Severe Accidents in Sodium Fast Reactors

Safety Study Approach, Prevention and Mitigation by Design

1st Edition - November 26, 2024
Imprint: Academic Press
Editors: Frédéric Bertrand, Andrea Bachrata, Nathalie Seiler, Christophe Journeau
Language: English
Paperback ISBN:
9 7 8 - 0 - 3 2 3 - 9 5 4 3 5 - 8
eBook ISBN:
9 7 8 - 0 - 3 2 3 - 9 5 4 3 6 - 5

Severe accidents in Sodium Fast Reactors: Safety Study Approach, Prevention and Mitigation by Design is a unique presentation of research work from the Sodium Fast Reactor Severe… Read more

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Severe accidents in Sodium Fast Reactors: Safety Study Approach, Prevention and Mitigation by Design is a unique presentation of research work from the Sodium Fast Reactor Severe Accident team at CEA. Focusing on in-core and out-core severe accident phenomena, this book analyzes severe accident scenarios and mitigation, related calculations and tools, and key outcomes from important experimental programs. The book describes the state-of-the-art on severe accident research which will help to inform and direct further pre-conceptual Generation IV SFRs. Lessons learned from the pre-conceptual phase of the French ASTRID project are highlighted alongside different approaches to demonstrate robustness.

To support the demonstration of concepts explored, a special section dedicated to calculation tools and their validation offers readers a unique set of tools to guide and inform their own research work. Readers will gain a deep understanding of methodologies to illustrate approaches as well as an overview of safety approaches from key countries based on the editor’s rich international collaboration.

