SIMULATION OF VARIOUS ACCIDENT CONSIDERATIONS FOR A MERCHANT-SHIP PRESSURIZED-WATER REACTOR

Technical Report · Mon Aug 25 04:00:00 EDT 1958

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/4305338· OSTI ID:4305338

Boyd, R. S.; Gordon, B. B.; Byers, R. H.; Winslow, L. E.; Stone, Jr., J. J.

A study was conducted on the safety aspects of foreseeable accident types in connection with the Nuclear Merchant Ship Reactor program. Four accidents have been selected for analysis by analog simulation techniques: continuous rod withdrawal, startup, loss of coolant flow, and cold-water insertion. The simulation of the reactor only was required for these situations because the effects of the accidents would be completed in less than one primary- coolant loop time. The external control system was ignored, and only the effects of the negative reactivity cocfficients were considered in the natural shutdown of the plant. Three phases of operation were considered in these analyses: operation with no safety system, high-flux scram, and period scram. The programs involved the variations of the scram parameters and the reactor temperature coefficients over the range of possible values for this reactor power plant. Results indicate that the inherent stabliity of the reactor system is sufficient to attenuate the power excursions resulting from the first three accidents. In the coldwater accident, if the difference in loop temperatures is on the order of 300 deg F, scram is necessary to limit the power excursion. (auth)

• Research Organization: Battelle Memorial Inst., Columbus, Ohio
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-92
• NSA Number: NSA-12-016684
• OSTI ID: 4305338
• Report Number(s): BMI-1269
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

ACCIDENTS
ANALOG SYSTEMS
CONTROL ELEMENTS
CONTROL SYSTEMS
COOLANT LOOPS
EXCURSIONS
EXPLOSIONS
FAILURES
HIGH TEMPERATURE
LEAKS
MODERATORS
MONITORING
NEUTRON FLUX
PHYSICS
POWER PLANTS
PRESSURE
PROPULSION
REACTIVITY
REACTOR SAFETY
REACTORS
RODS
SERVOMECHANISMS
SHIPS
SHUTDOWN
STABILITY
STARTUP
TEMPERATURE
VARIATIONS
WATER
WATER COOLANT