Safety analysis for an inadvertent control rod withdrawal event during a power operation of an advanced integral reactor

Abstract

To identify a safety margin in the case of an inadvertent control rod withdrawal event of a 65-MW t advanced integral reactor, safety analysis has been carried out by using the Transients And Setpoint Simulation/System integrated Modular Reactor (TASS/SMR) code. The diverse initial conditions, various reactivity insertion rates into a core, different combinations of a reactivity feedback and three different speed modes of a main coolant pump (MCP) have been considered to identify the effect of each parameter on a critical heat flux ratio (CHFR) and the initial condition resulting in the worst consequences from the viewpoint of the minimum critical heat flux ratio. The analysis results show that the worst consequences occur when a reactivity of 17.61 pcm/s is inserted into a core at an initial condition of a 45% initial core power, high coolant temperature at the core inlet position, low system pressure and a thermal design flow. It is also assumed that the least negative fuel and moderator temperature coefficients are applied. The safety parameters such as the minimum critical heat flux ratio and the system pressure are maintained within the safety limits and the reactor is safely transferred to a safe condition by a functioning of the safety systems of the advanced integral reactor.