Validation of Analysis Models on Relocation Behavior of Molten Core Materials in Sodium-Cooled Fast Reactors Based on the Melt Discharge Experiment

Abstract

In order to improve the safety of nuclear power plants, it is necessary to make sure measures against their severe accidents. Especially, in the case of a sodium-cooled fast reactor (SFR), there is a possibility of significant energy release due to formation of a large-scale molten fuel pool accompanied by re-criticality in the event of a core disruptive accident (CDA). It is important to ensure in-vessel retention that keeps and confines damaged core material in the reactor vessel even if the CDA occurs. CDA scenario initiated by Unprotected Loss Of Flow (ULOF), which is a typical cause of core damage, is generally categorized into four phases according to the progression of core-disruptive status, which are the initiating, early-discharge, material-relocation and heat-removal phases for the latest design in Japan. During the material-relocation phase, the molten core material flows down mainly through the control rod guide tube and is discharged into the inlet coolant plenum below the bottom of the core. The discharged molten core material collides with the bottom plate of the inlet plenum. Clarification of the accumulation behavior of molten core material with such a collision on the bottom plate is important to reduce uncertainties in the safety assessment of CDA. In present study, in order to make clear behavior of core melt materials during the CDAs of SFRs, analysis was conducted using the SIMMER-III code for a melt discharge simulation experiment [1] in which low-melting-point alloy was discharged into a shallow water pool. This report shows the validation results for the melt behavior by comparing with the experimental data.