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Analyses of severe accident scenarios in RBMK-1500

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Published/Copyright: April 6, 2013
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Kerntechnik
From the journal Kerntechnik Volume 71 Issue 4

Abstract

Even though research of severe accidents in light water reactors is performed around the world for several decades many questions remain. Research is mostly performed for vessel-type reactors. RBMK is a channel type light water reactor, which differs from the vessel-type reactors in several aspects. These differences impose some specifics in the accident phenomena and processes that occur during severe accidents. Severe accident research for RBMK reactors is taking first steps and very little information is available in the open literature. The existing severe accident analysis codes are developed for vessel-type reactors and their application to the analysis of accidents in RBMK is not straightforward. This paper presents the results of an analysis of large loss-of-coolant accident scenarios with loss of coolant injection to the core of RBMK-1500. The analysis performed considers processes in the reactor core, in the reactor cooling system and in the confinement until the fuel melting started. This paper does not aim to answer all the questions regarding severe accidents in RBMK but rather to start a discussion, identify the expected timing of the key phenomena.

Kurzfassung

Auch wenn Unfallforschung in Leichtwasserreaktoren weltweit seit Jahrzehnten betrieben wird, bleiben viele Fragen offen. Forschung wird größtenteils für Reaktoren mit Druckbehältern durchgeführt. Der RBMK ist ein Druckröhren-Leichtwasserreaktor („Kanal-Typ“), der sich von den Reaktoren mit RDB in mehreren Aspekten unterscheidet. Diese Unterschiede führen zu einigen Besonderheiten bei Unfallphänomenen und -prozessen. Trotz erster Fortschritte in der Unfallforschung für RBMK-Reaktoren sind nur wenig Informationen in der Literatur verfügbar. Die vorhandenen Unfallanalysecodes werden für Reaktoren mit RDB entwickelt und ihre Anwendung auf die Analyse von Unfällen in RBMK-Reaktoren ist nicht ganz einfach. Dieses Papier präsentiert die Ergebnisse der Analyse des Unfallszenarium bei Kühlmittelverlust und Verlust der Kühlmittel-Einspeisung zum Kern des RBMK-1500. Die durchgeführte Analyse betrachtet Prozesse im Reaktorkern, im Kühlwassersystem und Reaktorconfinement bis zur beginnenden Schmelze des Brennstoffs. Dieses Papier hat nicht zum Ziel, alle Fragen bezüglich Unfällen in RBMK-Reaktoren zu beantworten, sondern will eine Diskussion über den genauen Zeitverlauf der Schlüsselphänomene initiieren.

∗ E. Urbonavicius (corresponding author)

References

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Received: 2006-1-24
Published Online: 2013-04-06
Published in Print: 2006-08-01

© 2006, Carl Hanser Verlag, München

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  1. Contents/Inhalt
  2. Contents
  3. Summaries/Kurzfassungen
  4. Summaries
  5. Technical Contributions/Fachbeiträge
  6. The multipurpose thermalhydraulic test facility TOPFLOW: an overview on experimental capabilities, instrumentation and results
  7. Uncertainty in cross-section calculations for reactions induced by neutrons with energy above 0.1 MeV
  8. Determination of the exposure build-up factor in a slab using the LTSN method
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  12. Effect of packing fraction variations on the multiplication factor in pebble-bed nuclear reactors
  13. Design of a dry cask storage system for spent LWR fuels: radiation protection, subcriticality, and heat removal aspects
  14. Radiological and thermal characteristics of CASTOR RBMK-1500 and CONSTOR RBMK-1500 casks for spent nuclear fuel storage at Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant
  15. Analyses of severe accident scenarios in RBMK-1500
https://doi.org/10.3139/124.100298

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Contents/Inhalt
  2. Contents
  3. Summaries/Kurzfassungen
  4. Summaries
  5. Technical Contributions/Fachbeiträge
  6. The multipurpose thermalhydraulic test facility TOPFLOW: an overview on experimental capabilities, instrumentation and results
  7. Uncertainty in cross-section calculations for reactions induced by neutrons with energy above 0.1 MeV
  8. Determination of the exposure build-up factor in a slab using the LTSN method
  9. Lumped parameters analysis of the IAEA research reactor benchmark problem
  10. Assessment of the look-up table using the tubular and bundle CHF data and modification of the bundle correction factor
  11. A finite element model for static strength analysis of CANDU fuel bundle
  12. Effect of packing fraction variations on the multiplication factor in pebble-bed nuclear reactors
  13. Design of a dry cask storage system for spent LWR fuels: radiation protection, subcriticality, and heat removal aspects
  14. Radiological and thermal characteristics of CASTOR RBMK-1500 and CONSTOR RBMK-1500 casks for spent nuclear fuel storage at Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant
  15. Analyses of severe accident scenarios in RBMK-1500
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