堆芯熔化严重事故下反应堆压力容器下封头高温蠕变分析

核电厂在发生堆芯熔化严重事故时,采用堆内熔融物滞留（IVR）策略将熔融物包容在反应堆压力容器（RPV）内是一项重要缓解措施。在IVR策略期间,RPV下封头在熔融物的极高温度载荷和力学载荷的共同作用下很有可能因过度蠕变变形而失效。因此,有必要对熔融物滞留条件下RPV下封头进行蠕变变形分析,以保证RPV结构完整性。该文在假定IVR条件下,采用有限元方法对RPV下封头进行热-结构耦合分析,通过计算得到容器壁的温度场和应力场,以及下封头的塑性和蠕变变形,并结合塑性和蠕变断裂判据对下封头进行失效分析。结果表明,考虑蠕变影响后,结构的变形将大大增加;严重事故下采取熔融物滞留策略期间,RPV下封头的主要失效模式为蠕变失效而非塑性失效;内压对蠕变变形量和蠕变失效时间有较大影响。该文为严重事故下RPV下封头的蠕变和失效研究提供了分析方法。      

Sensitivity study of melt behavior of Fukushima Daiichi unit 1 type accident with MELCOR code and MPS method

Sensitivity calculation on melt behavior and lower head response at Fukushima Daiichi unit 1 reactor was performed with methods for estimation of leakages and consequences of releases (MELCOR) 2.1 and moving particle semi-implicit (MPS) method. Four sensitivity cases were calculated, considering safety relief valve (SRV) seizure, penetrations and debris porosity. The results indicated that the lower head failed due to creep rupture, not considering penetrations; otherwise it would have failed due to penetration tube rupture and ejection at an earlier time, resulting in part of debris dropping into the cavity of the drywell. The temperature of residual debris in pressure vessel kept low, and the vessel wall did not suffer creep failure up to 15 hours after reactor scram from which moment the water injection became available. Another aspect was that reactor pressure vessel (RPV) depressurization postponed the lower head creep failure time, and the low debris porosity brought forward the penetration rupture time. Either lower head creep failure or penetration rupture and ejection occurred in the central part of the pressure vessel. In MPS calculation, a slice of debris bed together with lower head, including an instrument guide tube, was chosen as the computational domain. Detailed temperature profiles in debris bed, penetration and vessel wall were obtained. The penetration rupture time calculated by MPS was earlier than the MELCOR result, while the vessel wall creep failure time was later.     

基于耦合CFD-FEM方法的严重事故下RPV蠕变失效风险评估

核电站严重事故发生后,反应堆压力容器（RPV）的剩余固壁在高温差、内压、熔池重量等的作用下可能发生蠕变失效。本文以CPR1000 RPV为研究对象,基于FLUENT软件二次开发求解反应堆压力容器下封头烧蚀温度场,然后基于ANSYS Workbench开展耦合CFD-FEM力学分析,求解严重事故下RPV烧蚀温度场稳定后72 h内的等效应力、等效塑性应变和等效蠕变应变,并评估了RPV的蠕变失效风险。结果表明：当堆坑注水等措施投运后,RPV剩余固壁在72 h内不会发生蠕变失效和塑性变形失效,有效卸压可明显提升RPV结构完整性的安全裕度。     

Risk Assessment of Creep Failure for RPV under Severe Accident Condition Based on Coupled CFD-FEM Method

After a reactor core melt accident, creep failure may occur in the residual solid wall of the reactor pressure vessel (RPV) under the influence of high temperature difference, internal pressure and the weight of the molten pool. In this work, the CPR1000 RPV was used as a research object. The ablation temperature field of the lower head of RPV was solved through the secondary development of the FLUENT software. And then, a CFD-FEM coupling analysis was carried out based on ANSYS Workbench software. The equivalent stress, the equivalent plastic strain and the equivalent creep strain of the RPV within 72 h under severe accident after the wall ablation and temperature field distribution formed stably were calculated. The risk of creep failure of the RPV was evaluated. The results show that when the reactor pit water injection measure puts into operation, the residual solid wall of the RPV will not experience creep failure and plastic deformation failure within 72 h, and besides, the pressure relief can significantly increase the safety margin of the structural integrity of the RPV.     

