A Feasibility Study to Lower Steam Generator Low Water Level Trip Setpoint to Reduce Unnecessary Scram Frequency for KORI 3,4 Plant

The steam generator low water level trip setpoint of KORI NPP units 3 and 4(KNU 3 and 4), three-loop Westinghouse pressurized water reactor, is higher than that of OPR1000. In addition, steam generator downcomer water level in KNU 3 and 4 could fluctuate easily during a transient because of smaller downcomer water inventory, compared to the total water inventory in the steam generator. Due to these reasons, there is a higher possibility of unnecessary reactor trips caused by the steam generator low-low water level in KNU 3 and 4. Its operating history shows that most of reactor trips were caused by steam generator low-low level reactor trip signal. Such reactor trips, especially unnecessary ones, result in time and economic losses. In this paper, a feasibility study was performed to reduce unnecessary reactor trip by changing steam generator low-low water level reactor trip setpoint(SGLLRTS) for KNU 3 and 4