Study on severe accidents and countermeasures for VVER-1000 reactors using the integral code ASTEC

P. Tusheva; F. Schäfer; N. Reinke; E. Altstadt; S. Kliem

doi:10.3139/124.110253

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Article

Study on severe accidents and countermeasures for VVER-1000 reactors using the integral code ASTEC

P. Tusheva , F. Schäfer , N. Reinke , E. Altstadt and S. Kliem

Published/Copyright: June 11, 2013

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From the journal Kerntechnik Volume 77 Issue 4

Abstract

The research field focussing on the investigations and the analyses of postulated severe accidents is an important part of the nuclear safety. To maintain the safety barriers as long as possible and to retain the radioactivity within the airtight premises of the containment, to avoid or mitigate the consequences of such events and to assess the risk, thorough studies are needed. This paper is focused on the possibilities for accident management measures in case of severe accidents. The analyses performed with the integral code ASTEC cover two accident sequences which could lead to a severe accident: a small break loss of coolant accident and a station blackout. The discussed issues concern the main phenomena during the early and late in-vessel phase of the accidents, the time to core heat-up, the hydrogen production, the mass of corium in the reactor pressure vessel lower plenum and the failure of the reactor pressure vessel. Additionally, possible operator's actions and countermeasures in the preventive or mitigative domain are addressed.

Kurzfassung

Die Untersuchung von postulierten schweren Störfällen ist ein wichtiger Bestandteil der nuklearen Sicherheitsforschung. Um in einem Störfall die Sicherheitsbarrieren und den Einschluss der Radioaktivität so lange wie möglich aufrecht zu erhalten, aber auch um Konsequenzen zu vermeiden oder zu minimieren und um das Risiko zu bewerten, sind detaillierte Analysen zum Störfallablauf erforderlich. Der Schwerpunkt des vorliegenden Beitrags liegt auf der Anwendung von Notfallmaβnahmen während eines schweren Störfalls. Mit dem Integralcode ASTEC wurden Analysen zu zwei Störfallsequenzen durchgeführt, welche sich zu einem schweren Störfall ausweiten können: ein kleines leck im Primärkreis und der Totalausfall der Stromversorgung (Station Blackout). Dabei werden wichtige Phänomene während der Früh- und Spätphase bis zur Ausbildung einer Kernschmelze im Reaktordruckbehälter diskutiert. Wichtige Aspekte sind hierbei die Zeit bis zur Kernaufheizung, die Wasserstofffreisetzung, die Masse der Kernschmelze im unteren Plenum und das Versagen des Reaktordruckbehälters. Darüber hinaus werden mögliche Notfallmaβnahmen im präventiven und mitigativen Bereich diskutiert.

* Email: p.tusheva@hzdr.de

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Received: 2012-1-16

Published Online: 2013-06-11

Published in Print: 2012-08-01

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https://doi.org/10.3139/124.110253