Performance Analyses of ECCS and Containment Systems for the 4500 MW ESBWR
- GE Energy, 1989 Little Orchard St., San Jose, CA 95125 (United States)
GE latest evolution of the Boiling Water Reactor, the ESBWR, is an advanced, 4500 MWth nuclear power plant design, submitted to the NRC for design certification in 2005. This paper presents the key results of performance analyses of ESBWR ECCS and containment systems. The ESBWR is designed to take full advantage of passive features to improve the plant performance and economics. The key features are the use of natural circulation during normal operation and passive safety systems for decay heat removal and inventory control. The use of natural circulation results in relatively taller reactor vessel and more in-vessel coolant inventory. Consequently, the water level always covers the core following an accident, assuring no fuel heatup. The use of passive systems results in simpler safety systems. The peak containment pressure and margin to the design value basically depend on the containment volumes and the water inventories. Additionally, these passive systems impose no significant challenge to the operator. Performance analyses for the 4500 MWth ESBWR were made for a spectrum of LOCA events. These calculations accounted for uncertainties and biases in the computer models and used conservative initial conditions and plant parameters. Results of these performance analyses show that: (1) core remains covered with large margin and there is no core heatup in the ESBWR for any break size, (2) the long-term containment pressure increases gradually with time, in the order of hours, and the peak pressure is below the design value with large margin, and (3) the margins depend on the containment volumes and water inventories. (authors)
- Research Organization:
- American Nuclear Society, 555 North Kensington Avenue, La Grange Park, IL 60526 (United States)
- OSTI ID:
- 21021120
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 2006 International congress on advances in nuclear power plants - ICAPP'06, Reno - Nevada (United States), 4-8 Jun 2006; Other Information: Country of input: France; 15 refs; Related Information: In: Proceedings of the 2006 international congress on advances in nuclear power plants - ICAPP'06, 2734 pages.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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