Analysis of ULOF accident in Monju reflecting the knowledge from CABRI in-pile experiments and others

In the safety evaluation in the original licensing procedure of the prototype FBR Monju, mechanical energy release during an unprotected loss-of-flow (ULOF) event, one of technically inconceivable events postulated beyond design basis, was evaluated and shown that the radiological consequence is suitably limited. Since the sodium leakage accident in the secondary heat-transport system, the Monju plant has been kept under the stand-by condition for more than ten years and the composition of fuel in the current reactor core has changed due to decay of a plutonium isotope into americium. This change in fuel composition affects the neutronic characteristics of the core, requiring assessment of its effect on safety. In this study, event sequences of ULOF were analyzed to assess the effect of the change in neutronic characteristics on the mechanical energy release during ULOF. A significant advance has been made in the safety analysis codes reflecting the knowledge obtained through extensive safety research programs in the last decades, notably the CABRI in-pile experiments. The present results with the advanced analysis codes showed that the mechanical energy release in the current Monju core with the changed neutronic characteristics would not exceed the value evaluated formerly. (author)