Maximizing accuracy in severe accident simulations: An In-depth analysis of sampling methods for MELCOR code during station black-out in WWER-1000

IF 1.9 3区工程技术 Q1 NUCLEAR SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Nuclear Engineering and Design Pub Date : 2025-02-20 DOI:10.1016/j.nucengdes.2025.113925

R. Gharari , R. Ahangari , E. Hasanifard , B. Roostaii

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

This study explores the uncertainty in severe accident analysis of nuclear power plants, focusing on the thermal–hydraulic parameters of the WWER1000 reactor during station black-out scenarios. The primary challenge in such analyses lies in the inherent uncertainties associated with the simplifying assumptions embedded in computational codes. To address this, five prominent sampling methods—simple generation sampling, Latin hypercube sampling, SOBOL, HALTON, and LHS-SOBOL—are applied to improve the MELCOR code’s predictive accuracy. The results highlight that SGS produces non-uniform input distributions and performs poorly in comparison to the other methods. Additionally, key parameters, including hydrogen production, maximum containment pressure, and reactor pressure vessel rupture time, show significant variability, ranging from 150 to 602 kg, 14,100 to 28,000 s, and 0.62 to 1.05 MPa, respectively, with a 95 % confidence level. The findings emphasize the importance of selecting robust sampling techniques for enhancing the reliability of nuclear safety assessments.

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来源期刊

Nuclear Engineering and Design 工程技术-核科学技术

CiteScore

3.40

自引率

11.80%

发文量

377

审稿时长

5 months

期刊介绍： Nuclear Engineering and Design covers the wide range of disciplines involved in the engineering, design, safety and construction of nuclear fission reactors. The Editors welcome papers both on applied and innovative aspects and developments in nuclear science and technology. Fundamentals of Reactor Design include: • Thermal-Hydraulics and Core Physics • Safety Analysis, Risk Assessment (PSA) • Structural and Mechanical Engineering • Materials Science • Fuel Behavior and Design • Structural Plant Design • Engineering of Reactor Components • Experiments Aspects beyond fundamentals of Reactor Design covered: • Accident Mitigation Measures • Reactor Control Systems • Licensing Issues • Safeguard Engineering • Economy of Plants • Reprocessing / Waste Disposal • Applications of Nuclear Energy • Maintenance • Decommissioning Papers on new reactor ideas and developments (Generation IV reactors) such as inherently safe modular HTRs, High Performance LWRs/HWRs and LMFBs/GFR will be considered; Actinide Burners, Accelerator Driven Systems, Energy Amplifiers and other special designs of power and research reactors and their applications are also encouraged.