• Fire Science and Engineering
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.20-26
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• 2016

When the fire takes place in Nuclear Powr Plants(NPPs), the reactor should achieve and maintain safe shut-down conditions and minimize the radioactive material released to the environment. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has issued numerous generic communications related to fire protection over the past 20 years, after it issued its requirements in the Fire Protection Rule set forth in Title 10, Section 50.48 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR 50.48) and Appendix R to the 10 CFR 50. The and Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) has developed a Methodology for Risk Informed Fire Safe-Shutdown Analysis, which is related to the Deterministic Method for Multiple Spurious Operations solutions. The aim of this study was to identify, achieve, and maintain Post-Fire Safe-Shutdown of the Main Control Room (MCR) of the CANDU reactor, even though one train of the multiple Safety Structures, Systems, and Components (SCCs) fail by the technical specification and analysis method.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.44 no.6
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• pp.653-662
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• 2012

We evaluate the technical and organizational aspects of the severe accident management guideline (SAMG), focusing on the decision-making process in the technical support center (TSC). From the technical aspects, we conclude that the present SAMG is a good tool that can assist the TSC in efficiently managing probable severe accidents. However, we suggest that the clear separation of the emergency operating procedure (EOP) and SAMG, which shifts plant control from the main control room (MCR) to the TSC, might not be an effective framework from an organizational perspective. Studies on organizational behavior demonstrate that a group decision made under a risky situation might be polarized in either a risky or cautious way. We recognize that we cannot be free from the polarization effect since the current SAMG recommends that the TSC evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of strategies to be implemented and choose the best one based on a group decision process. Illustrative examples of accident management under risky conditions are recapitulated from previous studies of the authors and we propose that the SAMG should be more proceduralized to remove this polarization from the decision-making process.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.47-53
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• 2014

The application of advanced Main Control Room(MCR) is accompanied with lots of changes and different forms and features through the virtue of new digital technologies. The characteristics of these digital technologies and devices give many opportunities to the interface management, and can be integrated into a compact single workstation in advanced MCR so that workers can operate the plant with minimum physical burden under any operation conditions. However, these devices may introduce new types of human errors and thus a means to evaluate and prevent such errors is needed, especially those related to characteristics of digital devices. This paper reviewed the new type of human error hazards of tasks based on digital devices and surveyed researches on physiological assessment related to human error. An experiment was performed to verify human error hazards by physiological responses such as EEG which was measured to evaluate the cognitive workload of operators. And also, the performances of four tasks which are representative in human error hazard tasks based on digital devices were compared. Response time, ${\beta}$ power spectrum rate of each task by EEG, and mental workload by NASA-TLX were evaluated. In the results of the experiment, the rate of the ${\beta}$ power was increased in the task 1 and task 4 which are searching and navigating task and memory task of hierarchical information, respectively. In case of the mental workload, in most of evaluation items, task 1 and 4 were highly rated comparatively. In this paper, human error hazards might be identified by highly cognitive workload. Conclusively, it was concluded that the predictive method which is utilized in this paper and an experimental verification can be used to ensure the safety when applying the digital devices in Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs).

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.136-143
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• 2018

In this study, we conducted a pilot study on the multiple spurious operations (MSO) analysis in the fire probabilistic safety assessment (PSA) of domestic nuclear power plant (NPP) to identify the degree of influence of the operator actions used in the MSO mitigation strategies. The MSO scenario of the domestic reference NPP selected for this study is refueling water tank (RWT) drain down event. It could be caused by spurious operations of the containment spray system (CSS) of the reference NPP. The RWT drain down event can be stopped by the main control room (MCR) operator actions for stopping the operation of CSS pump or closing the CSS motor operated valve if the containment spray actuation signal (CSAS) is spuriously actuated. Outside the MCR, it can be stopped by operator actions for closing the CSS manual valves or motor operated valve or stopping the operation of CSS pump. The quantification result of a fire PSA model that takes into account all recovery actions for the RWT drain down event lead to risk reduction by about 95%, compared with quantification result of fire PSA model without considering them. Among the various operator actions, the recovery action for the spurious CSAS operations and the operator action for the manual valve are identified as the most important operator actions. This study quantitatively showed the extent to which the operator actions used as MSO countermeasures have affected the fire PSA quantification results. In addition, we can see the rank of importance among the operator recovery actions in quantitative terms.

• Proceedings of the KIPE Conference
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• 2000.07a
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• pp.249-252
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• 2000