熔融物堆内滞留条件下RPV长期结构完整性分析

熔融物反应堆压力容器(RPV)内滞留(IVR)是三代核电厂重要的严重事故缓解措施，而防止RPV的热工失效和结构失效是实现IVR的前提。本文建立考虑内壁面熔蚀的RPV有限元模型，在温度场分析的基础上，开展蠕变计算，得到不同时刻下的应力应变响应，通过选取典型评定路径并利用基于Larson-Miller参数的累积损伤理论进行蠕变损伤计算及评价。分析结果表明：在考虑一定内压的IVR条件下，RPV不会发生蠕变断裂，长期结构完整性可保证。本文的研究方法可为后续核电厂RPV在IVR条件下的结构完整性分析提供参考。     

Design improvement of weld design of the reactor internal circulation pump motor casing to the reactor pressure vessel nozzle

The reactor internal recirculation pump (RIP) used in the advanced boiling water reactor (ABWR) design is a glandless wet-motor type pump and is evolved from the pump used in the ABB-A BWRs. On the basis of the proven design viewpoint, the pump nozzle at the bottom head of the ABWR reactor pressure vessel (RPV) to which the RIP is attached is designed as a sleeve-type nozzle as used in the ABB-A BWRs. Several improvements have been made over the ABB-A original nozzle design such as elimination of the weld between the RPV bottom head and nozzle stub (by integral forging) and modification of the weld design (optimization of weld preparation suitable to automatic machine welding and use of insert ring for quality welding). Extensive experimental and analytical studies and the development of machining tools for the penetration bead (the back side of the weld) to inspect the qualification of welding have been performed in Japan with the RIP and the RPV nozzle to confirm the adequacy of the ABWR RIP and the RPV nozzle design.     

Debris interactions in reactor vessel lower plena during a severe accident II. Integral analysis

The integral physico-numerical model for the reactor vessel lower head response has been exercised for the TMI-2 accident and possible severe accident scenarios in PWR and BWR designs. The proposed inherent cooling mechanism of the reactor material creep and subsequent water ingression implemented in this predictive model provides a consistent representation of how the debris was finally cooled in the TMI-2 accident and how the reactor lower head integrity was maintained during the course of the incident. It should be recalled that in order for this strain to occur, the vessel lower head had to achieve temperatures in excess of 1000 °C. This is certainly in agreement with the temperatures determined by metallographic examinations during the TMI-2 Vessel Inspection Program. The integral model was also applied to typical PWR and BWR lower plena with and without structures under pressurized conditions spanning the first relocation of core material to the reactor vessel failure due to creep without recovery actions. The design application results are presented with particular attention being focused on water ingression into the debris bed through the gap formed between the debris and the vessel wall. As an illustration of the accident management application, the lower plenum with structures was recovered after an extensive amount of creep had damaged the vessel wall. The computed lower head temperatures were found to be significantly lower (by more than 300 K in this particular example) with recovery relative to the case without recovery. This clearly demonstrates the potential for in-vessel cooling of the reactor vessel without a need to externally submerge the lower head should such a severe accident occur as core melting and relocation.     

Creep rupture of a 9Cr1MoNbV steel at 500 °C: Base metal and welded joint

ASME Grade 91 steel base metal and a similar weld were tested under creep at 500 °C for rupture time up to 18,000 h. Creep failure of cross-weld specimens occurs in the weld metal at this temperature. No significant microstructural changes were observed after creep. Analysis of creep deformation of smooth creep bars, welded joints and slightly notched bars indicated an apparent creep stress exponent of 19. For the creep conditions considered, failure of the material can be explained by the viscoplastic instability of the specimens without significant damage development. This allowed to develop a simple analysis for time to failure prediction.     

