Nuclear Engineering Program

A Look at Nuclear Science and Technology

Reactor Safety L. R. Foulke
Module 7.3 Design Basis Accidents

Design Basis Accident (DBA)

A DBA is a postulated set of failure events Plant designed to withstand Not exceed offsite exposures of 10CFR100 DBAs intended to bound off-site doses demonstrate adequacy of engineered safety features DBAs postulate at least one significant failure DBA analysis based on conservative assumptions
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Design-Basis Accidents
OVERCOOLING: Increase Secondary Heat Removal UNDERCOOLING: Decrease Secondary Heat Removal OVERFILLING - Increase Coolant Inventory LOSS OF FLOW - Decrease Coolant Flow Rate LOSS OF COOLANT - Decrease Coolant Inventory REACTIVITY - Reactivity/Power Distribution Anomalies ANTICIPATED TRANSIENT W/O SCRAM [ATWS] SPENT-FUEL/WASTE SYSTEM - Radioactive Release EXTERNAL EVENTS - Natural / Man-Made Events
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Reactor Safety Systems

Each of these possible accident types must be carefully analyzed, and the reactor must be shown to be safe before it can receive a license.
Much of the design effort that goes into a nuclear reactor is related to engineered safety systems that can react in case of an accident Designers always work to include both passive and active safety systems into every plant design DBAs provide the BASIS for Assessing Acceptable Reactor DESIGN
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 Overcooling

Design-Basis Accidents
Feedwater Temperature Decreases Feedwater Flow Increases Steam Flow Increases

Undercooling / Loss of Heat Sink [LOHA]

Steam Flow Decreases
Turbine Trip Reduction in Feedwater Flow
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Faulty Pressure Regulation Failure of PWR Steamline Piping

Accident Types - Overcooling

Overcooling
Removing too much energy from working fluid on secondary side

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Image Source: See Note 1

Accident Types - Undercooling

Undercooling
Not removing enough energy from working fluid on secondary side

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Image Source: See Note 1

Design-Basis Accidents
Loss of Coolant Accidents [LOCA] Breach in Reactor-Coolant Pressure Boundary "Classic" LOCA - Rupture Major Primary Piping Others Steam-Generator Tube Rupture Opening Relief / Safety Valves PWR Pressurizer BWR Steamline BWR Steam-line Breaks
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 LWR

Design-Basis Accidents
Double-ended Guillotine Break of Main Coolant Pipe Coolant Flashes to Steam Coolant Loss Neutronic Shutdown Rods Dropped ECCS Cools Core / Prevents Decay-Heat Damage Small Radioactivity Release to Containment Heat Removal Maintains ECCS / Reduces Pressure Minimal Local Fuel Damage / Radioactive Release LOCA

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Severe Accidents
Beyond Design Basis Accidents
Potential for Serious Core Damage / Meltdown Consequences in Excess of most-severe DesignBasis Accident Hypothetical Events / Failure Safety Systems Analysis Identifies Requirements
Emergency Cooling Systems Containment Structures
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Severe Accidents
Unmitigated PWR LOCA Scenario (WASH-1400)
Blowdown - DNB 0.25 s - Loss of Coolant 10-11 s Moderator Loss Neutronic Shutdown Zr-Water Reaction H2 / Energy Adds to Decay Heat Clad / Fuel Melting 80% Core Melts in Place/Moves to Bottom of Vessel Vessel Melt-through 1 h Later Concrete Spalling / H2O Vaporization Basemat Penetrate in 18 h Steam / CO2 Add to Pressurization
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Severe Accidents
Unmitigated PWR LOCA Scenario (WASH-1400)
If Molten UO2 Hits H2O Possible Steam Explosion
Equipment Damage Overpressure Fission Product Release

Hydrogen Burn / Explosion

Unmitigated BWR LOCA Scenario (WASH-1400)

Differences from PWR
Lower Pressure Possible Dry Meltdown If Tight, Inert, Containment Avoid H2 Burn
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Fission Product Release

Major Concern in Accidents Continuous Releases Milestone - Sources / Mechanisms (The Four Principal events in an LWR meltdown)
Gap - Products Between Pellet / Clad Meltdown Vaporization - Fuel-Concrete Interactions Oxidation - Steam Explosion

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Fission Product Release

Removal Mechanisms
Natural Processes
Decay Chemical Reactivity Deposition

Engineered Safety Systems - Enhance Natural Processes

Four General Source Categories of Fission Products

Noble Gases Organic Iodides Elemental Iodine Particulates/Aerosols
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Fission Product Release

Leak Rate to Environment two ways
Containment Breach
Overpressure
Non-Condensable Gases [H2/CO2] / Steam

Melt-Through
No China Syndrome

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Image Source: See Note 2

Conservative Analysis vs Realistic Analysis (examples)

Realistic
Decay heat at best estimate Off site power available Hottest region of core at expected peaking factor Best estimate heat transfer coefficient Emergency plan implemented Containment intact Typical meteorological conditions
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Conservative
Decay heat best estimate multiplied by 1.2 Off site power lost concurrent with LOCA Hottest region of core abnormally high Conservative heat transfer coefficients Assume hypothetical person for 2 hours at exclusion area boundary Containment assumed to leak Worst meteorological conditions

Table Source: See Note 3

Conservative Dose Analysis vs Realistic Analysis (LOCA)

Assumption 10CFR100 Dose Guideline Conservtive Realistic Individual whole body dose (Rem) 25 3 8 x 10-3

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Table Source: See Note 3

Image Source Notes

1. Adapted from:http://www.nrc.gov/readingrm/basic-ref/students/animated-pwr.html 2. Perspectives on Reactor Safety. NUREG/CR-6042, Rev. 2 SAND 93-0971. Figure 5.2-4. Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. http://pbadupws.nrc.gov/docs/ML0210/ML021080 419.pdf 3. Information for this table based on Perspectives on Reactor Safety. NUREG/CR-6042, Rev. 2 SAND 930971. Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. http://pbadupws.nrc.gov/docs/ML0210/ML021080 026.pdf