Identification and assessment of BWR in-vessel severe accident mitigation strategies

Technical Report · Thu Oct 01 00:00:00 EDT 1992

OSTI ID:6908890

Hodge, S A; Cleveland, J C; Kress, T S; Petek, M ^[1]

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1. Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (United States)

This report provides the results of work carried out in support of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission Accident Management Research Program to develop a technical basis for evaluating the effectiveness and feasibility of current and proposed strategies for boiling water reactor (BWR) severe accident management. First, the findings of an assessment of the current status of accident management strategies for the mitigation of in-vessel events for BWR severe accident sequences are described. This includes a review of the BWR Owners' Group Emergency Procedure Guidelines (EPGSs) to determine the extent to which they currently address the characteristic events of an unmitigated severe accident and to provide the basis for recommendations for enhancement of accident management procedures. Second, where considered necessary, new candidate accident management strategies are proposed for mitigation of the late-phase (after core damage has occurred) events. Finally, recommendations are made for consideration of additional strategies where warranted, and two of the four candidate strategies identified by this effort are assessed in detail: (1) preparation of a boron solution for reactor vessel refill should control blade damage occur during a period of temporary core dryout and (2) containment flooding to maintain the core debris within the reactor vessel if the injection systems cannot be restored.

• Research Organization: Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC (United States). Div. of Systems Research; Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USNRC; Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-84OR21400
• OSTI ID: 6908890
• Report Number(s): NUREG/CR-5869; ORNL/TM-12080; ON: TI93003210
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS
21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
BWR TYPE REACTORS
REACTOR ACCIDENTS
MANAGEMENT
ATWS
BLACKOUTS
EMERGENCY PLANS
LOSS OF COOLANT
MITIGATION
RISK ASSESSMENT
TRANSIENTS
ACCIDENTS
ENRICHED URANIUM REACTORS
POWER REACTORS
REACTORS
THERMAL REACTORS
WATER COOLED REACTORS
WATER MODERATED REACTORS
220900* - Nuclear Reactor Technology- Reactor Safety
210100 - Power Reactors
Nonbreeding
Light-Water Moderated
Boiling Water Cooled