Direct containment heating integral effects tests in geometries of European nuclear power plants

The DISCO test facility at Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe (FZK) has been used to perform experiments to investigate direct containment heating (DCH) effects during a severe accident in European nuclear power plants, comprising the EPR, the French 1300 MWe plant P’4, the VVER-1000 and the German Konvoi plant. A high-temperature iron–alumina melt is ejected by steam into scaled models of the respective reactor cavities and the containment vessel. Both heat transfer from dispersed melt and combustion of hydrogen lead to containment pressurization. The main experimental findings are presented and critical parameters are identified.The consequences of DCH are limited in reactors with no direct pathway between the cavity and the containment dome (closed pit). The situation is more severe for reactors which do have a direct pathway between the cavity and the containment (open pit). The experiments showed that substantial fractions of corium may be dispersed into the containment in such cases, if the pressure in the reactor coolant system is elevated at the time of RPV failure. Primary system pressures of 1 or 2 MPa are sufficient to lead to full scale DCH effects. Combustion of the hydrogen produced by oxidation as well as the hydrogen initially present appears to be the crucial phenomenon for containment pressurization.     

High pressure simulation experiment on corium dispersion in direct containment heating

Purdue 1/10 scale direct containment heating separate effects experiments under a reactor vessel pressure up to 14.2 MPa are presented. With the test facility scaled to the Zion PWR geometry, these tests are mainly focused on the corium dispersion phenomenon in order to obtain a better understanding of the dominant driving mechanisms. Water and woods metal have been used separately to simulate the core melt, the reactor vessel being pressurized with nitrogen gas analogous to the steam in the prototypic case. The entire test transient lasted for a few seconds, and the liquid dispersion in the test cavity occurred within only 0.5 s. To synchronize the data acquisition and blowdown transient, the test initiation was triggered by breaking two rupture discs in the liquid/gas delivery system. Parameters characterizing the liquid transport were obtained via various instruments. Important information about the mean size and size distribution of the dispersed droplets in the test cavity, the liquid film flow transient, the subcompartment trapping, and the liquid carry-over to the containment has been obtained. These results, along with data from a previous low pressure (1.4 MPa) experiment carried out at Purdue University, form a solid database for further theoretical analysis.     

严重事故IVR下反应堆压力容器耦合传热数值模拟分析

堆芯熔化严重事故下保证反应堆压力容器（RPV）完整性非常重要,高温蠕变失效是堆芯熔化严重事故下反应堆压力容器的主要失效模式。在进行严重事故堆芯熔化物堆内包容（IVR）下RPV结构完整性分析中,RPV内外壁和沿高度方向的温度分布以及剩余壁厚是结构分析的重要输入。本文采用CFD分析方法对RPV堆内熔融物、RPV壁以及外部气液两相流动换热进行热-固-流耦合分析,获得耦合情况下的温度场、流场、各相份额分布以及RPV的剩余壁厚,为RPV在严重事故IVR下的结构完整性分析提供依据。     

RPV侧边破口条件下堆外蒸汽爆炸计算分析

针对实际过程中更有可能发生的压力容器（RPV）侧边破口条件开展蒸汽爆炸计算分析。根据经济合作与发展组织（OECD）发布的现象识别与重要度排序表（PIRT）,选取堆外蒸汽爆炸敏感性分析参数,使用MC3D软件建立三维局部破口和二维环状破口几何模型,对影响计算结果的重要参数（破口尺寸、堆坑水位、破口位置、触发条件、液柱碎化和液滴碎化模型）开展RPV侧边破口条件下敏感性分析,获得最恶劣计算工况条件。敏感性分析结果表明,在大破口失水事故（LBLOCA）工况下,当堆坑处于满水位、RPV发生二维侧边环状破口、接触堆坑侧壁面时触发蒸汽爆炸、采用CONST模型和Classical模型时,堆坑侧壁面的压力载荷计算结果最为保守,对堆坑和安全壳完整性威胁最大。      