Title of Book
Cover image
Title page
Table of Contents
About the cover page
Copyright
Tribute
Contributors
About the book and chapter editors
About chapter editors
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1. Introduction
1.1 Objectives of the book
1.2 Mitigation of severe accidents, a key issue for SFR
1.3 Presentation of book content
1.4 Scope limits
1.5 Presentation of editors and authors
Acronyms
Chapter 2. Dynamic and historical vision of severe accident approach in SFR former projects
2.1 Introduction
2.2 SFR features: interests and importance of severe accident issues
2.2.1 Past and current rationales for development of fast neutron reactors
2.2.2 Advantages and drawbacks of liquid sodium as reactor coolant
2.2.3 Overview of the main design characteristics of sodium-cooled fast reactors
2.2.3.1 Main design characteristics
2.2.3.2 Main issues of severe accidents in sodium-cooled fast reactors
2.3 General concepts on SFR safety approach
2.3.1 Consideration of severe accident in the French projects of sodium-cooled fast reactors
2.3.1.1 Evolution of the consideration of severe accidents
2.3.1.2 Consideration of severe accident in Superphénix
2.3.1.3 Consideration of severe accident for SPX2 and EFR projects
2.3.1.4 Consideration of severe accidents for ASTRID project
2.3.2 Consideration of severe accident in Japanese SFR projects
2.4 Main physical features of an SFR related to severe accident
2.4.1 Core behavior and neutron physics features
2.4.1.1 Core reactivity stability around the nominal operating point
2.4.1.2 Core reactivity effect occurring during a severe accident
2.4.2 Core design features for core melting prevention
2.4.3 SFR severe accident sequence general description
2.4.4 Issues related to sodium specificities
2.4.4.1 Cooling capability (conduction, natural convection, etc.)
2.4.4.2 Chemical reactivity
2.4.4.3 Thermal loadings of structures due to sodium at high temperature
2.4.4.4 Sodium two-phase behavior
2.4.4.5 Molten fuel–coolant interaction
2.4.4.6 Sodium impact on fission products release
2.4.5 Postaccident cooling
2.4.6 Main difference with LWR severe accident features
2.4.6.1 Overview of LWR and SFR concepts
2.4.6.2 Severe accident sequences
2.4.6.3 In-vessel severe accident phenomena
2.4.6.4 Severe accident management strategies
2.5 Historical overview of SFR design approach regarding severe accidents
2.5.1 Historical overview
2.5.1.1 In France
2.5.1.2 In Japan
2.5.2 Core melting prevention
2.5.2.1 French approach for severe accident prevention
2.5.2.2 Core melting prevention in Japan
2.5.3 Design against core melting and mechanical loadings
2.5.3.1 Historical approach in France
2.5.3.2 Historical approaches in Japan
2.5.4 Design for long-term cooling
2.5.4.1 European projects
2.5.4.2 Historical approach in Japan
2.5.5 Design mitigating fission product release
2.5.5.1 Containment system in the French reactor
2.5.5.2 Containment design: Historical approach in Japan
Glossary
Acronyms
Appendix
Appendix 2.3.1: Line-of-defense method
Appendix 2.3.2: Top-down approach for mitigation of severe accident
Appendix 2.3.3: Practical-elimination concept
Appendix 2.3.4: Lessons learned from the Fukushima–Daiichi accident for the ASTRID design
Chapter 3. Overview of ASTRID and JSFR design
3.1 Overview of ASTRID design
3.1.1 General objectives and features of ASTRID, innovative design options
3.1.1.1 ASTRID objectives
3.1.1.2 ASTRID main features
3.1.1.3 Overview of innovative options
3.1.2 Core design (including DCS-P) and DCS-M-TT design
3.1.2.1 Dedicated SA designs regarding severe accident prevention and mitigation
3.1.3 Core catcher design
3.1.4 Reactor design
3.1.4.1 Primary system
3.1.4.2 Intermediate loops and sodium gas heat exchangers
3.1.4.3 Power conversion system design
3.1.4.4 Decay heat removal systems
3.1.4.5 Reactor pit and above roof area
3.1.4.6 Cover gas system and intervessel gas system
3.1.4.7 Containment and reactor building
3.2 Overview of JSFR design
3.2.1 General objectives and features of JSFR
3.2.2 Safety design
3.2.3 Core design (including FAIDUS and CRGT)
3.2.4 Reactor design, including double-wall tube steam generators
3.2.4.1 Reactor structure
3.2.4.2 Reactor coolant system
3.2.4.3 Pump-integrated intermediate heat eXchanger
