TAC2D studies of Mark I contaiment drywell shell melt-through

Technical Report · Mon Aug 01 04:00:00 EDT 1988

OSTI ID:6913288

Weingardt, J J; Bergeron, K D

A series of parametric calculations of the thermal attack of molten corium on a steel shell has been performed with the TAC2D computer code in order to elucidate uncertainties about the survivability of the BWR Mark I containment boundary in the event of a core-melt accident. Since TAC2D is a two-dimensional heat conduction code, it is not possible to capture some of the complexities of the corium spreading process or the debris-concrete interactions which would occur in this accident scenario. However, the two-dimensional transient nature of the thermal attack is modeled better with TAC2D than is possible with existing debris-concrete interaction codes. This study was therefore undertaken as a supplement to earlier work with debris-concrete interaction codes (like CORCON-MOD2), with the intention of assisting members of expert panels assessing uncertainty in severe accident phenomena for the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission's NUREG-1150 project. A total of 23 calculations are reported, consisting of two base cases (one with overlying water and one without) and numerous sensitivity variations about each case. Sensitivities investigated include mixed versus layered corium, heat transfer parameters upward and downward, initial corium temperature, chemical heating rate, heat transfer conditions in the gap outside the shell, and corium depth. 20 refs., 15 figs., 7 tabs.

• Research Organization: Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC (USA); Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC04-76DP00789
• OSTI ID: 6913288
• Report Number(s): NUREG/CR-5126; SAND-88-1407; ON: TI88016619
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
210100 -- Power Reactors
Nonbreeding
Light-Water Moderated
Boiling Water Cooled
22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS
220900* -- Nuclear Reactor Technology-- Reactor Safety
ACCIDENTS
BUILDING MATERIALS
BWR TYPE REACTORS
COMPUTER CODES
CONCRETES
CONTAINMENT
CORIUM
DATA
ENERGY TRANSFER
EQUATIONS
FLUID MECHANICS
HEAT TRANSFER
HYDRAULICS
INFORMATION
MATERIALS
MECHANICS
MELTDOWN
NUMERICAL DATA
REACTOR ACCIDENTS
REACTOR SAFETY
REACTORS
SAFETY
T CODES
TWO-DIMENSIONAL CALCULATIONS
WATER COOLED REACTORS
WATER MODERATED REACTORS