• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.51 no.6
• /
• pp.1540-1553
• /
• 2019

A nuclear power plant (NPP) is a highly complex system-of-systems as manifested through its internal systems interdependence. The negative impact of such interdependence was demonstrated through the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster. As such, there is a critical need for new strategies to overcome the limitations of current risk assessment techniques (e.g. the use of static event and fault tree schemes), particularly through simulation of the nonlinear dynamic feedback mechanisms between the different NPP systems/components. As the first and key step towards developing an integrated NPP dynamic probabilistic risk assessment platform that can account for such feedback mechanisms, the current study adopts a system dynamics simulation approach to model the thermal dynamic processes in: the reactor core; the secondary coolant system; and the pressurized water reactor. The reactor core and secondary coolant system parameters used to develop system dynamics models are based on those of the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station. These three system dynamics models are subsequently validated, using results from published work, under different system perturbations including the change in reactivity, the steam valve coefficient, the primary coolant flow, and others. Moving forward, the developed system dynamics models can be integrated with other interacting processes within a NPP to form the basis of a dynamic system-level (systemic) risk assessment tool.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.51 no.4
• /
• pp.1017-1023
• /
• 2019

The increase of the alternate current frequency results in increased rotational speed of the electrical motors and connected pumps. The consequence for the reactor coolant pumps is increased flow in primary coolant system. Increase of the current frequency can be initiated by the subsynchronous resonance phenomenon (SSR). This paper analyses the implications of the SSR and consequential increase of the frequency on the nuclear power plant safety. The Simulink $MATLAB^{(R)}$ model of the steam turbine and governor system and RELAP5 computer code of the pressurized water reactor are used in the analysis. The SSR results in fast increase of reactor coolant pumps speed and flow in the primary coolant system. The turbine trip value is reached in short time following SSR. The increase of flow of reactor coolant pumps results in increase of heat removal from reactor core. This results in positive reactivity insertion with reactor power increase of 0.5% before reactor trip is initiated by the turbine trip. The main parameters of the plant did not exceed the values of reactor trip set points. The pressure drop over reactor core is small discarding the possibility of core barrel lift.

• Korean Journal of Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Engineering
• /
• v.29 no.12
• /
• pp.654-662
• /
• 2017

When emergency core cooling system (ECCS) is operated during loss of coolant accident (LOCA) in a pressurized water reactor (PWR), pressurized thermal shock (PTS) phenomenon can occur as cooling water is injected into a cold leg, mixed with hot primary coolant, and then entrained into a reactor vessel. Insufficient flow mixing may cause temperature stratification and steam condensation. In addition, flow vibration may cause thermal stresses in surrounding structures. This will reduce the life of the reactor vessel. Due to the importance of PTS phenomenon, in this study, calculation was performed for Test 1 among six types of OECD/NEA ROSA tests with ANSYS CFX R.17. Predicted results were then compared to measured data. Additionally, because temperature difference between the hot coolant at the inlet of the cold leg and the cold cooling water at the inlet of the ECCS injection line is 200 K or more, buoyancy force due to density difference might have significant effect on thermal-hydraulic characteristics of flow. Therefore, in this study, the necessity to include buoyancy force term in governing equations for accurate prediction of single phase thermal stratification in both cold legs and downcomer by ECCS injection was numerically studied.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.41 no.7
• /
• pp.929-944
• /
• 2009

The present study is concerned with the extension of the Effective Convectivity Model (ECM) to the phase-change problem to simulate the dynamics of the melt pool formation in a Light Water Reactor (LWR) lower plenum during hypothetical severe accident progression. The ECM uses heat transfer characteristic velocities to describe turbulent natural convection of a melt pool. The simple approach of the ECM method allows implementing different models of the characteristic velocity in a mushy zone for non-eutectic mixtures. The Phase-change ECM (PECM) was examined using three models of the characteristic velocities in a mushy zone and its performance was compared. The PECM was validated using a dual-tier approach, namely validations against existing experimental data (the SIMECO experiment) and validations against results obtained from Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations. The results predicted by the PECM implementing the linear dependency of mushy-zone characteristic velocity on fluid fraction are well agreed with the experimental correlation and CFD simulation results. The PECM was applied to simulation of melt pool formation heat transfer in a Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) and Boiling Water Reactor (BWR) lower plenum. The study suggests that the PECM is an adequate and effective tool to compute the dynamics of core melt pool formation.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
• /
• v.21 no.6
• /
• pp.466-475
• /
• 2022

Surface oxides and intergranular (IG) oxidation phenomena in Alloy 600 depending on hydrogen concentration were characterized to obtain clear insight into the primary water stress corrosion cracking (PWSCC) behavior upon exposure to pressurized water reactor primary water. When hydrogen concentration was between 5 and 30 cm³ H₂/kg H₂O, NiFe₂O₄ and NiO type oxides were found on the surface. NiO type oxides were found inside the oxidized grain boundary when hydrogen concentration was 5 cm³ H₂/kg H₂O. However, only NiFe₂O₄ spinel on the surface and Ni enrichment were observed when hydrogen concentration was 30 cm³ H₂/kg H₂O. These results indicate that the oxidation/reduction reaction of Ni in Alloy 600 depending on hydrogen concentration can considerably affect surface oxidation behavior. It appears that the formation of NiO type oxides in a Ni oxidation state and Ni enrichment in a Ni reduction (or metallic) state are common in primary water. It is believed that the above different oxidation/reduction reactions of Ni in Alloy 600 depending on hydrogen concentration can also significantly affect the resistance to PWSCC of Alloy 600.

