Assessment of RELAP/SCDAPSIM for Turbine Trip Transient in NuScale-SMR

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katarzyna Skolik ◽  
Anuj Trivedi ◽  
Marina Perez-Ferragut ◽  
Chris Allison
Keyword(s):  
Natural Circulation ◽  
System Modeling ◽  
Thermal Power ◽  
Reactor Core ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Severe Accident ◽  
Circulation System ◽  
Pressurized Water Reactor ◽  
Pressurized Water ◽  
Secondary Steam

The NuScale Small Modular Reactor (SMR) is an integrated Pressurized Water Reactor (iPWR) with the coolant flow based on the natural circulation. The reactor core consists of 37 fuel assemblies similar to those used in typical PWRs, but only half of their length to generate 160MW thermal power (50 MWe). Current study involves the development of a NuScale-SMR model based on its Design Certification Application (DCA) data (from NRC) using RELAP/SCDAPSIM. The turbine trip transient (TTT) was simulated and analysed. The objective was to assess this version of the code for natural circulation system modeling capabilities and also to verify the input model against the publicly available TTT results obtained using NRELAP5. This successful benchmark confirms the reliability of the thermal hydraulic model and allows authors to use it for further safety and severe accident analyses. The reactor core channels, pressurizer, riser and downcomer pipes as well as the secondary steam generator tubes and the containment were modeled with RELAP5 components. SCDAP core and control components were used for the fuel elements in the core. The final input deck achieved the steady state with the operating conditions comparable to those reported in the DCA. RELAP/SCDAPSIM predictions are found to be satisfactory and comparable to the reference study. It confirms the code code capabilities for natural circulation system transients.

scholarly journals Simulation of the Westinghouse AP1000 Response to SBLOCA Using RELAP/SCDAPSIM

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ayah Elshahat ◽  
Timothy Abram ◽  
Judith Hohorst ◽  
Chris Allison
Keyword(s):  
Driving Forces ◽  
Natural Circulation ◽  
Safety System ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Severe Accident ◽  
Passive Safety ◽  
System Component ◽  
Pressurized Water ◽  
Loss Of Coolant Accident ◽  
Accident Conditions

Great interest is given now to advanced nuclear reactors especially those using passive safety components. The Westinghouse AP1000 Advanced Passive pressurized water reactor (PWR) is an 1117 MWe PWR designed to achieve a high safety and performance record. The AP1000 safety system uses natural driving forces, such as pressurized gas, gravity flow, natural circulation flow, and convection. In this paper, the safety performance of the AP1000 during a small break loss of coolant accident (SBLOCA) is investigated. This was done by modelling the AP1000 and the passive safety systems employed using RELAP/SCDAPSIM code. RELAP/SCDAPSIM is designed to describe the overall reactor coolant system (RCS) thermal hydraulic response and core behaviour under normal operating conditions or under design basis or severe accident conditions. Passive safety components in the AP1000 showed a clear improvement in accident mitigation. It was found that RELAP/SCDAPSIM is capable of modelling a LOCA in an AP1000 and it enables the investigation of each safety system component response separately during the accident. The model is also capable of simulating natural circulation and other relevant phenomena. The results of the model were compared to that of the NOTRUMP code and found to be in a good agreement.

CFD Predictions of Severe Accident Steam Generator Flows in a 1/7th Scale Pressurized Water Reactor

2002 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Boyd ◽  
Kelly Hardesty
Keyword(s):  
Steam Generator ◽  
Natural Circulation ◽  
Severe Accident ◽  
Pressurized Water Reactor ◽  
Pressurized Water ◽  
Steam Generator Tube ◽  
Flow Phenomena ◽  
Experimental Values ◽  
High Degree ◽  
Side Flow

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) is applied to steam generator inlet plenum mixing as part of a larger plan covering steam generator tube integrity. The technique is verified by comparing predicted results with severe accident natural circulation data [1] from a 1/7th scale Westinghouse facility. This exercise demonstrates that the technique can predict the natural circulation and mixing phenomena relevant to steam generator tube integrity issues. The model includes primary side flow paths for a single hot leg and steam generator. Qualitatively, the experimentally observed flow phenomena are predicted. The paths of the natural circulation flows and the relative flow proportions are correctly predicted. Quantitatively, comparisons are made with temperatures, mass flows, and other parameters. All predictions are generally within 10% of the experimental values. Overall, there is a high degree of confidence in the CFD technique for prediction of the relevant flow phenomena associated with this type of severe accident sequence.

