Analysis of Long-term Ex-vessel Debris Coolability with a Simple Model

In the late phase of the severe accident in light water reactors (LWRs), assuring the coolability of ex-vessel core debris is important because it is the last barrier to prevent the accident progression before the radioactive release to the environment. If the debris cooling is unsuccessful, the heated and possibly re-melted core debris may induces molten core-concrete interaction (MCCI) that produces steam and non-condensable gases and causes the over-pressurization of containment vessel. Analysis for the long-term cooling of an ex-vessel debris bed was performed using a simple model developed by Hwang et al., and the model was originally developed to explain the feature of the debris bed in FARO experiments. It is assumed that the debris bed consists of a fluidized particles on top and a porous lump of sintered particles below. The bed formation process is also considered to determine the geometry and initial condition of the debris bed. Therefore, the simple model includes a wide range of cooling processes with a simplified zero or one-dimensional analysis. Sensitivity tests for the ex-vessel debris bed cooling behavior on selected input variables were performed using a modified version of a simple model developed by Hwang et al.. The model covers the series of phenomena from the breakup of the melt jet till the long-term cooling phase, and the results showed that the accumulation area of debris bed has significant impacts on the overall cooling performance