The Need to introduce CFD Methodology in Analyze Hydrogen Distribution for Postulated Severe Accidents

The regulatory requirements for combustible gas control systems in Korea is that mean hydrogen mole fraction shall be lower than 10 %, containment integrity shall be kept from combustion of hydrogen, and detonation and global fast turbulent combustion shall be avoided. KHNP provided some analysis which show hydrogen mole fraction is less than 10 % and detonation and global fast turbulence combustion are avoided for postulated severe accident events which covered over 90 % of CDF (core damage frequency) for each NPP. The results were from MAAP code that can simulate from the initiation of the accidents to hydrogen distribution inside containments. It is a Lumped-Parameter codes in which the transport of energy and mass is possible in only predetermined one direction. Therefore, there has been a long-history dispute whether one-dimensional LP codes could simulate the transportation of hydrogen accurately. For example, KHNP made a MAAP model to simulate hydrogen distribution in KSNP (Korean Standard Nuclear Plants), and the containment free volume is divided into 27 nodes in which it is assumed all the properties like each molecule mole fraction and temperate are uniform in each node. In addition, the maximum volume size of them is over 22,000 m³, and it is not quite confident that the mole fraction of each molecules and temperature are uniform in the big size space. As for the stress test results of the Wolsong 1, civil experts asked KHNP to conduct hydrogen distribution analysis using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) methodology, and if needed to install hydrogen ignitors in Wolsong 1 NPP. As a reviewer for KHNP's post actions to the Stress Test, the author also asked KHNP to do CFD analysis of hydrogen distribution, and KHNP finally agreed to analyze it using CFD by 2017. KHNP submitted a Shin-hanul 1 and 2 Operation License application in 2015, and the author also asked it to do CFD analysis to simulate hydrogen distribution for Shin-hanul 1 and 2. KINS also have a plan to perform CFD analysis of hydrogen analysis separately