• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.41 no.5
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• pp.617-648
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• 2009

Under the government supported long-term nuclear R&D program, the severe accident research program at KAERI is directed to investigate unresolved severe accident issues such as core debris coolability, steam explosions, and hydrogen combustion both experimentally and numerically. Extensive studies have been performed to evaluate the in-vessel retention of core debris through external reactor vessel cooling concept for APR1400 as a severe accident management strategy. Additionally, an improvement of the insulator design outside the vessel was investigated. To address steam explosions, a series of experiments using a prototypic material was performed in the TROI facility. Major parameters such as material composition and void fraction as well as the relevant physics affecting the energetics of steam explosions were investigated. For hydrogen control in Korean nuclear power plants, evaluation of the hydrogen concentration and the possibility of deflagration-to-detonation transition occurrence in the containment using three-dimensional analysis code, GASFLOW, were performed. Finally, the integrated severe accident analysis code, MIDAS, has been developed for domestication based on MELCOR. The data transfer scheme using pointers was restructured with the modules and the derived-type direct variables using FORTRAN90. New models were implemented to extend the capability of MIDAS.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.507-521
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• 1996

Quantification of uncertainties in the source term estimations by a large computer code, such as MELCOR and MAAP, is an essential process of the current Probabilistic safety assessment. The main objective of the present study is to investigate the applicability of a combined procedure of the response surface method (RSM) based on input determined from a statistical design and the Latin hypercube sampling (LHS) technique for the uncertainty analysis of CsI release fractions under a Hypothetical severe accident sequence of a station blackout at Younggwang nuclear power plant using MAAP3. OB code as a benchmark problem. On the basis of the results obtained in the present work, the RSM is recommended to be used as a principal tool for an overall uncertainty analysis in source term quantifications, while using the LHS in the calculations of standardized regression coefficients (SRC) and standardized rank regression coefficient (SRRC) to determine the subset of the most important input parameters in the final screening step and to check the cumulative distribution functions obtained by RSM. Verification of the response surface model for its sufficient accuracy is a prerequisite for the reliability of the final results that can be obtained by the combined procedure proposed in the present work.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.215-223
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• 2003

Against major release of radioactive material in nuclear power plant, Emergency Planning Zone(EPZ)s are typically established around nuclear power plants to effectively perform the public protective measures. The domestic methodology to determine the size of the EPZ is similar to that of Japan established in 1980, where calculations were based on the conservative accident source term. The objective of this study is to re-evaluate the validity of established EPZ, the area within the radius of $8{\sim}10km$ around domestic nuclear power plants, using the source terms covering full spectrum of accidents obtained from PSA study of ULJIN 3&4. To evaluate the risks of health effects, the computer code MACCS2(MELCOR Accident Consequence Code System2) was used. The result shows that the existing EPZ can reduce the probability of early fatality adequately for most of the source term categories(STCs) except for STC-14 and STC-19. In case of STC-14 and 19, the evacuation distance of 16km and 13km, respectively, are required. These distances can be reduced by improving emergency preparedness since the sensitivity studies for the public protective actions show that the magnitude of early fatality is largely affected by the time delays in notification and evacuation.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.54 no.4
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• pp.1516-1525
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• 2022

Interfacing the output of severe accident analysis with the input of radiological consequence analysis is an important and mandatory procedure at the beginning of Level 3 PSA. Such interfacing between the severe accident analysis code MELCOR and MACCS, one of the most commonly used consequence analysis codes, is relatively tractable since they share the same chemical groups, and the related interfacing software, MelMACCS, has already been developed. However, the linking between MAAP, another frequently used code for severe accident analyses, and MACCS has difficulties because MAAP employs a different chemical grouping method than MACCS historically did. More specifically, MAAP groups by chemical compound, while MACCS groups by chemical element. An appropriate interfacing method between MAAP and MACCS has therefore long been requested by users. This study suggests a way of extracting relevant information from MAAP results and providing proper source term information to MACCS by an appropriate treatment. Various parameters are covered in terms of magnitude and manner of release in this study, and special treatment is made for a bypass scenario. It is expected that the suggested approach will provide an important contribution as a guide to interface MAAP and MACCS when performing radiological consequence analyses.

• International Journal of Safety
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.32-37
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• 2004

Recently KAERI has developed the severe accident management guidance to establish Korea standard severe accident management system. On the other hand the PC-based severe accident training simulator SATS has been developed, and the MELCOR code is used as the simulation engine. SATS graphically displays and simulates the severe accidents with interactive user commands. The control capability of SATS could make a severe accident training course more interesting and effective. In this paper the development and functions of the electrical hypertext guidance module HyperKAMG and the SATS-HyperKAMG linkage system for the severe accident management are described.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.53 no.12
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• pp.3990-4002
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• 2021

CSPACE (Core meltdown, Safety and Performance Analysis CodE for nuclear power plants) for a simulation of severe accident progression in a Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) is developed by coupling of verified system thermal hydraulic code of SPACE (Safety and Performance Analysis CodE for nuclear power plants) and core damage progression code of COMPASS (Core Meltdown Progression Accident Simulation Software). SPACE is responsible for the description of fluid state in nuclear system nodes, while COMPASS is responsible for the prediction of thermal and mechanical responses of core fuels and reactor vessel heat structures. New heat transfer models to each phase of the fluid, flow blockage, corium behavior in the lower head are added to COMPASS. Then, an interface module for the data transfer between two codes was developed to enable coupling. An implicit coupling scheme of wall heat transfer was applied to prevent fluid temperature oscillation. To validate the performance of newly developed code CSPACE, we analyzed typical severe accident scenarios for OPR1000 (Optimized Power Reactor 1000), which were initiated from large break loss of coolant accident, small break loss of coolant accident, and station black out accident. The results including thermal hydraulic behavior of RCS, core damage progression, hydrogen generation, corium behavior in the lower head, reactor vessel failure were reasonable and consistent. We demonstrate that CSPACE provides a good platform for the prediction of severe accident progression by detailed review of analysis results and a qualitative comparison with the results of previous MELCOR analysis.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.46 no.6
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• pp.797-802
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• 2014

