Safety Aspects of Nuclear Power Plant

Module 3- Part II- Engineered safety systems

by
Dr.Mukesh Sharma
Assistant Professor
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Birla institute of Technology Mesra, Ranchi
 INTRODUCTION

For assuring plant safety under different operating conditions and events
one has to ensure:

 Shutdown of the reactor

 Removal of decay heat even after shutdown
 Containment of any radioactivity in case of failures
 Monitoring the state of the plant.

30-10-2018
Safety Aspects of Nuclear power Plant
Dr.Mukesh Sharma
 INTRODUCTION

Shutdown systems

A reactor is considered to be shut down when it is subcritical and sufficient

shutdown reactivity exists so there is no immediate probability of secondary
criticality.
Despite the fact the chain reaction is quickly broken down, all of the fissioning
in the core is not stopped.
There are always neutrons in the core and therefore a residual fissioning
occurs.
On the other hand, the amount of heat being generated due to the residual
fissions (initiated by source neutrons) which are not stopped and the decay
heat is much less than that which can be removed by the plant systems.

30-10-2018
Safety Aspects of Nuclear power Plant
Dr.Mukesh Sharma
 INTRODUCTION

Shutdown systems cont…

Emergency Shutdown Gradual Shutdown

 Emergency Shutdown – SCRAM. A reactor “SCRAM” (or “reactor trip”) is the rapid
insertion or fall of the control rods into the core to stop the fission chain reaction.

 It is a key safety function of each nuclear reactor and usually does not need any
power supply, since control rods fall only by gravitational force.

30-10-2018
Safety Aspects of Nuclear power Plant
Dr.Mukesh Sharma
 INTRODUCTION
Shutdown systems cont…

Gradual Shutdown

 Usually there is no need to stop the chain reaction promptly.

 Shutdown is normally accomplished by gradual insertion of some (or all) of the control
rods, or by introduction of soluble neutron poison (boric acid in case of PWRs) into the
reactor coolant.
 Reactor thermal power is in the first instance decreased from 100% of rated power to
about 10 – 30% of rated thermal power.
 At this power level the turbine is disconnected from the electrical grid, while all the steam
production is taken over by the turbine bypass system (TBS).
 The reactor is now at zero electrical load and the thermal power can be decreased under
1% of rated power (to the Startup Mode) and the reactor dynamics changes to zero-power
reactor dynamics.
 Further introduction of negative reactivity causes controlled exponential decrease in
neutron power and after reaching shutdown margin the reactor is in safe shutdown state.
30-10-2018
Safety Aspects of Nuclear power Plant
Dr.Mukesh Sharma
 INTRODUCTION
Shutdown system in PWR, BWR & PHWR

PWR PHWR
BWR

30-10-2018
Safety Aspects of Nuclear power Plant
Dr.Mukesh Sharma
 INTRODUCTION
Shutdown system in PWR, BWR & PHWR

PHWR

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Safety Aspects of Nuclear power Plant
Dr.Mukesh Sharma
 INTRODUCTION
Shutdown system in PWR, BWR & PHWR

PHWR

30-10-2018
Safety Aspects of Nuclear power Plant
Dr.Mukesh Sharma
 INTRODUCTION
Shutdown-reactivity worth

Reactivity worth means the total negative reactivity inserted once the shoutdown

system has fully operated.

 For shutoff rods, this occurs when the rods are fully inserted

 For poison injection : when the poison is fully injected and mixed with the

moderator.

30-10-2018
Safety Aspects of Nuclear power Plant
Dr.Mukesh Sharma
 INTRODUCTION
Safety system design

The safety system design includes:

 Definition of the protection channels (measured parameters, information
processing)
 Calculation of trip set points.
 This design requires a complex theoretical analysis using calculation
programs simulating the behaviour of the reactor during transient.
 The trip set points are chosen with the aim of ensuring the integrity limits
of the clad, Primary system boundary, Containment.
30-10-2018
Safety Aspects of Nuclear power Plant
Dr.Mukesh Sharma
 INTRODUCTION
Integrity of the clad

 No fuel melting in any part of the core:

 This limitation makes it possible to avoid loss of integrity of the first
barrier (fuel rod), which can result from contact between the oxide of the
molten uranium and the clad.
 To this end, the temperature of the clad is restricted to 2590°C.
 Non- boiling crisis in any point of the core (For PWR and BWR):
 Boiling beyond nucleate boiling would lead to clad overheating and
therefore to a possible loss of integrity of the first barrier

30-10-2018
Safety Aspects of Nuclear power Plant
Dr.Mukesh Sharma
 INTRODUCTION
Integrity of the main primary system

It is guaranteed by:
Not exceeding the design pressure (172.3 bars for PWR)

Integrity of the Containment

Integrity of the containment is ensured by:

The study of containment pressure transients in LOCA and steam pipe rupture
not exceeding design pressure .

