• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제50권8호
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• pp.1412-1420
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• 2018

An experiment was performed using the large-scale test facility (LSTF), which simulated a 1% vessel upper head small-break loss-of-coolant accident with an accident management (AM) measure under an assumption of total-failure of high-pressure injection (HPI) system in a pressurized water reactor (PWR). In the LSTF test, liquid level in the upper head affected break flow rate. Coolant was manually injected from the HPI system into cold legs as the AM measure when the maximum core exit temperature reached 623 K. The cladding surface temperature largely increased due to late and slow response of the core exit thermocouples. The AM measure was confirmed to be effective for the core cooling. The RELAP5/MOD3.3 code indicated insufficient prediction of primary coolant distribution. The author conducted uncertainty analysis for the LSTF test employing created phenomena identification and ranking table for each component. The author clarified that peak cladding temperature was largely dependent on the combination of multiple uncertain parameters within the defined uncertain ranges.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제29권3호
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• pp.229-239
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• 1997

To investigate the realistic behavior of mass and energy release and resultant containment response during large break Loss of Coolant accident (LOCA), analyses are performed for Yonggwang (YGN) 3&4 nuclear power plants by using a merged version of RELAP5/CONTEMPT4 computer code. Comparative analyses by using conservative design computer codes are also peformed. The break types analyzed are the double-ended guillotine breaks at the cold leg and hot leg. The design analysis resulted in containment peak pressure during post-blowdown phase for the cold leg break. However, the RELAP5/CONTEMPT4 analyses show that the containment pressure has a peak during blowdown phase, thereafter it decreases monotonously without the second port-blowdown peak. For the hot leg break, revised design analysis shows much lower pressure than that reported in YGN 3&4 final safety analysis report. The RELAP5/CONTEMPT4 analysis shoos similar trend and confirmed that the bypass flow through the broken loop steam generator during post-blowdown is negligibly small compared to that of cold leg break. The low pressure and temperature predicted tv realistic analysis presented in this paper suggest that the design analysis methodology contains substantial margin and it can be improved to provide benefit in investment protection, such as, relaxing plant technical specifications and reducing containment design pressure.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제26권1호
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• pp.126-139
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• 1994

본 연구에서는 BETHSY 실험장치에서 수행한 6" 소형 냉각재 상실사고(LOCA) 실험을 최적 열수력 코드인 CATHARE2 V1.2와 RELAP5/MOD3를 이용하여 계산했다. 본 연구의 주 목적은 소형 LOCA시 관심을 가지는 주요 물리현상인 이상 임계유동, 감압과정, 노심수위 감소, loop seal clearing 등에 대한 두 코드의 소형 LOCA 계산모의능력을 평가하는 것이다. 두코드는 이상 유동현상의 전개 경향이나 발생시점을 비교적 잘 예측하는 것으로 나타났고, CATHARE2의 경우가 실험과 더 잘 일치했다. 그렇지만 두 코드는 loop seal clearing 현상, loop seal clearing 발생후의 노심수위, accumulator 유량거동 등의 예측에는 약간의 편차를 보였는데, 편차의 정도는 RELAP5가 CATHARE2보다 더 큰 것으로 나타났다. 두 코드의 편차요인을 보다 상세히 분석하기 위하여 계면 마찰력, mesh크기, 파단노즐 junction에서의 방출계수(Discharge coefficient)등에 대하여 민감도분석을 수행하였다. 그 결과 CATHARE2의 경우는 계면 마찰력을 증가시킴으로써 감압과정시 일차계통의 질량분포, 즉 증기 발생기 입구 공동(SG inlet plenum)에서의 차압과 Cross√er leg의 차압이 개선되었으며, 증기발생기 외측 열전달계수를 증가시킴으로써 중기발생기의 압력변화를 개선할 수 있었다. RELAP5의 경우는 어떤 하나의 입력변수를 변화시켜서 과도기의 결과를 개선할 수 없었으며 다만, 계면 마찰력 모델링에 여전히 많은 불화실성이 내포되어 있음을 확인했다.확인했다.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제41권6호
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• pp.775-784
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• 2009

This paper summarizes the tests performed in the ATLAS facility during its first two years of operation (2007${\sim}$2008). Two categories of tests have been performed successfully: (a) the reflood phase of the large-break loss-of-coolant accidents in a cold leg, and (b) the breaks in one of four direct vessel injection lines. Those tests contributed to understanding the unique thermal-hydraulic behavior, resolving the safety-related concerns and providing an evaluation of the safety analysis codes and methodology for the advanced pressurized water reactor, APR1400. Several important and interesting phenomena have been observed during the tests. In most cases, the ATLAS shows reasonable accident characteristics and conservative results compared with those predicted by one-dimensional safety analysis codes. A wide variety of small-break LOCA tests will be performed in 2009.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제35권2호
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• pp.91-107
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• 2003