원자력 교육원 #2(KNPEC-2) 시뮬레이터는 1980년도 중반에 웨스팅하우스에 의해 공급되어 계속 사용되어 오다가 현재 성능개선 연구가 진행 중이다. 이번 성능개선을 통해 기존의 컴퓨터 시스템(Gould MPX)와 소프트웨어의 전면 교체가 이루어지고 있으며 최적 계산 코드를 이용한 실시간 열수력 모델 (ARTS; Advanced Real-Time Thermal-Hydraulics Simulation) 개발 , 2-Group 3D 실시간 노심모델(REMARK ; REal Time Multigroup Advanced Reactor Kinetics)를 이용한 노심 주기개선 (Cycle Update) 가상현실 기술 등을 이용한 컴퓨터 교육지원 시스템(CATS: Computer Assister Training System)등 새로운 시도가 이루어지고 있으며 본 논문은 이러한 새로운 시도가 이루어지고 있으며 본 논문은 이러한 새로운 시도들 및 그 결과에 대해 기술하고 있다. 기준발전소(Reference Plant)인 영광 1호기 12주기의 노심모델로 주기개선(Cycle Update)을 위한 REMARK의 입력자료 생성을 위해 핵설계 전산체계인 APA(ALPHA-PHOENIX-ANC) 시스템의 출력으로부터 자동으로 REMARK 입력데이타를 생성하기 위한 GUI툴 개발하였다. 또 이를 이용하여 개발된 노심모델은 최적계산코드(RETRAn 3D) 의 열수력 해법을 이용하여 개발된 NSSS 열수력코드(ARTS) 와 결합(Integration) 되어 안정 및 과도 상태 시험에 사용되었으며 원자로 냉각재 펌프 정지등의 몇 가지 과도 시험 계산결과 기존 해석 결과와 잘 일치하였다 중앙제어실(MCR; Main Control Room)내의 운전원 행동만 훈련하도록 되어있는 기존시뮬레이터의 한계를 극복하기 위해 가상현실 (VR) 저작도구를 이용한 발전소 현장 내부를 표현하는 가상발전소 (Virtual Plant) 발전소 현장에 소재하여 기존 시뮬레이터의 모의한계 밖에 있던 패널을 표현한 가상판넬(Virtual Panel)등과 강의실에서 발전소 모의 훈련을 가능케 하기 위해 가상현실 기술을 이용한 컴퓨터 지원 교육훈력 시스템(CATS ; Computer Assister Training System)을 개발 중이며 일부 개발부분을 소개하였다.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.51 no.4
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• pp.1032-1036
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• 2019

When the equipment which is related to safety or important to power production is installed in nuclear power plant units (NPPs), verification of equipment Electromagnetic Susceptibility (EMS) must be performed. The low-frequency radiated magnetic field susceptibility (RS101) test is one of the EMS tests specified in U.S NRC (Nuclear Regulatory Commission) Regulatory Guide (RG) 1.180 revision 1. The RS101 test verifies the ability of equipment installed in close proximity to sources of large radiated magnetic fields to withstand them. However, RG 1.180 revision 1 allows for an exemption of the low-frequency radiated magnetic susceptibility (RS101) test if the safety-related equipment will not be installed in areas with strong sources of magnetic fields. There is no specific exemption criterion in RG 1.180 revision 1. EPRI TR-102323 revision 4 specifically provides a guide that the low-frequency radiated magnetic field susceptibility (RS101) test can be conservatively exempted for equipment installed at least 1 m away from the sources of large magnetic fields (>300 A/m). But there is no exemption criterion for equipment installed within 1 m of the sources of smaller magnetic fields (<300 A/m). Since some types of equipment radiating magnetic flux are often installed near safety related equipment in an electrical equipment room (EER) and main control room (MCR), the RS101 test exemption criterion needs to be reasonably defined for the cases of installation within 1 m. There is also insufficient data regarding the strength of magnetic fields that can be used in NPPs. In order to ensure confidence in the RS101 test exemption criterion, we measured the strength of low-frequency radiated magnetic fields by distance. This study is expected to provide an insight into the RS101 test exemption criterion that meets the RG 1.180 revision 1. It also provides a margin analysis that can be used to mitigate the influence of low-frequency radiated magnetic field sources in NPPs.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.319-327
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• 2010

A nuclear plant ESF ACS simulator was designed, built, and verified to perform experiment related to ESF ACS of nuclear power plants. The dimension of 3D CAD model was based on drawings of the main control room(MCR) of Yonggwang units 5 and 6. The CFD analysis was performed based on the measurement of the actual flow rate of ESF ACS. The air flowing in ACS was assumed to have $30^{\circ}C$ and uniform flow. The flow rate across the HEPA filter was estimated to be 1.83 m/s based on the MCR ACS flow rate of 12,986 CFM and HEPA filter area of 9 filters having effective area of $610{\times}610mm^2$ each. When MCR ACS was modeled, air flow blocking filter frames were considered for better simulation of the real ACS. In CFD analysis, the air flow rate in the lower part of the active carbon adsorber was simulated separately at higher than 7 m/s to reflect the measured value of 8 m/s. Through the CFD analyses of the ACSes of fuel building emergency ventilation system, emergency core cooling system equipment room ventilation cleanup system, it was confirmed that all three EFS ACSes can be simulated by controlling the flow rate of the simulator. After the CFD analysis, the simulator was built in nuclear grade and its reliability was verified through air flow distribution tests before it was used in main tests. The verification result showed that distribution of the internal flow was uniform except near the filter frames when medium filter was installed. The simulator was used in the tests to confirm the revised contents in Reg. Guide 1.52 (Rev. 3).

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.166-171
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• 2014

Nuclear power plants are equipped with the reactor trip system (RTS) and the engineered safety features actuation system (ESFAS) to improve safety on the normal operation. In the event of the design basis accident (DBA), a various of post accident monitor(PAM)systems support to provide important details (e.g. Containment pressure, temperature and pressure of reactor cooling system and core exit temperature) to determine action of main control room (MCR). Operator should be immediately activated for the accident mitigation with the information. Especially, core exit temperature is a critical parameter because the operating mode converts from normal mode to emergency mode when the temperature of core exit reaches $649^{\circ}C$. In this study, uncertainty which was caused by exterior environment, characteristic of thermocouple/connector and accuracy of calibrator/indicator was evaluated in accordance with ANSI-ISA 67.04. The square root of the sum of square (SRSS) methodology for combining uncertainty terms that are random and independent was used in the synthesis. Every uncertainty that may exist in the hardware which is used to measure the core exit temperature was conservatively applied and the associative relation between the elements of uncertainty was considered simultaneously. As a result of uncertainty evaluation, the channel statistical allowance (CSA) of single channel of core exit temperature was +1.042%Span. The range of uncertainty, -0.35%Span ($-4.05^{\circ}C$) ~ +2.08%Span($24.25^{\circ}C$), was obtained as the operating criteria of core exit temperature.