30-10-2018
Safety Aspects of Nuclear power Plant
Dr.Mukesh Sharma
 INTRODUCTION
Signals and Safety Logic

 For a shutdown system to be effective, it must detect an event soon enough and
initiate signals for safety action.

Event Symptoms Detection

Loss of reactor power
control
Loss of forced circulation
Reactor power and High Neutron flux, High
system pressure rise PHT pressure
Coolant flow drops Low flow, Low core
pressure drop, High PHT
pressure, High Neuron flux

30-10-2018
Safety Aspects of Nuclear power Plant
Dr.Mukesh Sharma
 INTRODUCTION
Operating Environment

 Safety system should not be disabled by any event.

 We need to define the conditions or environment in which case the shutdown
system could be affected and make design provisions to protect the safety
system.
 In addition it is not always possible to meet this requirement for a single system-
for example a major fire in Main control room would require shutdown (because
it could affect the control room computers) and at the same time possibly
damage some of the components of shutdown systems.

30-10-2018
Safety Aspects of Nuclear power Plant
Dr.Mukesh Sharma
 INTRODUCTION
Two Group Philosophy
 In all PHWR’S a two group philosophy is followed:
 For each failure, ensure that there are at least two ways of performing he required
safety function
 Separate these two ways geometrically (so that they are not subject to local damaging
hazards such as fire)
 Use diverse equipment and diverse means of operation
 Protect them against the environmental results of the failure.

Safety Function Group 1 Group 2

Shutdown Reactor control system, Shutdown
system1
Heat removal HTS, Feed water and steam system,
Shutdown cooling system, ECC,
Safety Aspects of Nuclear power Plant Moderator
Shut down system 2
Emergency water system
30-10-2018

Dr.Mukesh Sharma
 INTRODUCTION
Grouping of support systems

Safety support Function Group 1 support Group 2 safety support

Electrical power Class IV Emergency Power system
Class III Diesels (EPS) Diesels
Class II Class II
Class I Lass I

Service Water Raw water system Emergency Water system

Recirculating water
systems
Instrument air Instrument Air system Local Air tanks

30-10-2018
Safety Aspects of Nuclear power Plant
Dr.Mukesh Sharma
 INTRODUCTION
Heat removal

 The normal path of heat removal would be through the steam generators and
steam water system.
 In case of turbine trip, the steam water system becomes unavailable.
 Under such conditions the steam is discharged through main steam safety
valves on the steam headers to the atmosphere.
 Dumping of 60% steam directly from the steam generators to condenser is used
for poison prevention- that is , if the turbine trips on a transient, instead of
shutting the reactor down, the reactor power set back to the level just sufficient
to prevent a poison-out. Steam is dumped directly to the condenser, bypassing
the turbine.

30-10-2018
Safety Aspects of Nuclear power Plant
Dr.Mukesh Sharma
 INTRODUCTION
Heat removal cont…..

 If for some reason the main feedwater pumps are not available, one or more
auxiliary feedwater pumps powerd by class III electrical power or, directly bya
diesel engine can remove heat.
 In some designs, the dousing tank located in the top portion of the containment
can supply a longer-term source of water by gravity to the steam generators.
Since it is a low pressure source of water, the steam generators must be
depressurized before it is brought in.
 Most recent reactors have a seismically qualified source of water(Large pond)
for use after earthquake. This Emergency Water System has its own seismically
qualified power pumps, and can supply water independently to the steam
generators for about 3 days. 30-10-2018
Safety Aspects of Nuclear power Plant
Dr.Mukesh Sharma
 INTRODUCTION
Primary Side Heat Removal

 Reactors also have a primary- side system to remove decay heat.

 This is the shutdown cooling system.
 It is a closed system connected to the reactor headers with its own pumps and
heat exchangers.
 It is a high- pressure system. In Some PHWR, there is a connection from the
Emergency Water System to the primary cooling system.
 It requires depressurization of the primary coolant system, and a way for the
steam to be removed.
 The ECCS can be viewed as a decay heat removal system for the special case of
a break in the primary cooling system piping.

30-10-2018
Safety Aspects of Nuclear power Plant
Dr.Mukesh Sharma
Safety Aspects of Nuclear power Plant
30-10-2018
Dr.Mukesh Sharma
 INTRODUCTION
Containment

 The design of the containment needs data on the maximum design pressure that
will be seen under a large LOCA.
 The containment needs to be leaktight to ensure that no air leaks occur from
containment to outside environment.
 This is essential to minimize the radioactive release to environment.
 In reality, any structure will leak, the leak rate increasing with the internal
pressure.
 The leakage rate at design pressure is confirmed by proof testing before the
plant is operational and by periodic testing.

30-10-2018
Safety Aspects of Nuclear power Plant
Dr.Mukesh Sharma
Safety Aspects of Nuclear power Plant
30-10-2018
Dr.Mukesh Sharma
 INTRODUCTION
ECCS- Emergency Core Cooling System

30-10-2018
Safety Aspects of Nuclear power Plant
Dr.Mukesh Sharma