Validation methods in modelling the PANDA IPSS experiment: A MELCOR 2.2 assessment of a passive isolation condenser

IF 3.3 3区工程技术 Q1 NUCLEAR SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Progress in Nuclear Energy Pub Date : 2024-09-14 DOI:10.1016/j.pnucene.2024.105430

Caroline Seyffert, Mateusz Malicki

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Nuclear power plants (NPPs) are becoming increasingly interesting for future energy supply. Nowadays, most of the modern NPPs, such as Generation III+ and Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), offer an even higher safety standard than their predecessors, often relying on passive systems. Due to the continuous improvement of design and safety solutions in the nuclear field, it is essential to simultaneously increase modelling capabilities. This can be achieved by the advancement of modelling tools and by increasing the experience of the analyst. This work focuses on code validation to potentially allow users to gain modelling experience and to provide insights for further code development. Due to the complexity of severe accidents, it may prove to be challenging to model passive systems under such conditions, thus the validation is especially important for numerical codes, such as MELCOR.

Codes used for the simulation of severe accidents are simplified in order to be capable of capturing all occurring phenomena in a realistic computational time frame. Thus, it is not trivial if these codes are capable of modelling the combination of passive safety systems within the new integrated features present in many NPP designs. For this reason, this work aims to investigate how such assessments should be performed as well as to consider the severe accidents code MELCOR with respect to the simulation of a passive isolation condenser at the large-scale experimental facility PANDA with and without the presence of non-condensable gases.

Our work summarises the present ideas with regards to validation and verification of nuclear codes and highlights the fact that the severe accident code MELCOR is capable of simulating passive safety systems, such as the passive isolation condenser. Improvements can be made when modelling condensation in the presence of non-condensable gases and thus suggestions were made for the improved modelling.

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PANDA IPSS 实验建模的验证方法：MELCOR 2.2 对被动隔离冷凝器的评估

在未来的能源供应中，核电站（NPP）越来越受到关注。如今，大多数现代核电站，如第三代+和小型模块化反应堆（SMR），通常依靠无源系统，提供比其前身更高的安全标准。由于核领域设计和安全解决方案的不断改进，必须同时提高建模能力。这可以通过改进建模工具和提高分析人员的经验来实现。这项工作的重点是代码验证，使用户有可能获得建模经验，并为进一步的代码开发提供启示。由于严重事故的复杂性，对这种条件下的被动系统建模可能具有挑战性，因此验证对于 MELCOR 等数值代码尤为重要。因此，这些代码是否能够模拟许多核电厂设计中新的集成功能中被动安全系统的组合并非易事。因此，这项工作旨在研究应如何进行此类评估，并考虑将严重事故代码 MELCOR 与大型实验设施 PANDA 的被动隔离冷凝器的模拟结合起来，包括存在和不存在不可冷凝气体的情况。我们的工作总结了目前有关核代码验证和核查的想法，并强调了严重事故代码 MELCOR 能够模拟被动安全系统（如被动隔离冷凝器）这一事实。在模拟非冷凝性气体存在时的冷凝情况时，可以进行改进，因此提出了改进建模的建议。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Progress in Nuclear Energy 工程技术-核科学技术

CiteScore

5.30

自引率

14.80%

发文量

331

审稿时长

3.5 months

期刊介绍： Progress in Nuclear Energy is an international review journal covering all aspects of nuclear science and engineering. In keeping with the maturity of nuclear power, articles on safety, siting and environmental problems are encouraged, as are those associated with economics and fuel management. However, basic physics and engineering will remain an important aspect of the editorial policy. Articles published are either of a review nature or present new material in more depth. They are aimed at researchers and technically-oriented managers working in the nuclear energy field. Please note the following: 1) PNE seeks high quality research papers which are medium to long in length. Short research papers should be submitted to the journal Annals in Nuclear Energy. 2) PNE reserves the right to reject papers which are based solely on routine application of computer codes used to produce reactor designs or explain existing reactor phenomena. Such papers, although worthy, are best left as laboratory reports whereas Progress in Nuclear Energy seeks papers of originality, which are archival in nature, in the fields of mathematical and experimental nuclear technology, including fission, fusion (blanket physics, radiation damage), safety, materials aspects, economics, etc. 3) Review papers, which may occasionally be invited, are particularly sought by the journal in these fields.