Modeling of melt retention in EU-APR1400 ex-vessel core catcher

Conference · Sun Jul 01 00:00:00 EDT 2012

OSTI ID:22107749

Granovsky, V. S.; Sulatsky, A. A.; Khabensky, V. B.; Sulatskaya, M. B. ^[1]; Gusarov, V. V.; Almyashev, V. I.; Komlev, A. A. ^[2]; Bechta, S. ^[3]; Kim, Y. S. ^[4]; Park, R. J.; Kim, H. Y.; Song, J. H. ^[5]

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1. Alexandrov Research Inst. of Technology NITI, Sosnovy Bor (Russian Federation)
2. Saint Petersburg State Technological Univ. SPbSTU, St.Petersburg (Russian Federation)
3. KTH, Stockholm (Sweden)
4. KHNP, 1312 Gil 70, Yuseongdaero, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)
5. KAERI, 989 Gil 111, Daedeokdaero, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

A core catcher is adopted in the EU-APR1400 reactor design for management and mitigation of severe accidents with reactor core melting. The core catcher concept incorporates a number of engineering solutions used in the catcher designs of European EPR and Russian WER-1000 reactors, such as thin-layer corium spreading for better cooling, retention of the melt in a water-cooled steel vessel, and use of sacrificial material (SM) to control the melt properties. SM is one of the key elements of the catcher design and its performance is critical for melt retention efficiency. This SM consists of oxide components, but the core catcher also includes sacrificial steel which reacts with the metal melt of the molten corium to reduce its temperature. The paper describes the required properties of SM. The melt retention capability of the core catcher can be confirmed by modeling the heat fluxes to the catcher vessel to show that it will not fail. The fulfillment of this requirement is demonstrated on the example of LBLOCA severe accident. Thermal and physicochemical interactions between the oxide and metal melts, interactions of the melts with SM, sacrificial steel and vessel, core catcher external cooling by water and release of non-condensable gases are modeled. (authors)

• Research Organization: American Nuclear Society, 555 North Kensington Avenue, La Grange Park, IL 60526 (United States)
• OSTI ID: 22107749
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
CONTAINERS
COOLING
CORE CATCHERS
CORIUM
DESIGN
ELECTRON SPIN RESONANCE
HEAT FLUX
MELTING
NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS
OXIDES
REACTOR ACCIDENTS
REACTOR CORES
SIMULATION
STEELS
THIN FILMS
WATER
WATER COOLED REACTORS
WWER TYPE REACTORS