Nuclear Engineering and Technology

Korean Nuclear Society (한국원자력학회)
권호 표지
DOI QR코드

DOI QR Code

Assessment of TRACE code for modeling of passive safety system during long transient SBO via PKL/SACO facility

  • Omar S. Al-Yahia (Laboratory for Reactor Physics and Thermal-Hydraulics (LRT), Paul Scherrer Institut (PSI)) ;
  • Ivor Clifford (Laboratory for Reactor Physics and Thermal-Hydraulics (LRT), Paul Scherrer Institut (PSI)) ;
  • Hakim Ferroukhi (Laboratory for Reactor Physics and Thermal-Hydraulics (LRT), Paul Scherrer Institut (PSI))
  • Received : 2023.11.30
  • Accepted : 2024.02.26
  • Published : 2024.08.25
Download PDF
⟨ Previous Next ⟩

Abstract

Passive safety systems are integrated into the latest generation of Light Water Reactors (LWRs), including small modular reactors. This paper employs the US-NRC TRACE thermal hydraulic code to examine the performance of a passive safety condenser known as SACO, designed to serve as the ultimate heat sink for dissipating decay heat during accident scenarios. The TRACE model is constructed with reference to the PKL/SACO test facility. The safety condenser (SACO) is interconnected with the PKL facility via the secondary side of steam generator 1, effectively serving as a third natural circulation cooling loop during accident scenarios. In the present research, the thermal-hydraulic behavior of the PKL facility is investigated in the presence of the SACO passive safety system during an extended SBO with Loss of AC Power accident scenario. This SBO can be categorized into three distinct phases depending on the activation of the SACO system and the refilling process of the SACO pool. The first phase is depressurizing using primary and secondary relief valves, the second phase is cooling down using SACO system, and the third phase is the refilling of SACO pool. The findings indicate that the SACO system effectively manages to dissipate all decay heat, even though there is temporary evaporation of the SACO water pool. Furthermore, this study provides sensitivity analysis for the assessments of system codes on the selection of maximum time step.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

This work was partly funded by the Swiss Nuclear Safety Inspectorate ENSI (CTR00604) within the framework of the STARS program (http://www.psi.ch/stars). It was also partly funded by the European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under grant agreement No. 945275 (PASTELS, Work Package 3 on "PKL/SACO facility").

