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Title: MARCH 2 (Meltdown Accident Response Characteristics) code description and user's manual

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:6513380

MARCH 2 describes the response of water-cooled reactor systems to accidents which, because of failures in engineered safety features, lead to core meltdown. The code performs the calculations from the time of accident initiation through the stages of coolant blowdown and boiloff, core heat up and meltdown, pressure vessel bottom head melting and failure, and debris-water and debris-concrete interactions in the reactor cavity. Both the primary system and the containment building are modeled. Mass and energy additions to the containment building are evaluated and the pressure-temperature response of the containment with or without engineered safety features is calculated. A maximum of eight containment sub-volumes may be modeled. Engineered safety features modeled include emergency core cooling systems, containment sprays, building coolers and fans, suppression pool and ice condenser containments, and emergency core cooling and spray heat exchangers. Effects of metal-water reactions, combustion of hydrogen and carbon monoxide, heat losses to containment structures, and redistribution of the decay heat due to loss of volatile fission products from the core are considered.

Research Organization:
Battelle Columbus Labs., OH (USA)
OSTI ID:
6513380
Report Number(s):
NUREG/CR-3988; BMI-2115; ON: TI85900008
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English