Ex-vessel core melt stabilization research (ECOSTAR)

The project on ex-vessel core melt stabilization research (ECOSTAR) started in January 2000 to be concluded by end of 2003. The project is performed by 14 partner institutions from five European countries and involves a large number of experiments with low- and high-temperature simulant melts and real corium at different scales. Model development and scaling analysis allows application of the research results to existing and to future LWRs in the area of reactor design and accident mitigation. The project is oriented toward the analysis and mitigation of severe accident sequences that could occur in the ex-vessel phase of a postulated core melt accident. The issues are: (1) the release of melt form the pressure vessel, (2) the transfer and spreading of the melt on the basement, (3) the analysis of the physical–chemical processes that are important for corium behavior especially during concrete erosion with onset of solidification, and (4) stabilization of the melt by cooling through direct water contact. The results achieved so far resolve a number of important issues: the amount of melt that could be transferred at RPV failure from the RPV into the containment can be substantially reduced by lowering the residual pressure in the primary circuit. It is found that melt dispersion also strongly depends on the location of the RPV failure, and that lateral failure results in substantially less melt dispersion. During melt release, the impinging melt jet could erode parts of the upper basement surface. Jet experiments and a derived heat transfer relation allow estimation of its contribution to concrete erosion. Spreading of the corium melt on the available basement surface is an important process, which defines the initial conditions for concrete attack or for the efficiency of cooling in case of water contact, respectively. Validation of the spreading codes based on a large-scale benchmark experiment is underway and will allow determination of the initial conditions, for which a corium melt can be assumed to spread homogeneously over the available surface. Experiments with UO₂-based corium melts highlight the role of phase segregation during onset of melt solidification and during concrete erosion. To cool the spread corium melt, the efficacy of top flooding and bottom flooding is investigated in small-scale and in large-scale experiments, supported by model developments. Project assessment is continuing to apply the results to present and future reactors.     

FCI experiments in the corium/water system

The KROTOS fuel coolant interaction (FCI) tests are aimed at providing benchmark data to examine the effect of fuel/coolant initial conditions and mixing on explosion energetics. Experiments, fundamental in nature, are performed in well-controlled geometries and are complementary to the FARO large scale tests. Recently, a test series was performed using 3 kg of prototypical corium (80 w/o UO₂, 20 w/o ZrO₂) which was poured into a water column of ≤1.25 m in height (95 and 200 mm in diameter) under 0.1 MPa ambient pressure. Four tests were performed in the test section of 95 mm in diameter (ID) with different subcooling levels (10–80 K) and with and without an external trigger. Additionally, one test has been performed with a test section of 200 mm in diameter (ID) and with an external trigger. No spontaneous or triggered energetic FCIs (steam explosions) were observed in these corium tests. This is in sharp contrast with the steam explosions observed in the previously reported alumina (Al₂O₃) test series which had the same initial conditions of ambient pressure and subcooling. The post-test analysis of the corium experiments indicated that strong vaporisation at the melt/water contact led to a partial expulsion of the melt from the test section into the pressure vessel. In order to avoid this and to obtain a good penetration and premixing of the corium melt, an additional test was performed with a larger diameter test section. In all the corium tests an efficient quenching process (0.8–1.0 MW kg-melt⁻¹) with total fuel fragmentation (mass mean diameter 1.4–2.5 mm) was observed. Results from alumina tests under the same initial conditions are also given to highlight the differences in behaviour between corium and alumina melts during the melt/water mixing.     