3.2.4.4 Steam generator (SG) (Kanda et al., 2016; Futagami et al., 2009)
3.2.5 Containment and reactor building
3.2.5.1 Containment structure
3.2.5.2 Seismic isolation system
Acronyms
Chapter 4. Severe accident scenario consideration and study methodology for mitigation implementation by design proposed by CEA
4.1 Approach for mitigation of severe accidents for ASTRID
4.1.1 Elements on general safety approach
4.1.2 Consideration on severe accidents at the preconceptual design stage
4.2 Study methodology supporting the prevention and mitigation approach
4.2.1 Introduction
4.2.2 Core melting scenarios
4.2.2.1 Core melting initiating sequences
4.2.2.2 General description of ULOF sequences
4.2.2.3 General description of UTOP sequences
4.2.2.4 USAF
4.2.3 Objectives and methodology of the studies
4.2.3.1 Study objectives
4.2.3.2 Natural behavior of the core
4.2.3.3 Study of degraded state of the reactor
4.2.3.4 Scenario studies from the initiating event
4.2.3.5 Feedback on design
Glossary
Acronyms
Chapter 5. Severe accident calculation tools used for severe accident and mitigation studies
5.1 Introduction
5.2 Steady-state mechanistic tools
5.2.1 Neutron physics simulation tools
5.2.1.1 ERANOS tool
5.2.1.2 TRIPOLI-4 tool
5.2.2 Thermodynamic equilibrium calculation tools
5.3 Mechanistic tools for severe accident transient simulation
5.3.1 Presentation of the historical computation scheme for calculating a severe accident transient in a SFR
5.3.2 SAS4A
5.3.3 SIMMER
5.3.3.1 Presentation of the code
5.3.3.2 Description of main features of SIMMER
5.3.3.3 Validation of SIMMER
5.3.3.4 Continuing validation of SIMMER-III and future validation of SIMMER V
5.3.4 EUROPLEXUS
5.3.4.1 Introduction
5.3.4.2 The ADCR model
5.3.4.3 Verification and validation test cases
5.3.5 CONTAIN-LMR
5.3.5.1 Validation studies
5.3.6 Lessons learned from simulation needs for ASTRID studies
5.4 Parametrable tools for severe accident simulations
5.4.1 General overview and objectives
5.4.2 Tools for the primary phase (BETINa, MACARENa, SUREX, and OCARINa)
5.4.2.1 BETINa: The total instantaneous blockage accidental sequence
5.4.2.2 MACARENa: Unprotected loss of flow sequence
5.4.2.3 OCARINa: Unprotected reactivity insertion sequence
5.4.2.4 SUREX: reactivity evolution and fuel dispersion
5.4.3 Tools devoted to transition phase: The MARINa tool
5.4.4 Tools devoted to expansion phase: The DETONa tool
5.4.5 Tools devoted to postaccident cooling phase (LIDENa, Super-COPD)
5.4.6 Chaining of parametric tools and with statistical methods
5.4.6.1 Chaining of parametric tools
5.4.6.2 Coupling with advanced statistical methods
5.5 R&D prospects for future tool platform
Acronyms
Appendix
A5.1 R&D prospects for future tool platform
A5.1.1 PROCOR_Na
A5.1.2 SEASON
A.5.2 Validation table matrices of SIMMER
Chapter 6. Mitigation studies carried out for the French SFR demonstrator
6.1 Introduction
6.2 Range of accident consequences, natural behavior of the core
6.2.1 Introduction
6.2.2 Core safety design criteria
6.2.2.1 Design basis accident domain
6.2.2.2 Prevention and mitigation situations criteria and practically eliminated situations
6.2.3 Reactivity evolution of ASTRID core
6.2.3.1 Core reactivity effect entering into play during a severe accident
6.2.3.2 Primary phase reactivity effects
6.2.3.3 Secondary phase reactivity effects
6.2.4 ULOF
6.2.4.1 Parametrical studies
6.2.4.2 Statistical studies
6.2.5 UTOP
6.2.6 USAF
6.2.6.1 Discrimination between prevention and mitigation domains
6.2.7 Synthesis of results without mitigation devices and consequences for mitigation needs and strategy
6.3 Mitigation strategy
6.3.1 Mitigation of energetic primary phases
6.3.2 Mitigation during the transition and the secondary phases—fissile mass extraction from the core region
6.3.3 Long term mitigation—in-vessel retention
6.4 Mitigation devices preliminary design process
6.4.1 Design criteria for mitigation devices
6.4.1.1 DCS-M-TT design criteria
6.4.1.2 Core catcher design criteria
6.4.1.3 Vessel design criteria
6.4.1.4 Containment design criteria
6.4.2 Degraded state analysis for mitigation device design process
6.4.2.1 Degraded state presentation
6.4.3 DCS-M-TT design studies
6.4.3.1 Modeling with mitigation tubes in SIMMER-III and MARINa
