• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.44 no.7
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• pp.719-726
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• 2012

The object of this work is the validation and assessment of the TRACE v5.0 code using the scaled test ATLAS1 facility in the context of a DVI2 line break. In particular, the experiment selected models the 50%, 6-inch break of a DVI line. The same experiment was also adopted as a reference test in the ISP-503. The ISP-50 was proposed to, and accepted by, the OECD/NEA/CSNI due to its technical importance in the development of a best-estimate of safety analysis methodology for DVI line break accidents. In particular, the behavior of the two-phase flow in the upper annulus downcomer was expected to be complicated. What resulted was the need for relevant models to be implemented into safety analysis codes, in order to predict these thermal hydraulic phenomena correctly.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.44 no.7
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• pp.727-734
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• 2012

A new advanced safety feature of DVI+ (Direct Vessel Injection Plus) for the APR+ (Advanced Power Reactor Plus), to mitigate the ECC (Emergency Core Cooling) bypass fraction and to prevent switching an ECC outlet to a break flow inlet during a DVI line break, is presented for an advanced DVI system. In the current DVI system, the ECC water injected into the downcomer is easily shifted to the broken cold leg by a high steam cross flow which comes from the intact cold legs during the late reflood phase of a LBLOCA (Large Break Loss Of Coolant Accident)For the new DVI+ system, an ECBD (Emergency Core Barrel Duct) is installed on the outside of a core barrel cylinder. The ECBD has a gap (From the core barrel wall to the ECBD inner wall to the radial direction) of 3/25~7/25 of the downcomer annulus gap. The DVI nozzle and the ECBD are only connected by the ECC water jet, which is called a hydrodynamic water bridge, during the ECC injection period. Otherwise these two components are disconnected from each other without any pipes inside the downcomer. The ECBD is an ECC downward isolation flow sub-channel which protects the ECC water from the high speed steam crossflow in the downcomer annulus during a LOCA event. The injected ECC water flows downward into the lower downcomer through the ECBD without a strong entrainment to a steam cross flow. The outer downcomer annulus of the ECBD is the major steam flow zone coming from the intact cold leg during a LBLOCA. During a DVI line break, the separated DVI nozzle and ECBD have the effect of preventing the level of the cooling water from being lowered in the downcomer due to an inlet-outlet reverse phenomenon at the lowest position of the outlet of the ECBD.

• Proceedings of the Korean Nuclear Society Conference
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• 2002.05a
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• pp.148.2-148
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• 2002

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.41 no.5
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• pp.655-676
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• 2009

The first-ever integral effect test for simulating a guillotine break of a DVI (Direct Vessel Injection) line of the APR1400 was carried out with the ATLAS (Advanced Thermal-hydraulic Test Loop for Accident Simulation) from the same prototypic pressure and temperature conditions as those of the APR1400. The major thermal hydraulic behaviors during a DVI line break accident were identified and investigated experimentally. A method for estimating the break flow based on a balance between the change in RCS inventory and the injection flow is proposed to overcome a direct break low measurement deficiency. A post-test calculation was performed with a best-estimate safety analysis code MARS 3.1 to examine its prediction capability and to identify any code deficiencies for the thermal hydraulic phenomena occurring during the DVI line break accidents. On the whole, the prediction of the MARS code shows a good agreement with the measured data. However, the code predicted a higher core level than did the data just before a loop seal clearing occurs, leading to no increase in the peak cladding temperature. The code also produced a more rapid decrease in the downcomer water level than was predicted by the data. These observable disagreements are thought to be caused by uncertainties in predicting countercurrent flow or condensation phenomena in a downcomer region. The present integral effect test data will be used to support the present conservative safety analysis methodology and to develop a new best-estimate safety analysis methodology for DVI line break accidents of the APR1400.

• Proceedings of the Korean Nuclear Society Conference
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• 1996.05b
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• pp.417-422
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• 1996

The KNGR has an advanced ECCS design feature which employs four mechanically-separated SI trains where each train consisting of one HPSI pump and one SIT injects ECC water directly into the reactor vessel downcomer annulus. To demonstrate that the KNGR ECCS design features meet the EPRI ALWR requirements of no core uncovery for a break of up to 6 inch diameter, small break LOCA cases with various break sizes were analyzed using a best-estimate analytical procedure. Two kinds of break locations are considered: cold leg and DVI line breaks. It was observed that the KNGR ECC design can tolerate a cold leg break of up to 10 inches with no core uncovery. However. since DVI line break with 6 inch diameter undergoes slight core uncovery. further investigation is required for KNGR SIS optimization.

