Assessment of the Dynamic Loads Applied to the RBMK-1000 Subreactor Room Walls and Slab during Vapor Explosion

Vestnik MEI ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 29-36
Author(s):  
Aleksey M. Osipov ◽  
◽  
Aleksandr V. Ryabov ◽  
Darya V. Finoshkina ◽  
◽  
...  

One of the conditions for the safe operation of a nuclear power plant (NPP) unit is a comprehensive design and experimental justification of its failure-free operation in all operating modes and limitation of accident radiation consequences, including those in the case of severe beyond design basis accidents. According to the nuclear power industry development plans in Russia, new NPPs equipped with RBMK-1000 reactors are not supposed to be constructed in the future. Although the assigned service life of RBMK-1000 based power units that remain in operation is close to expiration, these power units account for most of the electricity generation in the total amount of nuclear power capacities in Russia (about 40%); therefore, the relevant industry organizations have decided to extend their operation. This article analyzes the severe accident evolvement scenario at an RBMK-based NPP during the stage of severe core damage, in the course of which fuel-containing masses collapse into the subreactor space filled with water. Once fuel-containing masses emerge in the sub-reactor room, they come in interaction with the reactor base concrete. There is a potential danger of the concrete floor slab melting and the corium collapsing into the bubbler pool water. The main strategy foreseen for keeping the molten core within the reactor space boundaries involves decay heat removal from the reactor and cooling of the support metal structures by supplying water. However, the filling of the subreactor space with liquid may give rise to conditions under which vapor explosion can occur. The maximum dynamic impact applied to the RBMK-1000 subreactor room walls in the event of possible interaction between the molten corium and water during a severe beyond design basis accident is estimated. It is shown that when the corium melt interacts with a large amount of water in the subreactor room, the kinetic energy of the resulting water vapor is sufficient to cause significant destruction of the power unit building. When the water level in the subreactor room falls below one meter, the destruction hazard becomes less probable. The mass of hydrogen released as a result of the interaction is also estimated.

Author(s):  
Sheng Zhu

Double ended break of direct vessel injection line (DEDVI) is the most typical small-break lost of coolant accident (LOCA) in AP 1000 nuclear power plant. This study simulated the DEDVI (without actuation of automatic depressurization system 1–3 stage valves, accumulators and passive residual heat removal heat exchanger) beyond design basis accident (BDBA) to validate the safety capability of AP1000 under such conditions. The results show that the core will be uncovered for about 863 seconds and then recovered by water after gravity injection from IRWST into the pressure vessel. The peak cladding temperature (PCT) goes up to 838.08°C, much lower than the limiting value 1204°C. This study confirms that in the DEDVI beyond design basis accident, the passive core cooling system (PXS) can effectually cool the core and preserve it integrate, and ensure the safety of AP 1000 nuclear power plant.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haiying Chen ◽  
Shaowei Wang ◽  
Xinlu Tian ◽  
Fudong Liu

Abstract The loss of coolant accident (LOCA) is one of the typical design basis accidents for nuclear power plant. Radionuclides leak to the environment and cause harm to the public in LOCA. Accurate evaluation of radioactivity and radiation dose in accident is crucial. The radioactivity and radiation dose model in LOCA were established, and used to analyze the radiological consequence at exclusion area boundary (EAB) and the outer boundary of low population zone (LPZ) for Hualong 1. The results indicated that the long half-life nuclides, such as 131I, 133I, 135I, 85Kr, 131mXe, 133mXe and 133Xe, released to environment continuously, while the short half-life nuclides, such as 132I, 134I, 83mKr, 85mKr, 87Kr, 88Kr, 135mXe and 138Xe, no longer released to environment after a few hours in LOCA. 133Xe may release the largest radioactivity to environment, more than 1015Bq. Inhalation dose was the major contribution to the total effective dose. The total effective dose and thyroid dose of Hualong 1 at EAB and the outer boundary of LPZ fully met the requirements of Chinese GB6249.