Since DBA(Design Basis Accidents) has been studied rather separately from SA(Severe Accidents) in the conventional nuclear reactor safety analysis, the thermal hydraulics during transition between DBA and SA has not been identified so much as each accident itself. Thus, in this study, the thermal hydraulic behavior from DBA to the commencement of SA has been experimentally and analytically investigated for the long-term cooling phase of LB-LOCA(Large-Break Loss-of-Coolant Accident). Experiments were conducted for both cases of the loop seal open and closed in an integral test loop, named as SNUF (Seoul National University Facility), which was scaled down to l/6.4 in length and 1/178 in area of the APR1400 (Advanced Power Reactor 1400MWe). The core mixture level was a main measured value since it took major role in the fuel heat-up rate, the location of fuel melting initiation and the channel blockage by melting material during SA. Experimental results were compared to MAAP4.03 to assess its model of calculating the core mixture level. MAAP4.03 overestimates the core two- phase mixture level because sweep-out and spill-over and the measures to simulate the status of loop seal are not included, which is against the conservatism. Thus, it is recommended that MAAP4.03 should be improved to simulate the thermal hydraulic phenomena, such as sweep-out, spill-over and the status of loop seal.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제54권4호
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• pp.1508-1515
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• 2022

In the present study, the cavity module of the MELCOR code is used for the simulation of molten corium concrete interaction (MCCI) during the late phase of postulated large break loss of coolant (LB-LOCA) accident in the APR1400 reactor design. Using the molten corium composition data from previous MELCOR Simulation of APR1400 under LB-LOCA accident, the ex-vessel phases of the accident sequences with long-term MCCI are recalculated with stand-alone cavity package of the MELCOR code to investigate the impact of water ingression and melt eruption models which were hitherto absent in MELCOR code. Significant changes in the MCCI behaviors in terms of the heat transfer rates, amount of gases released, and maximum cavity ablation depths are observed and reported in this study. Most especially, the incorporation of these models in the new release of MELCOR code has led to the reduction of the maximum ablation depth in radial and axial directions by ~38% and ~32%, respectively. These impacts are substantial enough to change the conclusions earlier reached by researchers who had used the older versions of the MELCOR code for their studies. and it could also impact the estimated cost of the severe accident mitigation system in the APR1400 reactor.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제52권4호
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• pp.755-763
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• 2020

The critical flow phenomenon has been studied because of its significant effect for design basis accidents in nuclear power plants. Transition points from thermal non-equilibrium to equilibrium are different according to the geometric effect on the critical flow. This study evaluates the uncertainty parameters of the critical flow model for analysis of DBA (Design Basis Accident) with the MARS-KS (Multi-dimensional Analysis for Reactor Safety-KINS Standard) code used as an independent regulatory assessment. The uncertainty of the critical flow model is represented by three parameters including the thermal non-equilibrium factor, discharge coefficient, and length to diameter (L/D) ratio, and their ranges are determined using large-scale Marviken test data. The uncertainty range of the thermal non-equilibrium factor is updated by the MCDA (Model Calibration through Data Assimilation) method. The updated uncertainty range is confirmed using an LBLOCA (Large Break Loss of Coolant Accident) experiment in the LOFT (Loss of Fluid Test) facility. The uncertainty ranges are also used to calculate an LBLOCA of the APR (Advanced Power Reactor) 1400 NPP (Nuclear Power Plants), focusing on the effect of the PCT (Peak Cladding Temperature). The results reveal that break flow is strongly dependent on the degree of the thermal non-equilibrium state in a ruptured pipe with a small L/D ratio. Moreover, this study provides the method to handle the thermal non-equilibrium factor, discharge coefficient, and length to diameter (L/D) ratio in the system code.

• 한국원자력학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국원자력학회 1997년도 춘계학술발표회논문집(1)
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• pp.484-488
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• 1997

Fission product release (FPR) assessment for 100% reactor outlet header (ROH) break in CANDU reactor loaded with CANFLEX-NU fuel bundles has been performed. The predicted results are compared with those for the reactor loaded with standard 37-element bundles. The fuel failure thresholds for the CANFLEX and standard bundle elements are very similar. All the sheaths at the corresponding fuel failure thresholds for the CANFLEX and standard bundles fail due to the significant cracks in the surface oxide, except those for the CANFLEX inner element at burnups of 220 to 240 MW.h/kg(U), which fail due to the excessive diametral strain. The fuel failure analysis predicts that the number of failed fuel elements for the CANFLEX bundle case is none, while that for the standard bundle case is 1827. The total (gap plus bound) I-131 releases for the CANFLEX and standard bundles are none and 5889 TBq, respectively The significant reduction of the number of failed fuel elements and FPR for the CABFKEX fuel bundle is attributed to the lower linear power of the CANFLEX fuel bundle compared with the standard fuel bundle.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제44권7호
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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.

• 한국전산유체공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국전산유체공학회 1998년도 춘계 학술대회논문집
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• pp.75-81
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• 1998

A new advanced integral reactor of 330 MWt capacity named SMART(System-integrated Modular Advanced ReacTor) is currently under development at KAERI(Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute). One of the major design features of the integral reactor is locating the steam generators(SG) inside reactor vessel and eliminating the possibility of LB LOCA(large Break Loss of Coolant Accident). Orifices are fitted at the low part of steam generator cassette to stabilize and balance coolant flow distribution in the MCP (Main Circulation Pump) pressure header. A sensitivity analysis is conducted to determine the optimum orifice size using computer code 'CFX'.