TY - BOOK
T1 - RETU: The Finnish Research Programme on Reactor Safety
T2 - Interim Report 1995 - May 1997
AU - Vanttola, Timo
AU - Puska, Eija-Karita
PY - 1997
Y1 - 1997
N2 - The Finnish national research programme on Reactor Safety
(RETU, 1995-1998) concentrates on the search of safe
limits of nuclear fuel and the reactor core, accident
management methods and risk management of the operation
of nuclear power plants. The annual volume of the
programme has been about 26 person years and the annual
funding FIM 15 million. This report summarises the
structure and objectives of the programme, research
fields included and the main results obtained during the
period 1995 May 1997.
In the field of operational margins of a nuclear reactor,
the behaviour of high burnup nuclear fuel is studied both
in normal operation and during power transients. The
static and dynamic reactor analysis codes are developed
and validated to cope with new fuel designs and
complicated three-dimensional reactivity transients and
accidents. The range of the models is extended by
implementing advanced flow models and numerical solution
methods.
Research on accident management aims at development and
validation of calculation methods needed to plan
preventive measures and to train the personnel to severe
accident mitigation. Other goals are to reduce
uncertainties in phenomena important in severe accidents
and to study actions planned for accident management. The
programme includes own experimental work, but
participation in large international test programmes is
of major importance. The Finnish thermal-hydraulic test
facility PACTEL (Parallel Channel Test Loop) is used
extensively for the evaluation of the VVER-440 plant
accident behaviour, for the validation of the accident
analysis computer codes and for the testing of passive
safety system concepts for future plant designs.
In the field of risk management probabilistic methods are
developed for safety related decision making and for
complex phenomena and event sequences. Effects of
maintenance on nuclear power plant safety are studied and
more effective methods for the assessment of human
reliability and safety critical organisations are
searched. In order to enhance human competencies in the
control of complex environments, practical tools for
training and continuous learning are worked out, and
methods to evaluate appropriateness of control room
design are developed.
AB - The Finnish national research programme on Reactor Safety
(RETU, 1995-1998) concentrates on the search of safe
limits of nuclear fuel and the reactor core, accident
management methods and risk management of the operation
of nuclear power plants. The annual volume of the
programme has been about 26 person years and the annual
funding FIM 15 million. This report summarises the
structure and objectives of the programme, research
fields included and the main results obtained during the
period 1995 May 1997.
In the field of operational margins of a nuclear reactor,
the behaviour of high burnup nuclear fuel is studied both
in normal operation and during power transients. The
static and dynamic reactor analysis codes are developed
and validated to cope with new fuel designs and
complicated three-dimensional reactivity transients and
accidents. The range of the models is extended by
implementing advanced flow models and numerical solution
methods.
Research on accident management aims at development and
validation of calculation methods needed to plan
preventive measures and to train the personnel to severe
accident mitigation. Other goals are to reduce
uncertainties in phenomena important in severe accidents
and to study actions planned for accident management. The
programme includes own experimental work, but
participation in large international test programmes is
of major importance. The Finnish thermal-hydraulic test
facility PACTEL (Parallel Channel Test Loop) is used
extensively for the evaluation of the VVER-440 plant
accident behaviour, for the validation of the accident
analysis computer codes and for the testing of passive
safety system concepts for future plant designs.
In the field of risk management probabilistic methods are
developed for safety related decision making and for
complex phenomena and event sequences. Effects of
maintenance on nuclear power plant safety are studied and
more effective methods for the assessment of human
reliability and safety critical organisations are
searched. In order to enhance human competencies in the
control of complex environments, practical tools for
training and continuous learning are worked out, and
methods to evaluate appropriateness of control room
design are developed.
KW - nuclear power plants
KW - nuclear reactors
KW - reactor safety
KW - nuclear reactor cores
KW - accident prevention
M3 - Report
SN - 951-38-5146-X
T3 - VTT Tiedotteita - Meddelanden - Research Notes
BT - RETU: The Finnish Research Programme on Reactor Safety
PB - VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland
CY - Espoo
ER -