Analysis of ex-vessel debris bed formation of multi-material and multiphase composition based on coupled system of MELCOR2 and THERMOS–JBREAK/MSPREAD

Abstract

THERMOS is being developed to analyze the multidimensional process by which molten debris released from the lower head of the reactor pressure vessel forms a non-uniform debris bed. THERMOS consists of four modules, JBREAK, DPCOOL, MSPREAD and REMELT. To evaluate a wide range of ex-vessel debris bed formation, the authors have developed the coupled system composed of the integrated severe accident (SA) analysis code MELCOR2, THERMOS-JBREAK and THERMOS-MSPREAD. JBREAK simulates the molten jet release and impingement on the cavity floor using the separated flow model consisting of the molten jet and particle debris. MSPREAD simulates the melt spread as the multi-layered structure composed of the partially solidified molten debris, the upper and lower crusts growing on both sides using the shallow water equation.The conversion algorithm of the multi-material and multiphase composition of the released molten jet calculated by MELCOR2, which is based on lumped parameters, to the composition suitable for THERMOS, which is based on distributed parameters, is recognized to be critical to the success of this system and has been implemented as the Python script MELTHER. This conversion also includes the contribution of suspended particles embedded in the molten jet to the viscosity of partially solidified molten debris. As the JBREAK–MSPREAD interface, the method of overlapping the mesh systems of the two codes was implemented to solve the multidimensional flow equations in the near impinging region. Filtration of the molten debris inside the particle layer at the jet-impinging point was modeled using the particle debris deposition and molten debris filtration models.This coupled system was applied to a station blackout scenario in a typical BWR3 Mark-I plant, where approximately 14 tons of mixed molten and particle debris were released from the lower head and impinged on the pedestal floor. The calculation space was set to handle molten jet falling, impingement on the floor, and spreading from the pedestal to the outside dry well region. Complex anisotropic melt spreading was analyzed on the dry pedestal floor with two sumps covered with thin lids and a low weir at the bottom of the slit made in the cylindrical wall separating the pedestal floor and outer dry well regions.A series of sensitivity analyses were performed varying a combination of the initial suspended particle fraction and melt filtration inside the particle layer. Deceleration of the molten debris flow is significant due to the melt-particle bed frictional force and therefore the timing of molten debris running over the sump lids is faster when there is no particle layer. In this case, a large circulating flow is generated on the pedestal floor, and this flow promotes cooling and increases the viscosity. Influences of the initial suspended particle fraction on the melt viscosity become more pronounced in the peripheral region, and spreading behaviors are more susceptible to protrusions on the pedestal floor.