Application of the MELCOR code to design basis PWR large dry containment analysis.
- USNRC, Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research, Rockville, MD
- Jack Tills & Associates, Inc., Sandia Park, NM
The MELCOR computer code has been developed by Sandia National Laboratories under USNRC sponsorship to provide capability for independently auditing analyses submitted by reactor manufactures and utilities. MELCOR is a fully integrated code (encompassing the reactor coolant system and the containment building) that models the progression of postulated accidents in light water reactor power plants. To assess the adequacy of containment thermal-hydraulic modeling incorporated in the MELCOR code for application to PWR large dry containments, several selected demonstration designs were analyzed. This report documents MELCOR code demonstration calculations performed for postulated design basis accident (DBA) analysis (LOCA and MSLB) inside containment, which are compared to other code results. The key processes when analyzing the containment loads inside PWR large dry containments are (1) expansion and transport of high mass/energy releases, (2) heat and mass transfer to structural passive heat sinks, and (3) containment pressure reduction due to engineered safety features. A code-to-code benchmarking for DBA events showed that MELCOR predictions of maximum containment loads were equivalent to similar predictions using a qualified containment code known as CONTAIN. This equivalency was found to apply for both single- and multi-cell containment models.
- Research Organization:
- Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), Albuquerque, NM, and Livermore, CA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC04-94AL85000
- OSTI ID:
- 959093
- Report Number(s):
- SAND2009-2858; TRN: US201016%%552
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
ACCIDENTS
COMPUTER CODES
CONTAINMENT
CONTAINMENT BUILDINGS
COOLANTS
DESIGN
DESIGN BASIS ACCIDENTS
HEAT SINKS
MASS TRANSFER
POWER PLANTS
SAFETY
SANDIA NATIONAL LABORATORIES
SIMULATION
TRANSPORT
WATER
MELCOR (Calculation)*
High temperature chemistry.
MELCOR (Computer program)
High temperature tests.
High temperature gas cooled reactors.