• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.55 no.10
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• pp.3787-3800
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• 2023

Reactivity Initiated Accident (RIA) scenarios require special attention using advanced simulation techniques due to their complexity and importance for nuclear power plant (NPP) safety. While the conservative approach has traditionally been used for safety analysis, it may lead to unrealistic results which calls for the use of best estimate plus uncertainty (BEPU) approach, especially with the current advances in computational power which makes the BEPU analysis feasible. In this work an Uncontrolled Control Element Assembly (CEA) Withdrawal at Full Power accident scenario is analyzed using the BEPU approach by loosely coupling the thermal hydraulics best-estimate system code (RELAP5/SCDAPSIM/MOD3.4) to the statistical analysis software (DAKOTA) using a Python interface. Results from the BEPU analysis indicate that a realistic treatment of the accident scenario yields a larger safety margin and is therefore encouraged for accident analysis as it may enable more economic and flexible operation.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.135-144
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• 1995

Since structural systems may fail in any one of several failure modes, computation of system reliability is always difficult. A method using numerical quadrature for computing structural system reliability with either one or more than one failure mode is presented in this paper. Statistically correlated safety margin equations are transformed into a group of uncorrelated variables and the joint density function of these uncorrelated variables can be generated by using the Maximum Entropy Method. Structural system reliability is then obtained by integrating the joint density function with the transformed safety domain enclosed within a set of linear equations. The Gaussian numerical integration method is introduced in order to improve computational accuracy. This method can be used to evaluate structural system reliability for Gaussian or non-Gaussian variables with either linear or nonlinear safety boundaries. It is also valid for implicit safety margins such as computer programs. Both the theory and the examples show that this method is simple in concept and easy to implement.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.47 no.3
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• pp.227-239
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• 2015

The thermal, mechanical, and neutronic performance of the metal alloy fast reactor fuel design complements the safety advantages of the liquid metal cooling and the pool-type primary system. Together, these features provide large safety margins in both normal operating modes and for a wide range of postulated accidents. In particular, they maximize the measures of safety associated with inherent reactor response to unprotected, doublefault accidents, and to minimize risk to the public and plant investment. High thermal conductivity and high gap conductance play the most significant role in safety advantages of the metallic fuel, resulting in a flatter radial temperature profile within the pin and much lower normal operation and transient temperatures in comparison to oxide fuel. Despite the big difference in melting point, both oxide and metal fuels have a relatively similar margin to melting during postulated accidents. When the metal fuel cladding fails, it typically occurs below the coolant boiling point and the damaged fuel pins remain coolable. Metal fuel is compatible with sodium coolant, eliminating the potential of energetic fuel-coolant reactions and flow blockages. All these, and the low retained heat leading to a longer grace period for operator action, are significant contributing factors to the inherently benign response of metallic fuel to postulated accidents. This paper summarizes the past analytical and experimental results obtained in past sodium-cooled fast reactor safety programs in the United States, and presents an overview of fuel safety performance as observed in laboratory and in-pile tests.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.52 no.5
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• pp.1051-1065
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• 2020

Safety analysis of nuclear power plant (NPP) especially in accident conditions is a basic and necessary issue for applications and commercialization of reactors. Many previous researches and development works have been conducted. However, most achievements focused on the safety reliability of primary pressure system vessels. Few literatures studied the structural safety of huge concrete structures surrounding primary pressure system, especially for the fourth generation NPP which allows existing of through cracks. In this paper, structural safety reliability of concrete structures of HTR-PM in accidental double-ended break of hot gas ducts was studied by Exceedance Probability Method. It was calculated by Monte Carlo approaches applying numerical simulations by Abaqus. Damage parameters were proposed and used to define the property of concrete, which can perfectly describe the crack state of concrete structures. Calculation results indicated that functional failure determined by deterministic safety analysis was decided by the crack resistance capability of containment buildings, whereas the bearing capacity of concrete structures possess a high safety margin. The failure probability of concrete structures during an accident of double-ended break of hot gas ducts will be 31.18%. Adding the consideration the contingency occurrence probability of the accident, probability of functional failure is sufficiently low.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.52 no.1
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• pp.185-191
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• 2020

Plant-specific analyses of an advanced reactor have been performed to assure the structural integrity of the reactor pressure vessel during transient conditions, which are expected to initiate pressurized thermal shock (PTS) events. The vessel failure probabilities from the probabilistic fracture mechanics analyses are combined with the transient frequencies to generate the through-wall cracking frequencies, which are compared to the acceptance criterion. Several sensitivity analyses are performed, focusing on the orientations and sizes of cracks, the copper content, and a flaw distribution model. The results show that the integrity of the reactor vessel is expected to be maintained for long-term operation beyond the design lifetime from the PTS perspective using the design data of the advanced reactor. Moreover, a fluence level exceeding 9×10¹⁹ n/㎠ is found to be acceptable, generating a sufficient margin beyond the design lifetime.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Manufacturing Process Engineers
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.151-157
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• 2018