The CANDLE burnup strategy applied to small modular pressurized water reactor loading with fully ceramic microencapsulated fuel

Kerntechnik ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jinfeng Huang ◽  
Jiaming Jiang
Keyword(s):  
Equilibrium State ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Reactor Core ◽  
Severe Accident ◽  
Pressurized Water Reactor ◽  
Pressurized Water ◽  
Water Reactor ◽  
The Core ◽  
Core Height ◽  
Optimization Schemes

Abstract For post-Fukushima nuclear power plants, there has been interested in accident-tolerant fuel (ATF) since it has better tolerant in the event of a severe accident. The fully ceramic microencapsulated (FCM) fuel is one kind of the ATF materials. In this study, the small modular pressurized water reactor (PWR) loading with FCM fuels was investigated, and the modified Constant Axial shape of Neutron flux, nuclide number densities and power shape During Life of Energy producing reactor (CANDLE) burnup strategy was successfully applied to such compact reactor core. To obtain ideal CANDLE shape, it’s necessary to set the infinity or enough length of the core height, but that is impossible for small compact core setting infinity or enough length of the core height. Due to the compact and finite core, the equilibrium state can only be maintained short periods and is not obvious, other than infinitely long active core to reach the long equilibrium state for ideal CANDLE. Consequently, the modified CANDLE shape would be presented. The approximate characteristics of CANDLE burnup are observed in the finite and compact core, and the power density and fuel burnup are selected as main characteristic of modified CANDLE burnup. In this study, firstly, lots of optimization schemes were discussed, and one of optimization schemes was chosen at last to demonstrate the modified CANDLE burnup strategy. Secondly, for chosen compact small rector core, the modified CANDLE burnup strategy is applied and presented. Consequently, the new characteristics of this reactor core can be discovered both in ignition region and in fertile region. The results show that application of CANDLE burnup strategy to small modular PWR loading with FCM fuels suppresses the excess reactivity effectively and reduces the risk of small PWR reactivity-induced accidents during the whole core life, which makes the reactor control more safety and simple.

On Different Break Section of LOCA Cases

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peiqi Liu ◽  
Tao Yu ◽  
Hongyan Yang
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Reactor Core ◽  
Severe Accident ◽  
Mitigation Measures ◽  
Good Time ◽  
Pressurized Water Reactor ◽  
Pressurized Water ◽  
Primary Loop ◽  
Severe Accidents ◽  
Unit Model

A typical 1000MW pressurized-water reactor (PWR) unit model of China’s living nuclear power plant (NPP) units is built based on MAAP4[1] in this paper. Different severe accidents cases caused by different LOCA area on hot leg of primary loop are studied. And different mitigation measures are focused to evaluated their effectiveness. The study indicates that during the accident, the larger broken area LOCA case caused the more severe rector core damaged. However, it is important to inject water into the reactor core in good time. And that can mitigate the severe accident progress effectively.

scholarly journals A RELAP5 model for the thermal-hydraulic analysis of a typical pressurized water reactor

2010 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 79-88 ◽  
Author(s):  
Said Agamy ◽  
Adul Metwally ◽  
Mohammad Al-Ramady ◽  
Sayed Elaraby
Keyword(s):  
Power Plants ◽  
Natural Circulation ◽  
Reactor Core ◽  
Cooling Water ◽  
Pressurized Water Reactor ◽  
Hydraulic Analysis ◽  
Pressurized Water ◽  
Water Reactor ◽  
Operator Action ◽  
Thermal Hydraulic Analysis

This study describes a RELAP5 computer code for thermal-hydraulic analysis of a typical pressurized water reactor. RELAP5 is used to calculate the thermal hydraulic characteristics of the reactor core and the primary loop under steady-state and hypothetical accidents conditions. New designs of nuclear power plants are directed to increase safety by many methods like reducing the dependence on active parts (such as safety pumps, fans, and diesel generators ) and replacing them with passive features (such as gravity draining of cooling water from tanks, and natural circulation of water and air). In this work, high and medium pressure injection pumps are replaced by passive injection components. Different break sizes in cold leg pipe are simulated to analyze to what degree the plant is safe (without any operator action) by using only these passive components. Also station blackout accident is simulated and the time response of operator action has been discussed.

