Single channel flow blockage accident phenomena identification and ranking table (PIRT) for the advanced Candu reactor
- Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd., 2251 Speakman Drive, Mississauga, Ontario, L5K 1B2 (Canada)
- Consultant, Deep River, Ontario (Canada)
The Advanced Candu Reactor (ACRTM) is an evolutionary advancement of the current Candu 6{sup R} reactor, aimed at producing electrical power for a capital cost and at a unit-energy cost significantly less than that of the current reactor designs. The ACR retains the modular concept of horizontal fuel channels surrounded by a heavy water moderator, as with all Candu reactors. However, ACR uses slightly enriched uranium (SEU) fuel, compared to the natural uranium used in Candu 6. This achieves the twin goals of improved economics (e.g., via reductions in the heavy water requirements and the use of a light water coolant), as well as improved safety. This paper documents the results of Phenomena Identification and Ranking Table (PIRT) results for a very limited frequency, beyond design basis event of the ACR design. This PIRT is developed in a highly structured process of expert elicitation that is well supported by experimental data and analytical results. The single-channel flow blockage event in an ACR reactor assumes a severe flow blockage of one of the reactor fuel channels, which leads to a reduction of the flow in the affected channel, leading to fuel cladding and fuel temperature increase. The paper outlines the design characteristics of the ACR reactor that impact the PIRT process and computer code applicability. It also describes the flow blockage phenomena, lists all components and systems that have an important role during the event, discusses the PIRT process and results, and presents the finalized PIRT tables. (authors)
- Research Organization:
- American Nuclear Society, 555 North Kensington Avenue, La Grange Park, IL 60526 (United States)
- OSTI ID:
- 21160705
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: ICAPP'04: 2004 international congress on advances in nuclear power plants, Pittsburgh, PA (United States), 13-17 Jun 2004; Other Information: Country of input: France; 10 refs; Related Information: In: Proceedings of the 2004 international congress on advances in nuclear power plants - ICAPP'04, 2338 pages.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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