HTGR Knowledge Base
Conference Article: Uncertainties in the analysis of water ingress accident for the HTGR cores.
Gorbunov, V.S.; Golovko, V.F.; Glushkov, E.S. (Gosudarstvennyj Komitet po Ispol'zovaniyu Atomnoj Ehnergii SSSR, Moscow (USSR). Inst. Atomnoj Ehnergii); Kiryushin, A.I.; Kuzavkov, N.G.; Sukharev, Yu.P. (Experimental Machine Building Design Bureau, Gorki (USSR))Abstract
Behaviour of the reactor major physical characteristics during the accident related to the water/steam ingress into the core, resulted from the steam generator (SG) loss of integrity has been analysed on the example of the VGM reactor with the pebble bed core designed in the USSR. The header tube instantaneous double-ended rupture without interaction of the outgoing flows has been considered due to the uncertainties of its failure process. Calculation of water quantity discharged into the core has been made under the following assumptions: 1) Accumulation of water in liquid state in the core is eliminated in as much as the fuel elements and helium temperature exceed water boiling temperature at a pressure of about 5 MPa: 2) Chemical interaction of water with graphite is not taken into account: 3) Moisture sensors fail to be actuated. The calculation results of the water mass variations in the core vs. time as well as reactivity changes caused by water ingress into the core are given in the paper. The need to take into account reactivity changes caused by the front edge of the steam/helium mixture that defines the neutron power increase rate has been shown is the paper. Changes of the reactivity compensation members' efficiency at a steam/water ingress into the core and reflector both in hot and cooled down reactor have been evaluated. The paper carries requirements for experimental investigations intended to prove the adequacy of the reactivity compensation members' efficiency in the accident under consideration.
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key words: Gas Cooled Reactor, Nuclear Technology
- Reference:
- Uncertainties in physics calculations for gas cooled reactor
cores. Proceedings of a specialist's meeting held in Villigen,
Switzerland, 9-11 May 1990
- International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna (Austria). International Working Group on Gas-Cooled Reactors
- IWGGCR--24, pp:112-116
- International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna (Austria). International Working Group on Gas-Cooled Reactors