• 유체기계공업학회:학술대회논문집
• /
• 2002.12a
• /
• pp.346-353
• /
• 2002

The steam generator feedwater flow rate in a nuclear power plant was estimated by means of artificial neural networks with the wavelet analysis for enhanced information extraction. The fouling of venturi meters, used for steam generator feedwater flow rate in pressurized water reactors, may result in unnecessary plant power derating. The backpropagation network was used to generate models of signals for a pressurized water reactor. Multiple-input single-output heteroassociative networks were used for evaluating the feedwater flow rate as a function of a set of related variables. The wavelet was used as a low pass filter eliminating the noise from the raw signals. The results have shown that possible fouling of venturi can be detected by neural networks, and the feedwater flow rate can be predicted as an alternative to existing methods. The research has also indicated that the decomposition of signals by wavelet transform is a powerful approach to signal analysis for denoising.

• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
• /
• 2004.11a
• /
• pp.178-183
• /
• 2004

For developing fatigue design curve of cast stainless steels that would be used in piping material of domestic nuclear power plants, a low-cycle fatigue test rig was built. It is capable of performing tests in pressurized high temperature water environment of PWR. Cylindrical specimens of CF8M were used for the strain-controlled environmental fatigue tests. Fatigue life was measured in terms of the number of cycles with the variation of strain amplitude at 0.04%/s strain rates. The disparity between target length and measured length of specimens was corrected by using finite element method. The corrected test results showed similar fatigue life trend with another previous results.

• The Transactions of the Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers
• /
• v.34 no.12
• /
• pp.491-497
• /
• 1985

An applicaton of the linear optimal control theory to the problem or load follow control in pressurized water reactors (PWR) is investigated. In order to perform the steady-state and load follow operation in PWR, a nonlinear model for the reactor and steam generator is derived and linearized at 50% rated power. Simulation tests are performed for 10% demanded load. Comparing the dynamic response of the newly developed optimal load follow controller with those of the integral error feedback controller proposed by Yang, the rise time of dynamic response of the former is about 15 seconds faster than those of the latter, thus the results indicate that the fast response of the optimal load follow controller is verified. The results of this work are directly applicable to the design of the load follow control systems for commercially operated PWRs.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.53 no.8
• /
• pp.2534-2546
• /
• 2021

Nuclear emergency preparedness and response is an essential part to ensure the safety of nuclear power plant (NPP). Key support technologies of nuclear emergency decision-making usually consist of accident diagnosis, source term estimation, accident consequence assessment, and protective action recommendation. Source term estimation is almost the most difficult part among them. For example, bad communication, incomplete information, as well as complicated accident scenario make it hard to determine the reactor status and estimate the source term timely in the Fukushima accident. Subsequently, it leads to the hard decision on how to take appropriate emergency response actions. Hence, this paper aims to develop a method for rapid source term estimation to support nuclear emergency decision making in pressurized water reactor NPP. The method aims to make our knowledge on NPP provide better support nuclear emergency. Firstly, this paper studies how to build a Bayesian network model for the NPP based on professional knowledge and engineering knowledge. This paper presents a method transforming the PRA model (event trees and fault trees) into a corresponding Bayesian network model. To solve the problem that some physical phenomena which are modeled as pivotal events in level 2 PRA, cannot find sensors associated directly with their occurrence, a weighted assignment approach based on expert assessment is proposed in this paper. Secondly, the monitoring data of NPP are provided to the Bayesian network model, the real-time status of pivotal events and initiating events can be determined based on the junction tree algorithm. Thirdly, since PRA knowledge can link the accident sequences to the possible release categories, the proposed method is capable to find the most likely release category for the candidate accidents scenarios, namely the source term. The probabilities of possible accident sequences and the source term are calculated. Finally, the prototype software is checked against several sets of accident scenario data which are generated by the simulator of AP1000-NPP, including large loss of coolant accident, loss of main feedwater, main steam line break, and steam generator tube rupture. The results show that the proposed method for rapid source term estimation under nuclear emergency decision making is promising.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.49 no.3
• /
• pp.621-631
• /
• 2017

Many developing countries considering the introduction of nuclear power find that large-scale reactor plants in the range of 1,000 MWe to 1,600 MWe are not grid appropriate for their current circumstance. By contrast, small modular reactors are generally too small to make significant contributions toward rapidly growing electricity demand and to date have not been demonstrated. This paper proposes a radically simplified re-design for the nuclear steam cycle for a medium-sized reactor plant in the range of 600 MWe. Historically, balance of plant designs for units of this size have emphasized reliability and efficiency. It will be demonstrated here that advances over the past 50 years in component design, materials, and fabrication techniques allow both of these goals to be met with a less complex design. A disciplined approach to reduce component count will result in substantial benefits in the life cycle cost of the units. Specifically, fabrication, transportation, construction, operations, and maintenance costs and expenses can all see significant reductions. In addition, the design described here can also be expected to significantly reduce both construction duration and operational requirements for maintenance and inspections.