The working group on the analysis and management of accidents (WGAMA): A historical review of major contributions

The Working Group on the Analysis and Management of Accidents (WGAMA) was created on December 31st, 1999 to assess and strengthen the technical basis needed for the prevention, mitigation and management of potential accidents in NPP and to facilitate international convergence on safety issues and accident management analyses and strategies. WGAMA addresses reactor coolant system thermal-hydraulics, in-vessel behaviour of degraded cores and in-vessel protection, containment behaviour and containment protection, and fission product (FP) release, transport, deposition and retention, for both current and advanced reactors. As a result, WGAMA contributions in thermal-hydraulics, computational fluid-dynamics (CFD) and severe accidents along the first two decades of the 21st century have been outstanding and are summarized in this paper. Beyond any doubt, the Fukushima-Daiichi accident heavily impacted WGAMA activities and the substantial outcomes produced in the accident aftermath are neatly identified in the paper. Beyond specific events, most importantly, around 50 technical reports have become reference material in the different fields covered by the group and they are gathered altogether in the reference section of the paper; a common outstanding feature in most of these reports is the recommendations included for further research, some of which have eventually given rise to some of the projects conducted or underway within the OECD framework. Far from declining, ongoing WGAMA activities are numerous and a number of them is already planned to be launched in the near future; a short mention to them is also included in this paper

Review of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station debris endstate location in OECD/NEA preparatory study on analysis of fuel debris (PreADES) project

Much is still not known about the end-state of core materials in each of the units at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (Daiichi) that were operating on March 11, 2011. The Nuclear Energy Agency of the Organization for Economic Development has launched the Preparatory Study on Analysis of Fuel Debris (PreADES) project as a first step to reduce some of these uncertainties. As part of the PreADES Task 1, relevant information was reviewed to confirm the accuracy of graphical depictions of the debris endstates at the damaged Daiichi units, which provides a basis for suggesting future debris examinations. Two activities have been completed within the PreADES Task 1. First, relevant knowledge from severe accidents at the Three Mile Island Unit 2 and the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant Unit 4 was reviewed, along with results from prototypic tests and hot cell examinations, to glean insights that may inform future decommissioning activities at Daiichi. Second, the current debris endstate diagrams for the damaged reactors at Daiichi were reviewed to confirm that they incorporate relevant knowledge from plant observations and from severe accident code analyses of the BSAF (Benchmark Study of the Accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station) 1 and 2 projects. This paper highlights Task 1 insights, which have the potential to not only inform future Decontamination and Decommissioning activities at Daiichi but also provide important perspectives for severe accident analyses and management, particularly regarding the long-term management of a damaged nuclear site following a severe accident

Thermodynamic study of the CsOH(s,l) vaporization by high temperature mass spectrometry

The present study deals with thermodynamic data for the gaseous phase of the Cs-O-H system as studied by high temperature mass spectrometry using the Knudsen cell effusion method. The vapour phase is analyzed and is composed of the monomer CsOH(g), the dimer Cs2O2H2(g), and a small amount of trimer. The vaporization behavior of CsOH(s or l) is analyzed in relation with different physico-chemical phenomena that interfere with the Knudsen method, like creeping and surface diffusion along the walls of the effusion orifice. Besides, the ionization processes are complex and render the interpretation of the mass spectrometric results difficult. Thus, calibration procedures have been carefully analyzed in order to evaluate reliably the uncertainties. The two main independent reactions that lead to thermodynamic data are the following:Cs2O2H2(g) = 2CsOH(g) with ΔdissHring operator(298 K) = 146.6 ± 7.3 kJ · mol-1 (3rd law method).CsOH(s,l) = CsOH(g) with ΔsublHring operator(298 K) = 163.3 ± 6.5 kJ · mol-1 (3rd law method). © 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Investigation on boron carbide oxidation for nuclear reactor safety: Experiments in highly oxidising conditions

The oxidation kinetics of boron carbide pellets were investigated in steam/argon mixtures in the temperature range 1200-1800 °C for steam partial pressures between 0.2 and 0.8 bar and total flows (steam + argon) between 2.5 and 10 g/min resulting in gas velocities from 1.01 to 5.34 m/s. A kinetic model for boron carbide pellet oxidation depending on temperature, steam partial pressure and flow velocity is obtained. The activation energy of the oxidation process was determined to be 163 ± 8 kJ/mol. The strong influence of temperature and steam partial pressure on the boron carbide oxidation kinetics is confirmed. The obtained data suggest the coexistence of two kinetic regimes, one at 1200 °C and the other at 1400-1800 °C, with different dependence on steam partial pressure. © 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Editorial

International audience[No abstract available