Evaluation of the effects of initial conditions on transients in PUMA
- Brookhaven National Lab., Upton, NY (United States). Dept. of Advanced Technology
A Simplified Boiling Water Reactor (SBWR) is the latest Boiling Water Reactor (BWR) designed by the General Electric (GE). Major differences between the SBWR and the currently operating BWRs include the use of passive gravity-driven systems in the SBWR for emergency cooling of the vessel and containment. In order to investigate the phenomena expected during a Loss of Coolant Accident (LOCA), Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has sponsored an integral scaled-test facility, called Purdue University Multidimensional Integral Test Assembly (PUMA). The facility models all the major safety-related components of SBWR. Two PUMA initialization calculations were performed to assist the Purdue University in establishing test initialization procedures. Both calculations were based on the initial conditions obtained from SBWR LOCA simulation. In the base case, a complete separation between vapor and liquid was assumed, with all the water in the lower part of the Reactor Pressure Vessel (RPV) and all the vapor above it. In the sensitivity case, the water inventory was distributed in the vessel in the same way as in the SBWR at 1.034 MPa, which is the initial pressure for PUMA facility. Purdue University plans to initialize the PUMA tests as in the base case. The sensitivity calculation is performed to provide assurance that this mode of initialization is adequate. It also provides information on possible differences in the progress of transients. The paper will discuss the differences in the early part of the transient. The conclusion from this study will also apply to many integral facilities which simulate the reactor transients form the middle of the transient.
- Research Organization:
- Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC02-76CH00016
- OSTI ID:
- 244670
- Report Number(s):
- BNL-NUREG-63007; CONF-960306-33; ON: DE96011455; TRN: 96:014625
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: ICONE 4: ASME/JSME international conference on nuclear engineering, New Orleans, LA (United States), 10-13 Mar 1996; Other Information: PBD: [1996]
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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