AP1000® Large-Break LOCA BEPU analysis with TRACE code. (November 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Queral, C.; Montero-Mayorga, J.; Gonzalez-Cadelo, J.; Jimenez, G.
• Is Part Of: Annals of nuclear energy. Volume 85(2015:Nov.)
• Page Start: 576
• Page End: 589
• Publication Date: 2015-11
• Subjects: AP1000 -- LBLOCA -- BEPU -- TRACE -- Passive safety systems; BE best-estimate -- CMT core makeup tank -- DSA deterministic safety analysis -- IRWST in-containment refueling water storage tank -- LBLOCA large break loss of coolant accident -- PCT peak cladding temperature -- PWR pressurized water reactor -- RCP reactor coolant pump; Nuclear energy -- Periodicals; Nuclear engineering -- Periodicals; 621.4805
• DOI: 10.1016/j.anucene.2015.06.011
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0306-4549

Abstract

Highlights: Assessment ofAP1000 behavior in LBLOCA sequences. AP1000 LBLOCA comparison against standard PWR-3L. TRACE-DAKOTA application to BEPU analysis. Abstract: TheAP1000 ® is an advanced Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) design developed by Westinghouse which implements passive safety systems to provide core cooling in case of accident. The development of best-estimate codes produced the evolution of conservative safety analysis towards the so-called best-estimate plus uncertainty (BEPU) analysis in order to obtain more realistic results and larger safety margins. In this sense, Westinghouse used forAP1000 Large Break Loss of Coolant Accident (LBLOCA) the so-called Automated Statistical Treatment of Uncertainty Method (ASTRUM) which was developed to address this kind of BEPU analysis. This paper presents a verification of theAP1000 LBLOCA BEPU analysis by means of TRACE V5.0 patch 2 thermal–hydraulic code with the support of DAKOTA code for uncertainty calculations. The results obtained show lower values for the maximum PCT than the ones obtained by Westinghouse. In both cases the results show thatAP1000 can mitigate effectively the occurrence of a postulate LBLOCA and to meet the 10CFR50.46 PCT acceptance criteria with enough margin.