Experimental simulation of corium dispersion phenomena in direct containment heating

In a direct containment heating (DCH) accident scenario, the degree of corium dispersion is one of the most significant factors responsible for the reactor containment heating and pressurization. To study the mechanisms of the corium dispersion phenomenon, a DCH separate effect test facility of 1:10 linear scale for Zion PWR geometry is constructed. Experiments are carried out with air-water and air-woods metal simulating steam and molten core materials. The physical process of corium dispersion is studied in detail through various instruments, as well as with flow visualization at several locations. The accident transient begins with the liquid jet discharge at the bottom of the reactor pressure vessel. Once the jet impinges on the cavity bottom floor, it immediately spreads out and moves rapidly to the cavity exit as a film flow. Part of the discharged liquid flows out of the cavity before gas blowdown, and the rest is subjected to the entrainment process due to the high speed gas stream. The liquid film and droplet flows from the reactor cavity will then experience subcompartment trapping and re-entrainment. Consequently, the dispersed liquid droplets that follow the gas stream are transported into the containment atmosphere, resulting in containment heating and pressurization in the prototypic condition. Comprehensive measurements are obtained in this study, including the liquid jet velocity, liquid film thickness and velocity transients in the test cavity, gas velocity and velocity profile in the cavity, droplet size distribution and entrainment rate, and the fraction of dispersed liquid in the containment building. These data are of great importance for better understanding of the corium dispersion mechanisms.     

In-vessel retention of corium at the Loviisa plant

In-vessel retention of corium has been approved to be part of the severe accident management strategy for IVO's Loviisa plant. The approach selected takes advantage of the unique features of the plant such as a low power density, a reactor pressure vessel (RPV) without penetrations at the bottom, and ice-condenser containment which ensures a flooded cavity in all risk significant sequences. The thermal analyses, which are supported by an experimental program, demonstrate that, in Loviisa, the molten corium on the lower head of the RPV is externally coolable with wide margins. This paper summarizes the approach, the thermal analyses and the plant modifications being implemented.     

Experimental results of integral effects tests with 1/10th scale zion subcompartment structures in the Surtsey test facility

Three integral effects tests (IET-1, IET-3, and IET-6) were conducted to investigate the effects of high-pressure melt ejection on direct containment heating. A 1:10 linear scale model of the Zion reactor pressure vessel (RPV), cavity, instrument tunnel, and subcompartment structures were constructed in the Surtsey test facility at Sandia National Laboratories. The RPV was modeled with a melt generator that consisted of a steel pressure barrier, a cast MgO crucible, and a thin steel inner liner. The melt generator/crucible had a hemispherical bottom head containing a graphite limitor plate with a 4 cm exit hole to simulate the ablated hole in the RPV bottom head that would be formed by tube ejection in a severe nuclear power plant accident. The reactor cavity model contained 3.48 kg water with a depth of 0.9 cm that corresponded to condensate levels in the Zion plant. 43 kg iron oxide/aluminum/ chromium thermite was used to simulate molten core debris. The molten thermite in the three tests was driven into the scaled reactor cavity by slightly superheated steam at 7.1, 6.1, and 6.3 MPa for IET-1, IET-3, and IET-6 respectively. The IET-1 atmosphere was pre-inerted with nitrogen, while the IET-3 atmosphere was nitrogen with approximately 9.0 mol% O₂. The IET-6 atmosphere was nitrogen with 9.79 mol% O₂ and 2.59 mol% pre-existing hydrogen. In IET-1, approximately 233 g mol hydrogen were produced but almost none burned because oxygen was not available. In IET-3, approximately 227 g mol hydrogen were produced and 190 g mol burned. In IET-6, approximately 319 g mol hydrogen were produced and 345 g mol burned. The peak pressure increases in the IET-1, IET-3 and IET-6 experiments were 0.098, 0.246, and 0.279 MPa respectively. In IET-3 and IET-6 hydrogen burned as it was pushed out of the subcompartments into the upper region of the Surtsey vessel. In IET-6, although a substantial amount of pre-existing hydrogen burned, it apparently did not burn on a time scale that made a significant contribution to the peak pressure increase in the vessel.     