6.4.3.2 MARINa additional parametric studies
6.4.4 Core catcher design studies
6.4.4.1 Loading cases and collected material inventory
6.4.4.2 Study of FCI consequences on the core catcher design
6.4.4.3 Study of local thermal erosion during discharge phase
6.4.4.4 Study of material coolability and of long term integrity
6.4.4.5 Study of material compatibility
6.4.4.6 Study of recriticality
6.4.4.7 Core catcher history
6.4.5 Decay heat removal design studies
6.4.5.1 Vessel and DHX design studies
6.4.5.2 Containment design studies
6.5 Mitigation device efficiency verification process by scenario studies
6.5.1 Introduction
6.5.2 Verification of DCS-M-TT efficiency
6.5.3 Intermediate hot material retention in sacrificial box
6.5.4 Verification of vessel design margin
6.5.5 Preliminary verification of containment design
Acronyms
Glossary
Chapter 7. Experimental support studies for ASTRID mitigation device design
7.1 Introduction
7.2 Out-of-pile experiments
7.2.1 Thermochemistry
7.2.1.1 The fuel/steel/B4C interaction
7.2.1.1.1 Differential thermal analyses (DTA) of interaction between the steel and B4C
7.2.1.1.2 Heat treatments of UO2-SS-B4C
7.2.2 Fuel discharge through in-core coolant channels
7.2.3 Fuel–coolant interaction and sodium boiling regimes
7.2.3.1 Fragmentation of molten core material discharged into coolant plenums
7.2.3.2 Summary of newly obtained MELT experimental data and insights
7.2.3.3 SERUA
7.2.4 Thermal erosion by hot material jets
7.2.5 Corium melt thermal-hydraulics in core catcher
7.3 In-pile tests
7.3.1 EAGLE
7.3.1.1 Objectives and description of the EAGLE programs
7.3.1.2 Validation of SIMMER on the EAGLE tests
7.3.1.3 Summary of newly obtained EAGLE experimental data and insights
7.3.2 SAIGA
7.3.2.1 History and objectives of SAIGA program
7.3.2.2 Relevance of the SAIGA program with regard to the design of the mitigation “transfer tube”
7.3.2.3 SAIGA specifications
7.3.2.4 Design of SAIGA in-pile test device connected to a closed sodium loop
7.3.2.5 Instrumentation
7.3.2.6 Neutronic and thermal-hydraulic calculations
7.3.2.7 SIMMER-V pre-calculations
7.3.2.8 Concluding remarks on SAIGA program
7.4 Lessons learned for mitigation device design
7.5 Remaining uncertainties on phenomena and associated experimental needs
Acronyms
Chapter 8. Severe accident mitigation approach and studies for JSFR and other recent SFRs
8.1 Introduction
8.2 JSFR safety design study on severe accident mitigation
8.2.1 Mitigation strategy (Suzuki et al., 2014)
8.2.2 Design and efficiency evaluation study (Sato et al., 2011)
8.2.2.1 Initiating phase
8.2.2.2 Early discharge phase
8.2.2.3 Material-relocation phase
8.2.2.4 Heat-removal phase
8.3 Other recent SFR concepts and severe accident study
8.3.1 BN-1200 (Russia)
8.3.2 FBR-1&2 (India)
Acronyms
Chapter 9. Further R&D needs
9.1 Introduction
9.2 PIRT methodology for ASTRID
9.2.1 Sequence event time subdivision for PIRT
9.2.2 FoMs identification
9.2.3 Sword and shield concept
9.2.4 FoM presentation
9.3 Overview of PIRT results
9.3.1 ULOF PIRT
9.3.1.1 ULOF event sequence presentation
9.3.1.2 ULOF FoMs
9.3.1.3 ULOF result overview
9.3.2 UTOP PIRT
9.3.2.1 Time periods subdivisions and related phenomena
9.3.2.2 Presentation of the FoM
9.3.2.3 Presentation of the PIRT results
9.3.3 USAF PIRT
9.4 R&D additional proposal and needs to support design and mitigation approach
9.4.1 Synthesis of PIRT insights
9.4.2 Simulation and modeling needs
9.4.2.1 Coupling to dedicated tools and plate-form development
9.4.2.2 Development and validation of advanced physical models
9.4.3 Experimental needs
9.5 R&D prospects
9.5.1 Numerical simulation program for capitalizing the severe accident knowledge
9.5.1.1 Severe accident experimental program in support of the simulation tools
Acronyms
Chapter 10. Conclusion
10.1 Ending words
Acronyms
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Glossary
Index

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Severe Accidents in Sodium Fast Reactors

Safety Study Approach, Prevention and Mitigation by Design

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Frédéric Bertrand

Andrea Bachrata

Nathalie Seiler

Christophe Journeau

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