The loss-of-coolant accident (LOCA) simulation in the boiling water reactor (BWR) of Laguna Verde Nuclear Power Plant (LVNPP) at 105% of rated power is analyzed in this work. The LVNPP model was developed using RELAP/SCDAPSIM code. The lack of cooling water after the LOCA gets to the LVNPP to melting of the core that exceeds the design basis of the nuclear power plant (NPP) sufficiently to cause failure of structures, materials, and systems that are needed to ensure proper cooling of the reactor core by normal means. Faced with a severe accident, the first response is to maintain the reactor core cooling by any means available, but in order to carry out such an attempt is necessary to understand fully the progression of core damage, since such action has effects that may be decisive in accident progression. The simulation considers a LOCA in the recirculation loop of the reactor with and without cooling water injection. During the progression of core damage, we analyze the cooling water injection at different times and the results show that there are significant differences in the level of core damage and hydrogen production, among other variables analyzed such as maximum surface temperature, fission products released, and debris bed height.
The objective of this paper is the simulation and analysis of the BoilingWater Reactor (BWR) lower head during a severe accident. The COUPLE computer code was used in this work to model the heatup of the reactor core material that slumps in the lower head of the reactor pressure vessel. The prediction of the lower head failure is an important issue in the severe accidents field, due to the accident progression and the radiological consequences that are completely different with or without the failure of the Reactor Pressure Vessel (RPV). The release of molten material to the primary containment and the possibility of steam explosion may produce the failure of the primary containment with high radiological consequences. Then, it is important to have a detailed model in order to predict the behavior of the reactor vessel lower head in a severe accident. In this paper, a hypothetical simulation of a Loss of Coolant Accident (LOCA) with simultaneous loss of off-site power and without injection of cooling water is presented with the proposal to evaluate the temperature distribution and heatup of the lower part of the RPV. The SCDAPSIM/RELAP5 3.2 code was used to build the BWR model and conduct the numerical simulation.
The three main strategies used by the utilities in order to obtain more benefits from the nuclear installations focused on electricity production and in order to satisfy their demand without carbon dioxide emissions are: (1) Power uprate, (2) plant life management and (3) plant life extension. Alone in the United States, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has approved more than 140 Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) power uprates since 1977, which represent the equivalent of five new Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs). While in the rest of the world the NPP uprates represent the equivalent of two new NPP. This study is a compilation of the power uprate experience in the whole world and a discussion about important problems detected due to this process in Light Water Reactors (LWR), specifically for Boiling Water Reactors (BWR). The power uprate involves the reanalysis of many topics in order to assure that the safety operational margins are kept. The new radiological consequences, structural integrity of the systems, vibrations, core heat balance and thermal-hydraulics behavior under transient and accident conditions, are some of the aspects to be considered during power uprate processes. As special case the Laguna Verde Power Nuclear Power Plant (LVNPP) Extended Power Uprate (EPU) is presented, whose experience indicated that the steam dryer loads are crucial for uprates in BWR´s.
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