• Title/Summary/Keyword: Detonation failure

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CORIUM COOLABILITY UNDER EX-VESSEL ACCIDENT CONDITIONS FOR LWRs

  • Farmer, Mitchell T.;Kilsdonk, Dennis J.;Aeschlimann, Robert W.
    • Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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    • v.41 no.5
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    • pp.575-602
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    • 2009
  • In the wake of the Three Mile Island accident, vigorous research efforts were initiated to acquire a basic knowledge of the progression and consequences of accidents that involve a substantial degree of core degradation and melting. The primary emphasis of this research was placed on containment integrity, with: i) hydrogen combustion-detonation, ii) steam explosion, iii) direct containment heating (DCH), and iv) melt attack on the BWR Mark-I containment shell identified as energetic processes that could lead to early containment failure (i.e., within the first 24 hours of the accident). Should the core melt fail the reactor vessel, then non-condensable gas production from Molten Core-Concrete Interaction (MCCI) was identified as a mechanism that could fail the containment by pressurization over the long term. One signification question that arose as part of this investigation was the effectiveness of water in terminating an MCCI by flooding the interacting masses from above, thereby quenching the molten core debris and rendering it permanently coolable. Successful quenching of the core melt would prevent basemat melt through, as well as continued containment pressurization by non-condensable gas production, and so the accident progression would be successfully terminated without release of radioactivity to the environment. Based on these potential merits, ex-vessel corium coolability has been the focus of extensive research over the last 20 years as a potential accident management strategy for current plants. In addition, outcomes from this research have impacted the accident management strategies for the Gen III+LWR plant designs that are currently being deployed around the world. This paper provides: i) an historical overview of corium coolability research, ii) summarizes the current status of research in this area, and iii) highlights trends in severe accident management strategies that have evolved based on the findings from this work.

Experimental Study on Blast Resistance Improvement of RC Panels by FRP Retrofitting (철근콘크리트 패널의 FRP 보강에 의한 방폭 성능 향상에 관한 실험 연구)

  • Ha, Ju-Hyung;Yi, Na-Hyun;Kim, Sung-Bae;Choi, Jong-Kwon;Kim, Jang-Ho Jay
    • Journal of the Korea Concrete Institute
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    • v.22 no.1
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    • pp.93-102
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    • 2010
  • Recently, FRP usage for strengthening RC structures in civil engineering has been increasing. Especially, the use of FRP to strengthen structures against blast loading is growing rapidly. To estimate FRP retrofitting effect under blast loading, blast tests with nine $1,000{\times}1,000{\times}150\;mm$ RC panel specimens, which were retrofitted with carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP), Polyurea, CFRP with Poly-urea and basalt fiber reinforced polymer (BFRP) have been carried out. The applied blast load was generated by the detonation of 15.88 kg ANFO explosive charge at 1.5 m standoff distance. The data acquisitions not only included blast waves of incident pressure, reflected pressure, and impulse, but also included central deflection and strains at steel, concrete, and FRP surfaces. The failure mode of each specimen was observed and compared with a control specimen. From the test results, the blast resistance of each retrofit material was determined. The test results of each retrofit material will provide the basic information for preliminary selection of retrofit material to achieve the target retrofit performance and protection level.