Decay Heat Removal and Transient Analysis in Accidental Conditions in the EFIT Reactor

• Main Authors: Giacomino Bandini, Paride Meloni, Massimiliano Polidori, Maddalena Casamirra, Francesco Castiglia, Mariarosa Giardina
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hindawi Limited 2008-01-01
• Series: Science and Technology of Nuclear Installations
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2008/681847

The development of a conceptual design of an industrial-scale transmutation facility (EFIT) of several 100 MW thermal power based on accelerator-driven system (ADS) is addressed in the frame of the European EUROTRANS Integral Project. In normal operation, the core power of EFIT reactor is removed through steam generators by four secondary loops fed by water. A safety-related decay heat removal (DHR) system provided with four independent inherently safe loops is installed in the primary vessel to remove the decay heat by natural convection circulation under accidental conditions which are caused by a loss-of-heat sink (LOHS). In order to confirm the adequacy of the adopted solution for decay heat removal in accidental conditions, some multi-D analyses have been carried out with the SIMMER-III code. The results of the SIMMER-III code have been then used to support the RELAP5 1D representation of the natural circulation flow paths in the reactor vessel. Finally, the thermal-hydraulic RELAP5 code has been employed for the analysis of LOHS accidental scenarios.