Management of loss of offsite power avoiding reactor trip

Abstract

A loss of offsite power event in a nuclear power plant resulting from the loss of connections to the electrical grid can be effectively managed without resulting in an unscheduled reactor trip. We have developed effective procedures for managing such house load operations that will maintain a stable steam generator water level using the auxiliary feedwater system. The procedures are based on a first-principle energy balance with the heat flux from the primary to the secondary side represented through an average primary system temperature. The reduced order model has been validated through actual simulations of steam generator dynamics with the MARS-KS code. With the help of the reduced order model, various scenarios or tracks involving judicious combinations of reactor power, reactor coolant flowrate and steam generator feedwater flowrate that could support stable house load operations are simulated and summarized as an operating procedure in a multi-path event tree structure.