Summary Report
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International Atomic Energy Agency IWGGCR/l & IMTBKK1TICNAL WORKING CBODP CE GAS-COOLED REACTORS Specialists Meeting on Gas-cooled Reactor Safety and Licensing Aspects Lausanne, Switzerland 1-3 September I98O SUMMARY REPORT Attention Microfiche User, The original document from which this microfiche was made was found to contain some imperfection or imperfections that reduce full comprehension of some of the text despite the good technical quality of the microfiche itself. The imperfections may he: — missing or illegible pages/figures — wrong pagination — poor overall printing quality, etc. YJe normally refuse to microfiche such a document and request a replacement document (or pages) from the National INIS Centre concerned. However, our experience shows that many months pass before such documents are replaced. Sometimes the Centre is not able to supply a better copy or, in some cases, the pages that were supposed to be missing correspond to a wrong pagination only. 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If the Centre can supply the necessary pages/document a new master fiche will be made to permit production of any replace ment microfiche that may be requested. The original document from which this microfiche has been prepared has these imperfections: ) ! missing pages/figures numbered: ■ 1 | wrong pagination | 'I poor overall printing quality | 1 combinations of the above A I „ INIS Clearinghouse jg] other p k vn redu*aioi«- IAEA ' P. 0. Box 100 A-1400, Vienna, Austria INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY Specialists' Meeting on Gas-cooled Reactor Safety and Licensing Aspects Lausanne, Switzerland 1-3 September 1980 Chairman: G. Sarlos Schweizerische Interessengemeinschaft HHT WUrenlingen, Switzerland Co-Chairman: A.J. Goodjohn General Atomic Company San Diego, California United States of America Scientific Secretary: J. Kupitz International Atomic Ehergy Agency Vienna, Austria SUMMARY REPORT CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION ...........................,............... 1 2. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS 2A. Safety and Licensing Experience of OCRs ............ 1 2B. Safety Analysis and Research ...................... 3 2C. Future Prospects for OCR Safety ................... 4 2D. Panel Discussion ................................. 5 3. CONTRIBUTIONS Operational experience at Fbrt St. Vrain, a unique nuclear power plant ............. 6 G.C. Bramblett, C.R. Fisher, F.E. Swart Safety aspects of the operation experience with the AVR experimental power station .......... 10 G. Ivens, E. Ziermann Accident analysis and accident control for the THTR - 300 power plant ......... 16 R. Breitenfelder, W. Wachholz, U. Weicht THTR steam generator licensing experience as seen ty the manufacturer ............................... 22 H.W. Fricker Advanced gas-cooled reactors (AGR) ........................... 27 R.M. Yeomans Gas-cooled breeder reactor safety ......................... 39 J. Chermanne, P. Burgsmttller Gas-cooled fast reactor safety - an overview and status of the U.S. program ........................ 51 A. Torri, D.R. Buttemer Personnel radiation exposure in HTGR plants ............. 57 S. Su, B.A. Bigholm Developmental assessment of the Fbrt St. Vrain version of the composite HTGR analysis program (CHAP-2) ........ 63 K.R. Stroh Probabilistic risk assessment of HTGRs ...... 68 K.N. Fleming, W.J, Houston, G.W. Hannaman, V. Joksimovic Results of a German probabilistic risk assessment study for the HTR-1160 concept ...... 73 J. Fassbender, W. Krttger Efficiency of inherent protection mechanisms for an improved HTR safety concept .... 87 K. Petersen, R. BUscher, H. Gerwin, W, Schenk Model experiments on depressurisation accidents in nuclear process heat plants (HTGR) ................ 95 G. Fitsching, G. Wolf Rapid depressurization of a Helium vessel: a comparison between experimental data and one dimensional analysis ....... 102 M. Dang, J.-F. Dupont, H. Weber The HTR safety concept demonstrated by selected examples ........ 110 H. Sommer, D. Sttilzl HTGR safety research program ................................. 11-S A.W. Barsell, B.E. Olsen, F.A. Silady Aspects of water and air ingress accidents in HTRs ....... ..... 124 J. Wolters A detailed study of the steam entry effect of a GCFR .......... 