Scenario Grouping and Classification Methodology for Postprocessing of Data Generated by Integrated Deterministic-Probabilistic Safety Analysis

Integrated Deterministic-Probabilistic Safety Assessment (IDPSA) combines deterministic model of a nuclear power plant with a method for exploration of the uncertainty space. Huge amount of data is generated in the process of such exploration. It is very difficult to “manually” process and extract from such data information that can be used by a decision maker for risk-informed characterization, understanding, and eventually decision making on improvement of the system safety and performance. Such understanding requires an approach for interpretation, grouping of similar scenario evolutions, and classification of the principal characteristics of the events that contribute to the risk. In this work, we develop an approach for classification and characterization of failure domains. The method is based on scenario grouping, clustering, and application of decision trees for characterization of the influence of timing and order of events. We demonstrate how the proposed approach is used to classify scenarios that are amenable to treatment with Boolean logic in classical Probabilistic Safety Assessment (PSA) from those where timing and order of events determine process evolution and eventually violation of safety criteria. The efficiency of the approach has been verified with application to the SARNET benchmark exercise on the effectiveness of hydrogen management in the containment

Habitat selection by an avian top predator in the tropical megacity of Delhi: human activities and socio-religious practices as prey-facilitating tools

Research in urban ecology is growing rapidly in response to the exponential growth of the urban environment. However, few studies have focused on tropical megacities, and on the interplay between predators’ habitat selection and human socio-economic aspects, which may mediate their resilience and coexistence with humans. We examined mechanisms of breeding habitat selection by a synanthropic raptor, the Black Kite Milvus migrans, in Delhi (India) where kites mainly subsist on: (1) human refuse and its associated prey-fauna, and (2) ritualised feeding of kites, particularly practised by Muslims. We used mixed effects models to test the effect of urban habitat configuration and human practices on habitat selection, site occupancy and breeding success. Kite habitat decisions, territory occupancy and breeding success were tightly enmeshed with human activities: kites preferred areas with high human density, poor waste management and a road configuration that facilitated better access to resources provided by humans, in particular to Muslim colonies that provided ritual subsidies. Furthermore, kites bred at ‘clean’ sites with less human refuse only when close to Muslim colonies, suggesting that the proximity to ritual-feeding sites modulated the suitability of other habitats. Rather than a nuisance to avoid, as previously portrayed, humans were a keenly-targeted foraging resource, which tied a predator’s distribution to human activities, politics, history, socio-economics and urban planning at multiple spatio-temporal scales. Many synurbic species may exploit humans in more subtle and direct ways than was previously assumed, but uncovering them will require greater integration of human socio-cultural estimates in urban ecological research

Development of Risk Oriented Accident Analysis Methodology for Assessment of Effectiveness of Severe Accident Management Strategy in Nordic BWR

