Estimation of thermal loads on the VVER vessel under conditions of inversion of the stratified molten pool in a severe accident

Abstract

Analysis of the thermal state of molten pools that can be formed on the vessel bottom of the VVER-600 medium-power reactor during a severe anticipated accident with melting of the core is represented. Two types of the molten pool of core materials, with the two-layer and inverse three-layer stratification, are considered. Thermal loads acting on the reactor vessel from the melt are estimated depending on its formation time. Features of the thermal state of the melt in the case of its inverse stratification are analyzed. It is shown that thermal loads on the reactor vessel exceed the critical heat flux (CHF) when forming the two-layer stratified molten pool 10 and 24 h after its shutdown, and the thermal load is close to the corresponding CHF or somewhat exceeds it in 72 h. In the case of the formation of the inverse structure of the melt, one can observe a decrease by more than 2.5 times (in comparison with the two-layer stratified structure) in the thermal load on the reactor vessel in the region of its contact with the upper layer of the steel melt. Analysis of results showed that maximum densities of heat flux to the reactor vessel from the bottom metallic layer with the melt inversion did not exceed corresponding CHFs 24 and 72 h after the reactor shutdown. Because the thermal load on the reactor vessel can be localized in the region of its bottom, where the CHF is relatively small, during the inverse stratification of the melt, there is a need to carry out further in-depth experimental and analytical investigations of conditions for formation of the stratified molten pool and to obtain corrected experimental CHFs for conditions and outlines of cooling the external surface of the VVER-600 vessel in a severe accident.