Controlling and cooling core melts outside the pressure vessel

For future reactors, the control and cooling of ex-vessel corium melts is under consideration to increase the passive safety features even for very unlikely severe accidents. In this context, different research activities are studying ex-vessel corium behaviour and control, including the implementation of a core cooling device outside the reactor pressure vessel in order to prevent basement erosion and to maintain the integrity of the containment. This paper describes current research on key phenomena which must be understood and quantified to be finally controlled by the cooling device. These are the release of corium melt from the pressure vessel, the temporary retention of the melt in the reactor cavity until melt through of the gate, spreading of the melt on a large surface, and finally the cooling and solidification of the melt by direct water contact. The experiments use high temperature melts which are similar to corium melts. Where necessary, models are developed to transfer the results to reactor scale.     

Experiments on the interactions of molten ZrO2 with water using TROI facility

Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) launched an intermediate scale steam explosion experiment named ‘Test for Real cOrium Interaction with water (TROI)’ using reactor material. The objective of the program is to investigate whether the corium would lead to energetic steam explosion when interacted with cold water at a low pressure. The melt/water interaction is made in a multi-dimensional test section located in a pressure vessel. The inductive skull melting, which is basically a direct inductive heating of an electrically conducting melt, is implemented for the melting and delivery of corium. In the first series of tests using several kg of ZrO₂ where the melt/water interaction is made in a heated water pool at 30–95 °C, either a quenching or a spontaneous steam explosion was observed. The spontaneous explosion observed in the present ZrO₂ melt/water experiments clearly indicates that the physical properties of the UO₂/ZrO₂ mixture have a strong effect on the energetics of steam explosion.     

An analysis of containment responses during a station blackout accident

An analysis of the responses of the containment during a station blackout accident is performed for the APR1400 nuclear power plant using MELCOR 2.1. The analysis results show that the containment failure occurs at about 84.14 h. Prior to the failure of the reactor vessel, the containment pressure increases slowly. Then, a rapid increase of the containment pressure occurs when a large amount of hot molten corium is discharged from the reactor pressure vessel to the cavity. The molten corium concrete interaction (MCCI) is arrested when water is flooded over a molten corium in the cavity. The boiling of water in the cavity causes a fast increase in the containment pressure. During the early phase of the accident, a large amount of steam is condensed inside the containment due to the presence of the heat structures. This results in a mitigation of a containment pressure increase. During the late phase, the containment pressure increases gradually due to the addition of steam and gases from an MCCI and water evaporation. It was found that two-thirds of the total mass of steam and gases in the containment is from an MCCI and one-third of the mass is from water evaporation.     

严重事故条件下安全壳响应模拟研究

压水堆核电厂发生严重事故期间,从主系统释放的蒸汽、氢气以及下封头失效后进入安全壳的堆芯熔融物均对安全壳的完整性构成威胁。以国内典型二代加压水堆为研究对象,采用MAAP程序进行安全壳响应分析。选取了两种典型的严重事故序列：热管段中破口叠加设备冷却水失效和再循环高压安注失效,堆芯因冷却不足升温熔化导致压力容器失效,熔融物与混凝土发生反应（MCCI）,安全壳超压失效;冷管段大破口叠加再循环失效,安全壳内蒸汽不断聚集,发生超压失效。通过对两种事故工况的分析,证实了再循环高压安注、安全壳喷淋这两种缓解措施对保证安全壳完整性的重要作用。     

Results of the QUENCH-L2, DISCO-L2, and COMET-L2 experiments performed within the LACOMERA project at the Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe

The LACOMERA project at the Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe, Germany (FZK) is a 4-year action within the 5th Framework Programme of the EU which started in September 2002. Overall objective of the project is to offer research institutions from the EU Member Countries and Associated States access to four large-scale experimental facilities QUENCH, LIVE, DISCO, and COMET. These facilities are being used to investigate core melt scenarios from the beginning of core degradation to melt formation and relocation in the vessel, possible melt dispersion to the reactor cavity, and finally corium concrete interaction and corium coolability in the reactor cavity. The paper summarizes the main results obtained in the following three experiments:QUENCH-L2: boil-off of a flooded bundle. The test is of a generic interest for all reactor types, provided a link between the severe accident and design basis areas, and would deliver oxidation and thermal hydraulic data at high temperatures.DISCO-L2: fluid-dynamic, thermal, and chemical processes during melt ejection out of a breach in the lower head of a pressure vessel of the VVER-1000/320 type of reactor.COMET-L2: investigation of long-term melt-concrete interaction of metallic corium in a cylindrical siliceous concrete cavity under dry conditions with decay heat simulation of intermediate power during the first test phase, and subsequently at reduced power during the second test phase.     

