolant accident (LOCA) and emergency core cooling system (ECCS) tests. Seven recirculation pump suction line break LOCA experiments were conducted at the ROSA-III facility in order to examine the effect of the initial stored heat of a fuel rod on the peak cladding temperature (PCT). The break size was changed from 200% to 5% in the test series and a failure of a high pressure core spray (HPCS) diesel generator was assumed. Three power curves which represented conservative, realistic and zero initial stored heat, respectively, were used.In a large break LOCA such as 200% or 50% breaks, the initial stored heat in a fuel rod has a large effect on the cladding surface temperature because core uncovery occurs before all the initial stored heat is released, whereas in a small break LOCA such as a 5% break little effect is observed because core uncovery occurs after the initial stored heat is released. The maximum PCTs for the conservative initial stored heat case was 925 K, obtained in the 50% break experiment, and that for the realistic initial stored heat case was 835 K, obtained in the 5% break experiment.     

压水堆核电站大破口失水事故分析

压水堆核电站安全分析报告是核安全监管部门对其进行安全审查的重要文件,大破口失水事故是核电站运行的设计基准事故,是安全分析报告中的重要内容。本文使用RELAP5/MOD3.2进行压水堆冷管段大破口失水事故的计算,对比发现一回路冷管段发生双端断裂大破口时燃料元件包壳温度峰值（PCT）最高,且长时间维持在较高温度,此条件下反应堆最危险。计算结果表明,事故发生后,一回路压力迅速下降,堆芯冷却剂的流动性变差,导致堆芯裸露,燃料包壳温度又重新回升。通过安注系统和辅助给水系统等一系列动作,能保证燃料元件包壳温度不超过1204 ℃的限值。     

Study on construction of loss of component cooling water system initiating event fault tree for fire event PSA

ABSTRACT

In this study, the construction of the loss of component cooling water system (LOCCWS) initiating event (IE) fault tree (FT) for an actual fire event probabilistic safety assessment (PSA) model of the Korean reference nuclear power plant considering only IE initiators was validated. The quantification results of the LOCCWS accident sequences obtained using an LOCCWS IE FT model with only initiators are similar to that with initiators and enabling events. This confirmed that the LOCCWS IE FT for an actual fire event PSA model could be constructed by considering only IE initiators. In addition, the same LOCCWS accident sequences were quantified assuming that fire triggering only the LOCCWS IE leads to reactor shutdown. Compared with the quantification result obtained based on the assumption that any fire included in the fire event PSA leads to reactor shutdown, the core damage frequency (CDF) can be reduced. Thus, it can be concluded that there is a possibility of underestimation of CDF when the LOCCWS IE FT model with only initiators is used and the assumption that fire triggering only the LOCCWS IE results in reactor shutdown is employed for the quantification of LOCCWS accident sequences.     

Reactivity insertion mechanisms in the gas-cooled fast breeder reactor

This report summarizes an analysis of reactivity insertion mechanisms in the gas-cooled fast breeder reactor (GCFR). Inherent reactivity feedback mechanisms are identified and their effects on reactor start-up, during normal operation, and on anticipated and postulated transients are analyzed. Potential sources of accidental reactivity insertions and the resulting transients are investigated, including potential reactivity effects due to cladding and fuel melting. All nuclear calculations are based on the ENDF-B, Version 3, cross-section file. It is concluded from these analyses that the GCFR is an inherently stable reactor during start-up and normal operation. Potential accidental reactivity insertions are mild, and in each case the reactor can be controlled with a substantial margin for fuel melting or cladding damage. In low-probability accident sequences which lead to core melting, there are potential fuel motion mechanisms which can mitigate reactivity effects and accident consequences.