It has been identified that the pressure in the reactor coolant system (RCS) remains high in some severe accident sequences at the time of reactor vessel failure, with the risk of causing direct containment heating (DCH). Intentional depressurization is an effective accident management strategy to prevent DCH or to mitigate its effects. Fission product behavior is affected by intentional depressurization, especially for inert gas and volatile fission product. Because the pressurizer power-operated relief valves (PORVs) are latched open, fission product will transport into the containment directly. This may cause larger radiological consequences in containment before reactor vessel failure. Four cases are selected, including the TMLB’ base case and opening one, two and three pressurizer PORVs. The results show that inert gas transports into containment more quickly when opening one and two PORVs, but more slowly when opening three PORVs; more volatile fission product deposit in containment and less in reactor coolant system (RCS) for intentional depressurization cases. When opening one PORV, the phenomena of revaporization is strong in the RCS.
VICTORIA: A mechanistic model of radionuclide behavior in the reactor coolant system under severe accident conditions