This study investigated the thermal hydraulic issues in the Containment Filtered Venting System (CFVS) for a long operating time using the MELCOR computer code. The modeling of the CFVS, including the models for pool scrubbing and the filter, was added to the input file for the OPR-1000, and a Station Blackout (SBO) was chosen as an accident scenario. Although depressurization in the containment building as a primary objective of the CFVS was successful, the decontamination feature by scrubbing and filtering in the CFVS for a long operating time could fail by the continuous evaporation of the scrubbing solution. After the operation of the CFVS, the atmosphere temperature in the CFVS became slightly above the water saturation temperature owing to the release of an amount of steam with high temperature from the containment building to the scrubbing solution. Reduced pipe diameters at the inlet and outlet of the CFVS vessel mitigated the evaporation of scrubbing water by controlling the amount of high-temperature steam and the water saturation temperature.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.48 no.1
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• pp.52-57
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• 2023

Background: Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) operates several nuclear research facilities licensed by Nuclear Safety and Security Commission (NSSC). The emergency preparedness requirements, GSR Part 7, by International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) request protection strategy based on the hazard assessment that is not applied in Korea. Materials and Methods: In developing the protection strategy, it is important to consider an accident scenario and its consequence. KAERI has tried the hazard assessment based on a hypothesis accident scenario for the major nuclear facilities. During the assessment, the safety analysis report of the related facilities was reviewed, the simulation using MELCOR, MACCS2 code was implemented based on a considered accident scenario of each facility, and the international guidance was considered. Results and Discussion: The results of the optimized protective actions were 300 m evacuation and 800 m sheltering for the High-Flux Advanced Neutron Application Reactor (HANARO), the evacuation to radius 50 m, the sheltering 400 m for post-irradiation examination facility (PIEF), 100 m evacuation or sheltering for HANARO fuel fabrication plant (HFFP) facility. Conclusion: The results of the optimized protective actions and its distances for the KAERI facilities for the maximum postulated accidents were considered in establishing the emergency plan and procedures and implementing an emergency exercise for the KAERI facilities.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.56 no.4
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• pp.1513-1525
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• 2024

An improved mitigation system for thermally-induced steam generator tube rupture accidents was introduced to prevent direct environmental release of fission products bypassing the containment in the OPR1000. This involves injecting bypassed steam into the containment, cooling, and decontaminating it using a water coolant tank. To evaluate its performance, a severe accident analysis was performed using the MELCOR 2.2 code for OPR1000. Simulation results show that the proposed system sufficiently prevented the release of radioactive nuclides (RNs) into the environment via containment injection. The pool scrubbing system effectively decontaminated the injected RN and consequently reduced the aerosol mass in the containment atmosphere. However, the decay heat of the collected RNs causes re-vaporization. To restrict the re-vaporization, an external water source was considered, where the decontamination performance was significantly improved, and the RNs were effectively isolated. However, due to the continuous evaporation of the feed water caused by decay heat, a substantial amount of steam is released into the containment. Despite the slight pressurization inside the containment by the injected and evaporated steam, the steam decreased the hydrogen mole fraction, thereby reducing the possibility of ignition.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.144-156
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• 2018

Level 3 Probabilistic Safety Assessment (PSA) is performed for the risk assessment that calculates radioactive material dispersion to the environment. This risk assessment is performed with a tool of MELCOR Accident Consequence Code System (MACCS2 or WinMACCS). For the off-site consequence analysis of multi-unit nuclear power plant (NPP) accident, the single location (Center Of Mass, COM) method has been usually adopted with the assumption that all the NPPs in the nuclear site are located at the same COM point. It was well known that this COM calculation can lead to underestimated or overestimated radionuclide concentration. In order to overcome this underestimation or overestimation of radionuclide concentrations in the COM method, Multiple Location (ML) method was developed in this study. The radionuclide concentrations for the individual NPPs are separately calculated, and they are summed at every location in the nuclear site by the post-processing of radionuclide concentrations that is based on two-dimensional Gaussian Plume equations. In order to demonstrate the efficiency of the ML method, radionuclide concentrations were calculated for the six-unit NPP site, radionuclide concentrations of the ML method were compared with those by COM method. This comparison was performed for conditions of constant weather, yearly weather in Korea, and four seasons, and the results were discussed. This new ML method (1) improves accuracy of radionuclide concentrations when multi-unit NPP accident occurs, (2) calculates realistic atmospheric dispersion of radionuclides under various weather conditions, and finally (3) supports off-site emergency plan optimization. It is recommended that this new method be applied to the risk assessment of multi-unit NPP accident. This new method drastically improves the accuracy of radionuclide concentrations at the locations adjacent to or very close to NPPs. This ML method has a great strength over the COM method when people live near nuclear site, since it provides accurate radionuclide concentrations or radiation doses.