熔融物堆内滞留条件下压力容器变形

熔融物堆内滞留(In-Vessel Retention,IVR)已经成为第三代反应堆一项关键的严重事故缓解策略,而压力容器外部冷却(External Reactor Vessel Cooling,ERVC)技术则是保证IVR得以成功实施的关键。当发生堆芯熔化时,高温熔融物对压力容器(Reactor Pressure Vessel,RPV)下封头的热冲击会导致RPV壁面和由其构成的外部冷却通道的形状发生变化,使局部传热恶化,进而造成IVR的失效。因此,有必要对IVR条件下RPV壁面的变形进行研究。本文利用有限元软件ANSYS对RPV进行了几何建模、温度场分析和力学场分析。结果表明,在RPV外部实现冷却、内部实现泄压的前提下,壁面变形为13.85-18.75 mm。在1 MPa内压的作用下,高温蠕变会使壁面变形随时间增大,但其增量有限。热膨胀是造成壁面变形的主要因素。     

Coupled thermal structural analysis of LWR vessel creep failure experiments

Considering the hypothetical core melt down scenario for a light water reactor (LWR) the failure mode of the reactor pressure vessel (RPV) has to be investigated to determine the loadings on the containment. The failure of reactor vessel retention (FOREVER)-experiments, currently underway, are simulating the thermal and pressure loadings on the lower head for a melt pool with internal heat sources. Due to the multi-axial creep deformation of the vessel with a non-uniform temperature field these experiments are an excellent source of data for validation of numerical creep models. Therefore, a finite element (FE) model has been developed based on a commercial multi-purpose code. Using the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) module the temperature field within the vessel wall is evaluated. The transient structural mechanical calculations are performed using a new numerical approach, which avoids the use of a single creep law employing constants derived from the data for a limited stress and temperature range. Instead of this a three-dimensional array is developed where the creep strain rate is evaluated according to the values of the actual total strain, temperature and equivalent stress. Care has to be exercised performing post-test calculations particularly in the comparisons of the measured data and the numerical results. Considering the experiment FOREVER-C2, for example, the recorded creep process appears to be tertiary, if a constant temperature field is assumed. But, small temperature increase during the creep deformation stage could also explain the observed creep behavior. Such considerations provide insight and better predictive capability for the vessel creep behavior during prototypic severe accident scenarios.     

Characterization of PWR vessel steel tearing under severe accident condition temperatures

In the event of a severe core meltdown accident in a pressurised water reactor (PWR), core material can relocate into the lower head of the vessel resulting in significant thermal and pressure loads being imposed on the vessel. In the event of reactor pressure vessel (RPV) failure there is the possibility of core material being released towards the containment.On the basis of the loading conditions and the temperature distribution, the determination of the mode, timing, and size of lower head failure is of prime importance in the assessment of core melt accidents. This is because they define the initial conditions for ex-vessel events such as core/basemat interactions, fuel/coolant interactions, and direct containment heating. When lower head failure occurs (i) the understanding of the mechanism of lower head creep deformation; (ii) breach stability and its kinetic of propagation leading to the failure; (iii) and developing predictive modelling capabilities to better assess the consequences of ex-vessel processes, are of equal importance.The objective of this paper is to present an original characterization programme of vessel steel tearing properties by carrying out high temperature tearing tests on Compact Tension (CT) specimens.The influence of metallurgical composition on the kinetics of tearing is investigated as previous work on different RPV steels has shown a possible loss of ductility at high temperatures depending on the initial chemical composition of the vessel material. Small changes in the composition can lead to different types of rupture behaviour at high temperatures.The experimental programme has been conducted on various French RPV 16MND5 steels for temperatures ranging from 900 °C to 1100 °C. Comparisons between the tests performed on these various 16MND5 steels show that this approach is appropriate to characterize the difference in ductility observed at high temperatures.The aim of this experimental study is also to contribute to the definition of a tearing criterion by identifying, on the basis of CT results, the related material parameters at temperatures representative of the real severe accident conditions.This experimental campaign has been carried out in partnership with IRSN in the framework of a research programme whose purpose is to complete the mechanical properties database of 16MND5 steel and to model tearing failure in French RPV lower head vessels under severe conditions (Koundy et al., 2008).     