• Proceedings of the Korean Nuclear Society Conference
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• 2003.05a
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• pp.116.1-116.1
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• 2003

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.41 no.5
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• pp.691-708
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• 2009

In order to analyze thermal hydraulic phenomena during a DVI (Direct Vessel Injection) line break LOCA (Loss-of-Coolant Accident) in the APR1400 (Advanced Power Reactor 1400 MWe), we performed experimental studies with the SNUF (Seoul National University Facility), a reduced-height and reduce-pressure integral test loop with a scaled down APR1400. We performed experiments dealing with eight test cases under varied tests. As a result of the experiment, the primary system pressure, the coolant temperature, and the occurrence time of the downcomer seal clearing were affected significantly by the thermal power in the core and the SI flow rate. The break area played a dominant role in the vent of the steam. For our analytical investigation, we used the MARS code for simulation of the experiments to validate the calculation capability of the code. The results of the analysis showed good and sufficient agreement with the results of the experiment. However, the analysis revealed a weak capability in predicting the bypass flow of the SI water toward the broken DVI line, and it was insufficient to simulate the streamline contraction in the broken side. We, hence, need to improve the MARS code.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.63-77
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• 1994

The objective of this work is to investigate fluid mixing phenomena related to pressurized thermal shock(PTS) in a pressurized water reactor(PWR) vessel downcomer during transient cooldown with direct vessel injection(DVI) using test models. The test model designs were based on ABB Combustion Engineering(C-E) System 80＋ reactor geometry. A cold leg small break loss-of-coolant accident(LOCA) md a main steam line teak were selected as the potential PTS events for the C-E System 80＋. This work consist of two parts. The first part provides the visualization tests of the fluid mixing between DVI fluid and existing coolant in the downcomer region, and the second part is to compare the results of thermal mixing tests with DVI in the other test model. Row visualization tests with DVI have clarified the physical interaction between DVI fluid and primary coolant during transient cooldown. A significant temperature drop was observed in the downcomer during the tests of a small break LOCA Measured transient temperature profiles agree well with the predictions by the REMIX code for a small break LOCA and with the calculations by the COMMIX-1B code for a steam line break event.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.44 no.6
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• pp.587-596
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• 2012

The present paper deals with the participation of the University of Pisa in the last International Standard Problem (ISP) focused on system thermal hydraulic, which was led by the Korean Atomic Energy Research Institution (KAERI). The selected test was a Direct Vessel Injection (DVI) line break carried out at the ATLAS facility. University of Pisa participated, together with other eighteen institutions, in both blind and open phase of the analytical exercise pursuing its methodology for developing and qualifying a nodalization. Qualitative and quantitative analysis of the code results have been performed for both ISP-50 phases, the latter adopting the Fast Fourier Transfer Based Method (FFTBM). The experiment has been characterized by three-dimensional behavior in downcomer and core region. Even though an attempt to reproduce these phenomena, by developing a fictitious three-dimensional nodalization has been realized, the obtained results were generally acceptable but not fully satisfactory in replicating 3D behavior.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.44 no.7
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• pp.709-718
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• 2012

The pressurized water reactor APR1400 adopts DVI (Direct Vessel Injection) for the emergency cooling water in the upper downcomer annulus. The International Standard Problem number 50 (ISP-50) was launched with the aim to investigate thermal hydraulic phenomena during a 50% DVI line break scenario with best estimate codes making use of the experimental data available from the ATLAS facility located at KAERI. The present work describes the calculation results obtained for the ISP-50 using the RELAP5/MOD3.3 system code. The work aims at validation and assessment of the code to reproduce the observed phenomena and investigate about its limitations to predict complicated mixing phenomena between the subcooled emergency cooling water and the two-phase flow in the downcomer. The obtained results show that the overall trends of the main test variables are well reproduced by the calculations. In particular, the pressure in the primary system show excellent agreement with the experiment. The loop seal clearance phenomenon was observed in the calculation and it was found to have an important influence on the transient progression. Moreover, the collapsed water levels in the core are accurately reproduced in the simulations. However, the drop in the downcomer level before the activation of the DVI from safety injection tanks was underestimated due to multi-dimensional phenomena in the downcomer that are not properly captured by one-dimensional simulations.