Results of recent KROTOS FCI tests: alumina versus corium melts

Recent results from KROTOS fuel-coolant interaction experiments are discussed. Five tests with alumina were performed under highly subcooled conditions, all of these tests resulted in spontaneous steam explosions. Additionally, four tests were performed at low subcooling to confirm, on one hand, the suppression of spontaneous steam explosions under such conditions and, on the other hand, that such a system is still triggerable using an external initiator. The other test parameters in these alumina tests included the melt superheat and the initial pressure. All the tests in the investigated superheat range (150–750 K) produced a steam explosion and no evidence of the explosion suppression by the elevated initial pressure (in the limited range of 0.1–0.375 MPa) was observed in the alumina tests. The corium test series include a test with 3 kg of melt under both subcooled and near saturated conditions at ambient pressure. Two additional tests were performed with subcooled water; one test was performed at an elevated pressure of 0.2 MPa with 2.4 kg of melt and another test with 5.1 kg of melt at ambient pressure. None of these tests with corium produced a propagating energetic steam explosion. However, propagating low energy (about twice the energy of the trigger pulse) events were observed. All corium tests produced significantly higher water level swells during the mixing phase than the corresponding alumina tests. Present experimental evidence suggests that the water depletion in the mixing zone suppresses energetic steam explosions with corium melts at ambient pressure and in the present pour geometry. Processes that could produce such a difference in void generation are discussed.     

Recursively coupled thermal and mechanical FEM-analysis of lower plenum creep failure experiments

Postulating an unlikely core melt down accident for a light water reactor (LWR), the possible failure mode of the reactor pressure vessel (RPV) and its failure time have to be investigated for a determination of the load conditions for subsequent containment analyses. Worldwide several experiments have been performed in this field accompanied with material properties evaluation, theoretical, and numerical work.     

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.     

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。     

真实表面材料及其老化效应对反应堆压力容器ERVC-CHF影响的试验研究

通过反应堆压力容器外部冷却（ERVC）实现熔融物堆内滞留（IVR）技术是核电厂严重事故缓解的重要措施之一。在本文的研究中,建立了二维切片式、全尺寸的试验台架FIRM,开展严重事故条件下反应堆压力容器ERVC-临界热流密度（CHF）试验研究。试验采用去离子水作为试验工质,获得了反应堆压力容器下封头ERVC过程的CHF限值。研究了真实表面材料对CHF的影响及其影响机理,讨论了在去离子水下表面材料SA508 Gr3. Cl.1钢的老化效应。本试验研究对于认识反应堆压力容器IVR-ERVC条件下的CHF行为、提高反应堆压力容器安全性有重要意义。     

Simulation of the physical effects of the interaction of molten fuel with the coolant

Conclusions The method proposed makes it possible to obtain computational estimates of the intensity of a steam explosion inside a reactor vessel and in the space below the reactor inside the melt trap. The computational investigations of the intensity of a steam explosion inside a VVéR vessel in the most likely scenario of a serious accident with efflux of melt into the bottom pressurized chamber show that under certain conditions a high pressure capable of destroying separate structural elements can develop. The mass of the interacting melt, the initial temperature, the fragmentation time, and the final size of the fragments, as well as the type of contact realized, have the greatest effect on the intensity of the steam explosion. Local steam explosions in pipes of the melt trap have a relatively low intensity and cannot have a large effect on the construction in the space below the reactor and on the containment envelope. Deceased. State Science Center of the Russian Federation — Physics and Power Engineering Institute. Translated from Atomnaya énergiya, Vol. 80, No. 1, pp. 3–10, January, 1996.