承压热冲击下DVI接管动态应力特性研究

压力容器直接注入（DVI）接管在热冲击下的动态应力特性对于反应堆压力容器（RPV）结构完整性评估具有重要意义。建立了含DVI接管的RPV压力壳热流固耦合数值计算模型,并进行了验证分析;然后研究了蓄压安注箱（ACC）和堆芯补水箱（CMT）安注时RPV筒体和DVI接管热工水力特性;最后分析了热冲击下RPV筒体和DVI接管连接高应力区的温度分布、等效应力和等效塑性应变分布特性。研究结果表明,ACC安注阶段RPV筒体和DVI接管连接区存在较大的温度梯度和等效应力,且发生了局部塑性变形。若发生承压热冲击事件,应控制好DVI接管连接区温差,确保反应堆压力容器的结构完整性。本文开发的热冲击下热流固耦合数值计算模型和计算方法可用于核岛内DVI接管与RPV筒体的安全性评价,也可用于类似承压结构在热冲击下的动态应力特性分析。      

Numerical investigation of the reactor pressure vessel behaviour under severe accident conditions taking into account the combined processes of the vessel creep and the molten pool natural convection

Analysis of the WWER lower head behaviour and its failure has been performed for several molten pool structures and internal overpressure levels in a reactor pressure vessel (RPV). The different types of the molten pools (homogeneous, conventionally homogeneous, conventionally stratified, stratified) cover the bounding scenarios during a hypothetical severe accident. The parametric investigations of the failure mode and RPV behaviour for various molten pool types, its heights and internal overpressure levels are presented herein. A coupled treatment in this investigation includes: (i) a 2-D thermohydraulic analysis of a molten pool natural convection. Domestic NARAUFEM code has been used in this detailed analysis for prediction of the heat flux from the molten pool to the RPV inner surface; and (ii) a detailed 3-D transient thermal analysis of the RPV lower head. Domestic 3-D ASHTER-VVR finite element code has been used for the numerical simulations of the high temperature creep and failure of the lower head. The effect of an external RPV cooling, temperature-dependent physical properties of the molten pool and vessel steel, the hydrostatic forces and vessel dead-weight were taken into account in this study. The obtained results show that lower head failure occurs as a result of the vessel creep process which is significantly dependent on both an internal overpressure level and the type of molten pool structure. In particular, it was found that there were combinations of ‘overpressure-molten pool structure’ when the vessel failure started at the ‘hot’ layers of the vessel. It was shown in this study that the processes in the molten pools reach a quasistationary state at 2000…3000 s after molten pool formation. Numerical results in this paper illustrate that the large creep deformations of the vessel lower head can lead to an appearance of the gaps between the vessel surface and the molten pool crust. It is obvious that the joint thermal and structural analyses are needed for the accurate tracing of the initial bounds of the vessel and molten pool during simulations.     

Creep rupture strength of activated-TIG welded 316L(N) stainless steel

316L(N) stainless steel plates were joined using activated-tungsten inert gas (A-TIG) welding and conventional TIG welding process. Creep rupture behavior of 316L(N) base metal, and weld joints made by A-TIG and conventional TIG welding process were investigated at 923 K over a stress range of 160-280 MPa. Creep test results showed that the enhancement in creep rupture strength of weld joint fabricated by A-TIG welding process over conventional TIG welding process. Both the weld joints fractured in the weld metal. Microstructural observation showed lower δ-ferrite content, alignment of columnar grain with δ-ferrite along applied stress direction and less strength disparity between columnar and equiaxed grains of weld metal in A-TIG joint than in MP-TIG joint. These had been attributed to initiate less creep cavitation in weld metal of A-TIG joint leading to improvement in creep rupture strength.     

Fracture mechanical evaluation of an in-vessel melt retention scenario

This paper presents methods to compute J-integral values for cracks in two- and three-dimensional thermo-mechanical loaded structures using the finite element code ANSYS. The developed methods are used to evaluate the behavior of a crack on the outside of an emergency cooled reactor pressure vessel (RPV) during a severe core melt down accident. It will be shown, that water cooling of the outer surface of a RPV during a core melt down accident can prevent vessel failure due to creep and ductile rupture. Further on, we present J-integral values for an assumed crack at the outside of the lower plenum of the RPV, at its most stressed location for an emergency cooling (thermal shock) scenario.     