The Gamma Radiation Emitted by a PWR Core Under Severe Accident Conditions

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carsten Brachem ◽  
Jörg Konheiser ◽  
Uwe Hampel
Keyword(s):  
Gamma Radiation ◽  
Nuclear Reactor ◽  
Reactor Core ◽  
Feasibility Studies ◽  
Severe Accident ◽  
Pressurized Water Reactor ◽  
Pressurized Water ◽  
Radiation Distribution ◽  
University Of Applied Sciences ◽  
Accident Conditions

The gamma radiation emitted by a nuclear reactor core might contain information about the reactor state. This information may be used in a monitoring system for severe accidents. The Technische Universität Dresden and the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences are currently carrying out feasibility studies for the development of such a system in a collaborative effort. As one part of such feasibility studies we performed Monte Carlo simulations on a simplified model of a generic pressurized water reactor. For a set of states which represent scenarios of a coolant level decrease and core melt, the gamma radiation distribution outside the reactor pressure vessel has been computed. The results are presented in this paper. They indicate that different coolant levels yield different gamma radiation distributions, and that an accumulation of corium inside the lower head is detectable from the outside.

scholarly journals Investigation of TASS/SMR Capability to Predict a Natural Circulation in the Test Facility for an Integral Reactor

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Young-Jong Chung ◽  
Sung-Won Lim ◽  
Kyoo-Hwan Bae
Keyword(s):  
Natural Circulation ◽  
Thermal Power ◽  
Test Facility ◽  
Pressurized Water Reactor ◽  
Integral Type ◽  
Low Velocity ◽  
Pressurized Water ◽  
Safety Improvement ◽  
Safety Features ◽  
Integral Reactor

System-integrated modular advanced reactor (SMART) is a small-sized advanced integral type pressurized water reactor (PWR) with a rated thermal power of 330 MW. It can produce 100 MW of electricity or 90 MW of electricity and 40,000 ton of desalinated water concurrently, which is sufficient for 100,000 residents. The design features contributing to safety enhancement are basically inherent safety improvement and passive safety features. TASS/SMR code was developed for an analysis of design based events and accidents in an integral type reactor reflecting the characteristics of the SMART design. The main purpose of the code is to analyze all relevant phenomena and processes. The code should be validated using experimental data in order to confirm prediction capability. TASS/SMR predicts well the overall thermal-hydraulic behavior under various natural circulation conditions at the experimental test facility for an integral reactor. A pressure loss should be provided a function of Reynolds number at low velocity conditions in order to simulate the mass flow rate well under natural circulations.

CFD Analysis of the Coolant Mixing within the Upper Plenum of a Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR)

2013 ◽  
Vol 444-445 ◽  
pp. 411-415 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fu Cheng Zhang ◽  
Shen Gen Tan ◽  
Xun Hao Zheng ◽  
Jun Chen
Keyword(s):  
Temperature Distribution ◽  
Fluid Dynamic ◽  
Characteristic Temperature ◽  
Reactor Core ◽  
Flow Distribution ◽  
Sensitivity Study ◽  
Cfd Model ◽  
Pressurized Water Reactor ◽  
Pressurized Water ◽  
Water Reactor

In this study, a Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) model is established to obtain the 3-D flow characteristic, temperature distribution of the pressurized water reactor (PWR) upper plenum and hot-legs. In the CFD model, the flow domain includes the upper plenum, the 61 control rod guide tubes, the 40 support columns, the three hot-legs. The inlet boundary located at the exit of the reactor core and the outlet boundary is set at the hot-leg pipes several meters away from upper plenum. The temperature and flow distribution at the inlet boundary are given by sub-channel codes. The computational mesh used in the present work is polyhedron element and a mesh sensitivity study is performed. The RANS equations for incompressible flow is solved with a Realizable k-ε turbulence model using the commercial CFD code STAR-CCM+. The analysis results show that the flow field of the upper plenum is very complex and the temperature distribution at inlet boundary have significant impact to the coolant mixing in the upper plenum as well as the hot-legs. The detailed coolant mixing patterns are important references to design the reactor core fuel management and the internal structure in upper plenum.

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