Development of level-1 PSA method applicable to Japan Sodium-cooled Fast Reactor

Abstract

This paper describes a study to develop the level-1 probabilistic safety assessment (PSA) method that is applicable to the Japan Sodium-cooled Fast Reactor (JSFR). This study has been started since August 2010 and aims to provide a new evaluation method of (1) passive safety architectures related to internal events and (2) an advanced seismic isolation system related to a seismic event as a representative external event in Japan. Regarding the internal events evaluation, a quantitative analysis on the frequency of the core damage caused by reactor shutdown failure was conducted. A failure in passive reactor shutdown was taken into account in the event tree model. The failure rate of sodium-cooled fast reactor (SFR) specific components was evaluated based on the operating experience in existing SFRs by applying the Hierarchical Bayesian Method, which can consider a plant-to-plant variability. By conducting an uncertainty analysis, it was found that the assumption about the correlation of the probability parameters between the main and backup reactor shutdown systems (RSSs) is sensitive to the mean value of the frequency of the core damage caused by reactor shutdown failure. As for the seismic event evaluation, seismic response analysis and sensitivity analysis of a seismic isolation system were carried out. Rubber bearings have a hardening property in horizontal direction and a softening property in vertical direction in case of large deformation. Therefore the analyses considered nonlinearity of rubber bearings. Both horizontal and vertical nonlinear characteristics of rubber bearings were explained by multi-linear model. Mass point analytical models were applied. At first, seismic response analysis was executed in order to investigate influence of nonlinearity of rubber bearing upon response of building. Then sensitivity analysis was executed. Parameters of rubber bearings, oil dampers and the building were fluctuated, and influence of dispersion of these parameters upon response of building was investigated. As a result, it was confirmed that nonlinear properties of rubber bearings have influence on response of the building and inner equipment.