References

  1. I. A. E. Agency, Safety of Nuclear Power Plants: Design, Specific Safety Requirement No. SSR-2/1 (Rev. 1, International Atomic Energy Agency Vienna, 2016. 
  2. R.O. Gauntt, et al., Fukushima Daiichi Accident Study: Status as of April 2012, Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), Albuquerque, NM, and Livermore, CA, 2012. 
  3. A. Hedayat, Simulation and transient analyses of a complete passive heat removal system in a downward cooling pool-type material testing reactor against a complete station blackout and long-term natural convection mode using the RELAP5/3.2 code, Nucl. Eng. Technol. 49 (5) (2017) 953-967. 
  4. X. Zejun, Z. Wenbin, Z. Hua, C. Bingde, Z. Guifang, J. Dounan, Experimental research progress on passive safety systems of Chinese advanced PWR, Nucl. Eng. Des. 225 (2-3) (2003) 305-313. 
  5. Y.-J. Chung, S.-H. Yang, H.-C. Kim, S.-Q. Zee, Thermal hydraulic calculation in a passive residual heat removal system of the SMART-P plant for forced and natural convection conditions, Nucl. Eng. Des. 232 (3) (2004) 277-288. 
  6. S.K. Mousavian, F. D'Auria, M.A. Salehi, Analysis of natural circulation phenomena in VVER-1000, Nucl. Eng. Des. 229 (1) (2004) 25-46. 
  7. O.S. Al-Yahia, I. Clifford, K. Nikitin, P. Liu, H. Ferroukhi, TRACE code simulation of the interaction between reactor coolant system and containment building with passive heat removal system, Nucl. Eng. Des. 406 (2023/05/01/2023) 112234, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nucengdes.2023.112234. 
  8. Y.-J. Chung, H.-C. Kim, B.-D. Chung, M.-K. Chung, S.-Q. Zee, Two phase natural circulation and the heat transfer in the passive residual heat removal system of an integral type reactor, Ann. Nucl. Energy 33 (3) (2006) 262-270. 
  9. J. Lee, S.-S. Jeon, J.-Y. Park, H.K. Cho, Effect evaluation on performance issues of passive safety system-Part I. Passive heat removal system, Nucl. Eng. Des. 403 (2023) 112160. 
  10. P. Batheja, O. Gremm, W. Leidemann, J. Wirkner, Secondary-side Residual-Heat Removal System for Pressurized-Water Nuclear Reactors, United States Patent Appl. US5414743A, 1995. 
  11. H.-J. Conrads, et al., Secondary-side Residual-Heat Removal System for Pressurized-Water Nuclear Reactors, European Patent Office Patent Appl. EP0598779A1, 1995. 
  12. FRA-G, PKL & SACO Technical Description & Design Review Report, EU-PASTELS, 2020. 
  13. J. Lee, S.-S. Jeon, J.-Y. Park, H.K. Cho, Effect evaluation on performance issues of passive safety system-Part II. Passive emergency core cooling system, Nucl. Eng. Des. 411 (2023) 112446. 
  14. D. Papini, C. Adamsson, M. Andreani, H.-M. Prasser, Assessment of Gothic and TRACE codes against selected PANDA experiments on a passive containment condenser, Nucl. Eng. Des. 278 (2014) 542-557. 
  15. S.H. Chang, S.H. Kim, J.Y. Choi, Design of integrated passive safety system (IPSS) for ultimate passive safety of nuclear power plants, Nucl. Eng. Des. 260 (2013) 104-120. 
  16. M. Damsohn, H.-M. Prasser, Experimental studies of the effect of functional spacers to annular flow in subchannels of a BWR fuel element, Nucl. Eng. Des. 240 (10) (2010) 3126-3144. 
  17. M. Montout, C. Herer, J. Telkka, [ICAPP 2023] PASTELS project-overall progress of the project on experimental and numerical activities on passive safety systems, Nucl. Eng. Technol. (2023) (Artical in press). 
  18. J. Yu, B. Jia, Study of one design of passive residual heat removal system of nuclear reactor, Chinese Journal of Nuclear Science and Engineering 23 (1) (2003) 32-38. 
  19. L. Yu, B.-h. Yan, S.-x. Liu, Influence of local natural circulation on passive residual heat removal in nuclear reactor, Atomic Energy Sci. Technol. 46 (增刊) (2012) 216. 
  20. S. Dubey, R. Rao, S. Sengupta, S. Gupta, Sampling based uncertainty analysis of station blackout in PSB VVER integral test facility, Ann. Nucl. Energy 38 (12) (2011) 2724-2733. 
  21. M. Wang, H. Zhao, Y. Zhang, G. Su, W. Tian, S. Qiu, Research on the designed emergency passive residual heat removal system during the station blackout scenario for CPR1000, Ann. Nucl. Energy 45 (2012) 86-93. 
  22. Y.-S. Kim, S.-W. Bae, S. Cho, K.-H. Kang, H.-S. Park, Application of direct passive residual heat removal system to the SMART reactor, Ann. Nucl. Energy 89 (2016) 56-62. 
  23. U. S. N. R. Commission, TRACE V5.0 Patch 7 Theory Manual, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission: Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research, Washington, DC, 2022. 
  24. K. Umminger, R. Mandl, R. Wegner, Restart of natural circulation in a PWR-PKL test results and s-relap5 calculations, Nucl. Eng. Des. 215 (1) (2002/06/01/2002) 39-50, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0029-5493(02)00040-7. 
  25. PASTELS: passive systems simulating the thermal-hydrulic with experimental studies https://www.pastels-h2020.eu/page/en/about-pastels/workpackages.php (accessed.. 
  26. NEA, " ETHARINUS, Experimental Thermal Hydraulics for Analysis, Research and Innovations in NUclear Safety Project,", 2020, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://www.oecd-nea.org/jcms/pl_59465. 
  27. FRA-G, P2.1 Boundary & Initial Conditions (BIC) as Conducted - Data Compilation, EU-PASTELS, 2023 [Online]. Available: https://www.pastels-h2020.eu/page/en/about-pastels/workpackages.php. 
  28. K. Umminger, A. Del Nevo, Integral Test Facilities and Thermal-Hydraulic System Codes in Nuclear Safety Analysis, vol. 2012, Hindawi, 2012. 
  29. US-NRC, TRACE Code V5.0, 2017. 
  30. J.F. Terradas, Sb-loca. With Boron Dilution in Pressurized Water Reactors, Impact to the Operation and Safety, Universitat Polit'ecnica de Catalunya (UPC), 2007. 
  31. R. Mukin, I. Clifford, O. Zerkak, H. Ferroukhi, Modeling and analysis of selected organization for economic cooperation and development PKL-3 station blackout experiments using TRACE, Nucl. Eng. Technol. 50 (3) (2018/04/01/2018) 356-367, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.net.2017.12.005. 
  32. O.S. Al-Yahia, M. Bernard, I. Clifford, G. Perret, S. Bajorek, H. Ferroukhi, The influence of droplet breakup model on the prediction of reactor core parameters during reflood conditions, Nucl. Eng. Des. 416 (2024) 112815. 
  33. H. Shen, P. Byfield, P. Jensen, H. Kadakia, B. Wolf, Assessment of Numerical Diffusion in NRELAP5 Code for Density Wave Oscillations Applications, NuScale Power, LLC, Corvallis, OR (United States), 2022. 
  34. C.W. Hirt, Heuristic stability theory for finite-difference equations, J. Comput. Phys. 2 (4) (1968) 339-355.