132 V. Heer, P. Stiller, H.U. Wenger, P. Wydler Pressure transients analysis of a hi^i-temperature gas-cooled reactor with direct helium turbine cycle ...... 13" M. Dang, J.-F. Dupont, P. Jacquemoud, R. Mylonas Investigation on the depressurization behaviour of a typical HHT thermal insulation ....................... 154 H. Weber Safety assessment of a multi cavity prestressed concrete reactor vessel with hot liner ............................. 163 R. Lafitte, J.D. Marchand Licensing of HTGRs in the United States .......... ....... ..... 184 C.R. Fisher, D.D. Orvis Safety design features for current UK advanced gas-cooled reactors ........................... ...... 191 J.M. Yellowlees, E.G. Cobb The reactor safety study of experimental multi purpose VHTR design ..... 198 T. Yasuno, S. Mitake, K. Ezaki, K. Suzuki HTGR safety philosophy ....... 207 V. Joksimovic, C.R. Fisher Analysis of some accident conditions in confirmation of the HTGR safety .... 214 V.N. Grebennik, E.I. Grishanin, N.E. Kukharkin, P.V. Mikhailov, V.V. Pinchuk, N.N. Ponomarev-Stepnov, G.I. Pedin, V.N. Shilov, I.V. Yanushevich Use of natural circulation mechanism for core cooling of high temperature Helium—cooled reactors as a means of safety enhancement ......................... 222 M.S. Belyakov, V.D. Kolganov, S.S. Kochetkov, V.P. Smetannikov, V.K. Ulasevich Investigations of gas explosions in a nuclear coal gasification plant .... 233 K. Schulte 4. AGENDA OF THE MEETING ................................... 254 5. LIST OF PARTICIPANTS ................................... 256 i. nrraoujcno 2. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS The Specieliata Meeting on Gae-eooled Reactor Safety and Licensing Aspects was held at Lausanne, Switzerland, 1-3 September 21. SAFETY AND LICENSING EXPERIENCE OF OCR» I960. The neeting was sponsored by the International Atonic Haergy Agency (IAEA) on the recoaawndation of the International Working Group on Gaa-cooled Reactors (IWGGCR) and was attended by 51 partici Contributions were made concerning the operating experience of pants and observers from Austria, Belgium, France, the Federal the Fbrt St. Vrain (FSV) HTGR Power Plant in the United States of Republic of Germany, Japan, The Netherlands, Switzerland, the USSR America, the experimental power station Arbeitsgemeinschaft Versuchs- the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the United Kingdom of reaktor (AVR) in the Fbderal Republic of Germany, and the COg-cool ed Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the United States of America reactors in the United Kingdom such as Hunterson B and Hinkley Point B, two international organizations: CSC and IAEA. The experience gained at each of these reactors has proved the hi<^t safety potential of Gas-cooled Reactor Power Plants. The purpose of the meeting was to provide a forum for exchange of information on safety and licensing aspects for gas-cooled Since the first criticality in 1974 the FSV has operated at power reactors in order to provide comprehensive review of the present levels up to 70% and produced over 10° KWh electricity. During the status and of directions for future applications and development. start-up phase it has encountered problems of the type that would be expected in a first-of-a-kind system, such as steam generator leakage, The meeting was opened b y the Chairman, Nr. G. Sari0 3 who purified helium leakage and circulator bearing problems. All of these welcomed the participants on behalf of the Interessengemeinschaft HHT. problems dealing with the secondary cooling and auxiliary circuit could Nr. J. ICupitz, Scientific Secretary of the IWGGCR welcomed the be solved. Another problem, the periodic fluctuations in gas tempera participants on behalf of the IAEA. tures has already been solved by installing region constraint devices (RCD) which prevent gaps between regions and blocks. These gaps were assumed to be the reason for the fluctuations. Subsequent to the RCD The meeting was divided into three sessions: installation, no fluctuations have been detected within the present power limit of 70%. However, the behaviour of the plant at 100% has A. Safety and Licensing Experience of OCRs yet to be demonstrated. B. Safety Analysis and Research C. Future Prospects for OCR Safety The AVR has been successfully operated for more than 12 years. The helium-outlet temperature of 850°C was increased to 950°C in the sjring of 1974. The inherent safety features