Nordic Boiling Water Reactor (BWR) design employs ex-vessel debris coolability as a severe accident management strategy (SAM). In case of a severe accident, the debris ejected from the vessel are expected to fragment, quench and form a debris bed, which is coolable by a natural circulation of water. Success of the existing SAM strategy depends on melt release conditions from the vessel which determine (i) properties of ejected debris and, thus, ex-vessel debris bed coolability, and (ii) potential for energetic melt-coolant interactions (steam explosion). The strategy involves complex interactions between physical phenomena (deterministic) and transient accident scenarios (probabilistic).The aim of this work is further extension, implementation and application of the Risk-Oriented Accident Analysis Methodology (ROAAM) to assessment of the severe accident management strategy effectiveness. ROAAM was originally developed for rare, high-consequence hazards, where both aleatory (stochastic) and epistemic (modeling) uncertainties play a significant role in the risk assessment. The main purpose of ROAAM is to provide the input material to an underlying decision making regarding current safety design acceptance, procedures and possible design modifications.This work reports results of (i) development and implementation of probabilistic framework (ROAAM+) for streamlining sensitivity analysis, uncertainty quantification and risk analysis; (ii) analysis of in-vessel phase of accident progression and melt release conditions in Nordic BWR reactor design with MELCOR code; (iii) analysis of the effect of melt release conditions predicted by MELCOR code on the risk of ex-vessel steam explosion.In ROAAM+, “full models”, such as MELCOR code, are used to develop computationally efficient “surrogate models” to enable extensive uncertainty quantification and failure domain analysis. ROAAM+ analysis identified specific assumptions in MELCOR models, which are currently the major contributors to the uncertainty in the assessment of the SAM effectiveness.Den generiska ABB-reaktorn (Nordic BWR) använder inneslutningkyling, tryckavlastning och filtrering av utsläpp som strategi för hantering av svåra haverier. Vid ett svårt haveri kommer härdgrus falla ned i nedre primärutrymmet, fragmentera, och att bilda en s.k. grusbädd där resteffekten kan kylas ned med hjälp av naturlig cirkulation av vattnet i bassängen. Framgången med den befintliga strategin beror på härdsmälteförloppet och härdsmältfrigöring från reaktortanken som bestämmer förutsättningarna för: (i) egenskaper för reaktorgruset och dämed även grusbädden, och (ii) ångexplosioner som kan inträffa när härdsmältan faller ned i nedre primärutrymmet.Strategin är konceptuellt enkel, men den innebär komplexa interaktioner mellan fysiska fenomenen och processer, och är mycket känslig för olycksscenarierna. Den kan inte bedömas med hjälp av separerata probabilistiska eller deterministiska metoder på grund av osäkerhet som uppkommer från interaktioner mellan olycksscenarierna och deterministiska fenomen.Därför har så kallad Risk Oriented Accident Analysis Methodology (ROAAM) som kombinerar probabilistiska med deterministiska metoder föreslagits som riskvärdering och bedömning huruvida strategin ger ett tillräckligt skydd för omgivningen. Denna metodologi (ROAAM) utvecklades för bedömning av sällsynta högkonsekventa händelser där både aleatoriska (stokastiska) och epistemiska (modelleringsrelaterade) osäkerheter spelar en viktig roll i riskbedömningen.Huvudsyftet med ROAAMs användning är att ge indata för ett underliggande beslutsproblem och möjliggöra robust beslutsfattande gällande nuvarande säkerhetsdesign och procedurer samt möjliga konstruktionsändringar.Detta arbete är inriktat på vidareutveckling av ROAAM-metodologin, som innefattar (i) utveckling och genomförande av probabilistiska ramar för riskanalys och kvantifiering i ROAAM+; (ii) analys av svår haveriutveckling i reaktortanken, härdsmälteförloppet och förutsättningarna för härdsmältfrigöring från reaktortank som analyserats med koden MELCOR; och (iii) riskvärdering av ångexplosion i reaktorinneslutning beroende på förutsättningarna för härdsmältfrigöring från reaktortank.I ROAAM+ används "fullmodeller", såsom MELCOR-koden, för att utveckla beräkningseffektiva "surrogatmodeller" för att möjliggöra omfattande analys av osäkerhetsfaktorer och identifiera skadedomäner. ROAAM+ analys identifierade specifika antaganden i MELCOR-modeller, som för närvarande är de viktigaste bidragsgivarna till osäkerheten i bedömningen av SAM-effektiviteten.QC 20190130</p

Analysis of the Effect of Severe Accident Scenario on Debris Properties in Lower Plenum of Nordic BWR Using Different Versions of MELCOR Code

Nordic Boiling Water Reactors (BWRs) employ ex-vessel debris coolability as a severe accident management strategy (SAM). Core melt is released into a deep pool of water where formation of noncoolable debris bed and ex-vessel steam explosion can pose credible threats to containment integrity. Success of the strategy depends on the scenario of melt release from the vessel that determines the melt-coolant interaction phenomena. The melt release conditions are determined by the in-vessel phase of severe accident progression. Specifically, properties of debris relocated into the lower plenum have influence on the vessel failure and melt release mode. In this work we use MELCOR code for prediction of the relocated debris. Over the years, many code modifications have been made to improve prediction of severe accident progression in light-water reactors. The main objective of this work is to evaluate the effect of models and best practices in different versions of MELCOR code on the in-vessel phase of different accident progression scenarios in Nordic BWR. The results of the analysis show that the MELCOR code versions 1.86 and 2.1 generate qualitatively similar results. Significant discrepancy in the timing of the core support failure and relocated debris mass in the MELCOR 2.2 compared to the MELCOR 1.86 and 2.1 has been found for a domain of scenarios with delayed time of depressurization. The discrepancies in the results can be explained by the changes in the modeling of degradation of the core components and changes in the Lipinski dryout model in MELCOR 2.2

Strategy of raptor conservation in the USSR

Volume: 15Start Page: 1End Page: