Investigation of Thermal Expansion Model for Evaluation of Core Support Plate Reactivity in ATWS Event

Thermal expansion behavior was investigated in detail for evaluation of the core support plate expansion reactivity in the ULOHS(Unprotected Loss of Heat Sink)reactor trip failure event.The core support plate expansion reactivity plays an important role in the safety evaluation of the ULOHS event.In this paper,a possibility of mechanical restraint was investigated in thermal expansion of the core structure for the prototype FBR(Fast Breeder Reactor)Monju.The reactor core expansion was simulated in a three-dimensional FEA(Finite Element Analysis)model of the RV(Reactor Vessel)considering detailed temperature distribution of the sodium coolant based on the thermal-hydraulic analysis result of the whole core model.It was found that the thermal expansion of the core was not restrained in the ULOHS event,although part of the core structure is mechanically restrained.