Influence of mis-match of weld and base material creep properties on elevated temperature design of pressure vessels and piping

The stress and strain concentrations developed at the weldments during the long time operation of pressure vessels and piping at high temperature due to the mis-match in the creep properties of weldment constituents (weld, heat affected zone and base metal) are estimated using detailed finite element analysis. Three materials, viz. 2.25Cr 1Mo, SS 316 LN and modified 9Cr 1 Mo which are the most commonly used materials in the nuclear and thermal power plants are considered. A longitudinal seam weld with single and double V (X) configurations are analysed. Parametric studies have been done on weld angle and stresses. Based on the analysis, critical locations and the maximum stress concentration factors in the weldments for the above materials are identified. The weld design procedures of the currently used pressure vessel and piping codes are commented. The importance of ductility based failure criteria is emphasised.     

熔融物堆芯冷却滞留特性研究

以模块式小型堆ACP100为分析对象,建立MELCOR程序严重事故分析模型,分析了堆芯衰变热依次经过吊篮、压力容器壁面然后进入堆腔注水系统(CIS)的传热行为。采用燃料棒失效模型评价燃料组件坍塌行为,并通过ANSYS程序蠕变断裂模型评价堆芯下板失效行为。分析结果表明,严重事故后堆芯中心燃料组件坍塌形成堆芯熔融池,堆芯周围燃料组件保持完整结构状态,堆芯下板支撑堆芯熔融池和未坍塌的燃料组件且未发生蠕变断裂失效;CIS冷却压力容器外壁面并导出堆芯衰变热,最终实现熔融物堆芯滞留,避免下封头内形成熔融池。     

熔融物堆芯冷却滞留特性研究

The severe accident analysis model of the small modular reactor ACP100 is built using MELCOR code, and the core heat removed process through the barrel and wall of reactor pressure vessel (RPV) is analyzed by the cavity injection system (CIS). The collapse behavior of the fuel assemblies is estimated by the fuel rod degradation model, and the failure behavior of the lower core plate is estimated by ANSYS program. The results show that the fuel assemblies in the core center melt and collapse to form the core melting pool, while the structure of the fuel assemblies surrounding the core melting pool remains intact, and the core lower plate supports the core melting pool and un-collapsed fuel assemblies all the time, and no creep rupture phenomenon occurs; the core heat can be removed by CIS and the debris in-vessel retention successfully avoids the formation of molten pool in the lower head.     

Failure assessment of RPV nozzle under loss of coolant accident

In case of a postulated loss of coolant accident (LOCA) of a reactor pressure vessel (RPV), the nozzle region experiences higher stresses and lower temperatures than the remaining part of the RPV. Thus, the nozzle is to be considered in the RPV safety assessment. For a LOCA event, three-dimensional elastic–plastic finite element calculations of stresses and strains in the intact RPV were performed. Using the substructure technique, fracture mechanics analyses were then carried out for several postulated cracks in the nozzle corner and in the circumferential weld below the nozzle. For different crack geometries and locations, the J-integral and the stress intensity factor were calculated as functions of the crack tip temperature. Based on the K_IC-reference curve and the J_R curve, both brittle and ductile instability of the postulated cracks were excluded. In order to reduce the expenses of three-dimensional finite element analyses for various crack geometries, an analytical procedure for calculating stress intensity factors of subclad cracks in cylindrical components was extended for cracks in the nozzle corner.     

Analysis of the deformation and damage development of a dissimilar weld operating in the creep regime

The analysis of the deformation and damage behaviour of stress rupture tests with specimens out of the dissimilar metal weld seam 12% Cr-steel welded with a nickel base electrode for alloy 800 exhibits two competing processes:

• - Crack initiation occurs along the melting line due to high thermal stresses;

• - Creep deformation and damage concentrates in a heat affected zone of the ferritic 12% Cr steel due to long term stresses. The velocity of stress relaxation determines the resulting damage mechanism. At high temperatures with predominant creep deformation the cracks initiated in the melting line arrest and the creep deformation is concentrated in the heat affected zone (HAZ). At lower temperature the fracture area along the melting line increases. Long term tests at 535°C lead to lower stress rupture values compared to the scatterband of X 20 CrMoV 12 1 due to the reduced cross section after crack initiation in the melting line.

The analysis of stress rupture tests leads to the conclusion that grinding of melting line cracks is a reasonable measure because of sufficient stress relaxation.