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Direct containment heating calculations for the Zion plant

Conference · · Transactions of the American Nuclear Society; (United States)
OSTI ID:5854204
 [1]
  1. Nuclear Assurance Corp., Norcross, GA (United States)

Containment pressures and temperatures have been calculated for direct containment heating (DCH) sequences in the Zion nuclear power plant. The DCH may occur during a station blackout severe accident in a pressurized water reactor if the molten corium is ejected under high pressure after vessel failure and reaches the containment atmosphere as fragmented particles, transferring thermal and chemical energy. The DCH includes many complex phenomena. The first difficulty arises from calculating how much molten corium will be ejected at vessel failure. Then, calculation of the fraction of this ejected molten corium that reaches the containment atmosphere as fragmented particles is extremely difficult. The work discussed in this paper does not attempt to model these two complex processes. Rather, it assumes that a fraction of the total core inventory reaches the containment atmosphere as fine molten particles. Then it calculates the chemical reactions with the atmosphere, as well as heat and mass transfers. In some areas, this model is similar to the DCH model incorporated into the CONTAIN code.

OSTI ID:
5854204
Report Number(s):
CONF-910603--
Journal Information:
Transactions of the American Nuclear Society; (United States), Journal Name: Transactions of the American Nuclear Society; (United States) Vol. 63; ISSN TANSA; ISSN 0003-018X
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English