2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander Vasiliev

During postulated design-basis or beyond-design-basis accident at nuclear power plant with PWR or BWR, the high temperature oxidation of Zr-based fuel claddings in H2O-O2-N2 gas atmosphere could take place. Recent experimental observations showed that the oxidation of those claddings in the air (or, more generally, in oxygen-nitrogen and steam-nitrogen mixtures) behaves in much more aggressive way (linear or enhanced parabolic kinetics) compared to oxidation in pure steam (standard parabolic kinetics). This is why an advanced model of Zr-based cladding oxidation was developed. For calculations of cladding oxidation in oxygen-nitrogen and steam-nitrogen mixtures, the effective oxygen diffusion coefficient in ZrO2+ZrN layer formed in cladding is used. The diffusion coefficient enhancement factor depends on ZrN content in ZrO2+ZrN layer. A numerical scheme was realized to determine ZrO2+ZrN/α-Zr(O) and α-Zr(O)/β-Zr layers boundaries relocation and layers transformations in claddings. The model was implemented to the SOCRAT best estimate computer modeling code. The SOCRAT code with advanced model of oxidation was successfully used for calculations of separate effects tests and air ingress integral experiments QUENCH-10, QUENCH-16 and PARAMETER-SF4.


Author(s):  
Wang Ziguan ◽  
Lu Fang ◽  
Yang Benlin ◽  
Chen Shi ◽  
Hu Lingsheng

Abstract Risk-informed design approaches are comprehensively implemented in the design and verification process of HPR1000 nuclear power plant. Particularly, Level 2 PSA is applied in the optimization of severe accident prevention and mitigation measures to avoid the extravagant redundancy of system configurations. HPR1000 preliminary level 2 PSA practices consider internal events of the reactor in the context of at-power condition. Severe accidents mitigation and prevention system and its impact on the overall large release frequency (LRF) level are evaluated. The results showed that severe accident prevention and mitigation systems, such as fast depressurization system, the cavity injection system and the passive containment heat removal system perform well in reducing LRF and overall risk level of HPR1000 NPP. Bypass events, reactor rapture events, and the containment bottom melt-through induced by MCCI are among the dominant factors of the LRF. The level 2 PSA analysis results indicate that HPR1000 design is reliable with no major weaknesses.


Author(s):  
Tamás János Katona ◽  
András Vilimi

Paks Nuclear Power Plant identified the post-Fukushima actions for mitigation and management of severe accidents caused by external events that include updating of some hazard assessments, evaluation of capacity / margins of existing severe accident management facilities, and construction of some mew systems and facilities. In all cases, the basic question was, what level of margin has to be ensured above design basis external hazard effects, and what level of or hazard has to be taken for the design. Paks Nuclear Power Plant developed certain an applicable in the practice concept for the qualification of already implemented and design the new post-Fukushima measures that is outlined in the paper. The concept and practice is presented on several examples.


Author(s):  
Arcadii E. Kisselev ◽  
Valerii F. Strizhov ◽  
Alexander D. Vasiliev ◽  
Vladimir I. Nalivayev ◽  
Nikolay Ya. Parshin

The PARAMETER-SF3 test conditions simulated a severe LOCA (Loss of Coolant Accident) nuclear power plant sequence in which the overheated up to 1700÷2300K core would be reflooded from the top and the bottom in occasion of ECCS (Emergency Core Cooling System) recovery. The test was successfully conducted at the NPO “LUTCH”, Podolsk, Russia, in October 31, 2008, and was the third of four experiments of series PARAMETER-SF. PARAMETER facility of NPO “LUTCH”, Podolsk, is designed for studies of the VVER fuel assemblies behavior under conditions simulating design basis, beyond design basis and severe accidents. The test bundle was made up of 19 fuel rod simulators with a length of approximately 3.12 m (heated rod simulators) and 2.92 m (unheated rod simulator). Heating was carried out electrically using 4-mm-diameter tantalum heating elements installed in the center of the rods and surrounded by annular UO2 pellets. The rod cladding was identical to that used in VVERs: Zr1%Nb, 9.13 mm outside diameter, 0.7 mm wall thickness. After the maximum cladding temperature of about 1900K was reached in the bundle during PARAMETER-SF3 test, the top flooding was initiated. The thermal hydraulic and SFD (Severe Fuel Damage) best estimate numerical complex SOCRAT/V2 was used for the calculation of PARAMETER-SF3 experiment. The counter-current flow limitation (CCFL) model was implemented to best estimate numerical code SOCRAT/V2 developed for modeling thermal hydraulics and severe accident phenomena in a reactor. Thermal hydraulics in PARAMETER-SF3 experiment played very important role and its adequate modeling is important for the thermal analysis. The results obtained by the complex SOCRAT/V2 were compared with experimental data concerning different aspects of thermal hydraulics behavior including the CCFL phenomenon during the reflood. The temperature experimental data were found to be in a good agreement with calculated results. It is indicative of the adequacy of modeling the complicated thermo-hydraulic behavior in the PARAMETER-SF3 test.


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