In this study, we have developed a composite pressure vessel that is compact and can store refrigerant at high pressure to increase the refrigerant volume. The composite pressure vessel is made of aluminum-based duralumin, which has high rigidity and excellent elongation in the inner liner, considering the characteristics of products in the aerospace and defense industry, where the safety of the applied product is considered as a priority. High strength carbon fiber was applied to the outside. In order to evaluate the performance of the developed product, burst test and cycling test were carried out. In burst test, an excellent safety margin equivalent to 2.7 times the operating pressure was obtained. In cycling test, a stable failure mode in which 'pre-burst leak' occurs is proved and the soundness of the product is proved.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 2010.03a
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• pp.379-389
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• 2010

It is very important to determine a target probability of failure in reliability based design such as an allowable factor of safety in working stress design because they are indices to judge the stability of structures. We have carried out reliability analyses of nationwide gravity type quay walls and found that sliding and foundation failures of quay walls were dominant failure modes for every case of loads. And a target probability of failure for bearing capacity of foundation of quay wall was also determined in this study. Of several approaches which have been suggested until now, a couple of reasonable approaches were used. Firstly, in order to consider the safety margin of structures which have been executed so far, the reliability levels of existing structures were assessed. And then a mean probability of failure for the quay walls was estimated. In addition, life cycle cost(LCC) analyses for representative structures were performed. Probabilities of failure for several quay walls were calculated with changing the width of each quay wall section. LCC of quay wall which is requiring case by case during the service life was evaluated, and also the optimum probability of failure of quay wall which minimizes LCC was found. Finally, reasonable target probabilities of failure were suggested by comparing with mean probability of failure of existing structures.

• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.239-245
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• 2013

Occupational exposure and risk assessment were conducted to evaluate the safety of operators when insecticide acetamiprid was applied to apple orchard using a speed sprayer. Dermal patches, cotton gloves, socks, and masks were used to monitor the dermal exposure, and personal air pump with solid sorbent was used to measure the potential inhalation exposure. In validation to analytical methods, the limit of detection and limit of quantitation were 0.25 ng and 1 ng, respectively. Good reproducibility (coefficient variation < 4%), linearity (coefficient determination > 0.999), and recovery (85.3-118.2%) were obtained. Trapping efficiency of solid sorbent was 96.4% while breakthrough did not occur. Only hand exposure was measured on the gloves during mixing/loading to give $33-1,132{\mu}g$. Exposure amount of operator 3 among 4 workers was noticeably high. The total volumes of spray liquid for operators were $535-1,235mL{\cdot}h^{-1}$, corresponding to 0.03-0.08% of the applied spray solution. Highest contaminated parts of body were thighs, chest, and lower legs. The inhalation exposure ratio to the total application amount was significantly low. However, wind seemed to affect the inhalation exposure of operator. For risk assessment, margin of safety was calculated by the application of cloth and dermal penetration rate to obtain values of much larger than 1 in all cases. Therefore, health risk of operators during treatment of acetamiprid in apple orchard could be of least possibility.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.5 no.5
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• pp.485-497
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• 2013

The factor of safety is the most common measure of the safety margin for slopes. When the traditionally defined factor is used in kinematic approach of limit analysis, calculations can become elaborate, and iterative methods have to be used. To avoid this inconvenience, the safety factor was defined in terms of the work rates that are part of the work balance equation used in limit analysis. It was demonstrated for two simple slopes that the safety factors calculated according to the new definition fall close to those calculated using the traditional definition. Statistical analysis was carried out to find out whether, given normal distribution of the strength parameters, the distribution of the safety factor can be approximated with a well-defined probability density function. Knowing this function would make it convenient to calculate the probability of failure. The results indicated that the normal distribution could be used for low internal friction angle (up to about $16^{\circ}$) and the Johnson distribution could be used for larger angles ${\phi}$. The data limited to two simple slopes, however, does not allow assuming these distributions a priori for other slopes.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.48 no.2
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• pp.545-553
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• 2016

The failure probabilities of the reactor pressure vessel (RPV) for low temperature over-pressurization (LTOP) and cool-down transients are calculated in this study. For the cool-down transient, a pressure-temperature limit curve is generated in accordance with Section XI, Appendix G of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) code, from which safety margin factors are deliberately removed for the probabilistic fracture mechanics analysis. Then, sensitivity analyses are conducted to understand the effects of some input parameters. For the LTOP transient, the failure of the RPV mostly occurs during the period of the abrupt pressure rise. For the cool-down transient, the decrease of the fracture toughness with temperature and time plays a main role in RPV failure at the end of the cool-down process. As expected, the failure probability increases with increasing fluence, Cu and Ni contents, and initial reference temperature-nil ductility transition ($RT_{NDT}$). The effect of warm prestressing on the vessel failure probability for LTOP is not significant because most of the failures happen before the stress intensity factor reaches the peak value while its effect reduces the failure probability by more than one order of magnitude for the cool-down transient.