DESIGN BASIS ACCIDENT ANALYSIS OF A SMALL MODULAR REACTOR

Year 2017, Volume: 3 Issue: 3, 1241 - 1258, 01.07.2017

Fatih Aydogan

https://doi.org/10.18186/journal-of-thermal-engineering.323390

Cited By: 1

Abstract

The International Reactor Innovative and Secure (IRIS) is an integrated small modular reactor (SMR) designed by
Westinghouse Electric Company and a consortium of organizations. It has a thermal electric power rating of 1000
MWth and an electric power rating of 335 MWe. Being an SMR that features a derivative pressurized water reactor
design, it contains the core, upper plenum, lower plenum, pressurizer, reactor coolant pumps, and steam generators
in a single reactor vessel. An important feature of the IRIS is passive safety systems. Passive safety systems don’t
require mechanical/electrical inputs for operation and rely on natural laws, material properties, and stored internal
energy for hazard mitigation. In this work, a RELAP5 model of IRIS was constructed. A small-break loss-of
coolant accident (SBLOCA) is simulated where the six major stages of SBLOCA response: (i) break initiation; (ii)
blowdown; (iii) vessel depressurization by condensation and automatic depressurization system (ADS); (iv)
pressure equalization; (v) reactor vessel/containment vessel depressurization; and (vi) long-term cooling are
demonstrated. This paper demonstrates how efficiently the passive cooling systems work in mitigating the hazard. 

Keywords

: Passive Safety Systems, IRIS, RELAP5, Small Modular Reactor, SBLOCA

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