Iris small break loca phenomena identification and ranking table (PIRT)

摘要

The international reactor innovative and secure (IRIS) is a modular pressurized water reactor with an integral configuration (all primary system components - reactor core, internals, pumps, steam generators, pressurizer, and control rod drive mechanisms - are inside the reactor vessel). The IRIS plant conceptual design was completed in 2001 and the preliminary design is currently underway. The pre-application licensing process with the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (USNRC) started in October 2002. The first line of defense in IRIS is to eliminate event initiators that could potentially lead to core damage. If it is not possible to eliminate certain accidents altogether, then the design inherently reduces their consequences and/or decreases their probability of occurring. One of the most obvious advantages of the IRIS Safety-by-Design™ approach is the elimination of large break loss-of-coolant accidents (LBLOCAs), since no large primary penetrations of the reactor vessel or large loop piping exist. While the IRIS Safety-by-Design™ approach is a logical step in the effort to produce advanced reactors, the desired advances in safety must still be demonstrated in the licensing arena. With the elimination of LBLOCA, an important next consideration is to show the IRIS design fulfills the promise of increased safety also for small break LOCAs (SBLOCAs). Accordingly, the SBLOCA phenomena identification and ranking table (PIRT) project was established. The primary objective of the IRIS SBLOCA PIRT project was to identify the relative importance of phenomena in the IRIS response to SBLOCAs. This relative importance, coupled with the current relative state of knowledge for the phenomena, provides a framework for the planning of the continued experimental and analytical efforts. To satisfy the SBLOCA PIRT project objectives, Westinghouse organized an expert panel whose members were carefully selected to insure that the PIRT results reflect internationally recognized experience in reactor safety analysis, and were not biased by program preconceptions internal to the IRIS program. The SBLOCA PIRT Panel concluded that continued experimental data and analytical tool development in the following areas, in decreasing level of significance, are perceived as important with respect to satisfying the safety analysis and licensing objectives of the IRIS program: (1) steam generator; (2) pressure suppression system, containment dry well and their interactions; (3) emergency heat removal system; (4) core, long-term gravity makeup system, automatic depressurization system, and pressurizer; (5) direct vessel injection system and reactor vessel cavity.