Hypothetical air ingress scenarios in advanced modular high temperature gas cooled reactors Page: 2 of 7
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HYPOTHETICAL AIR INGRESS SCENARIOS IN ADVANCED
MODULAR HIGH TEMPERATURE GAS COOLED REACTORS*
P. G. Kroeger
Department of Nuclear Energy
Brookhaven National Laboratory
Upton, New York 11973
(516) 282-2610
INTRODUCTION
One of the potentially dangerous accident scenarios for high temperature
gas cooled reactors (HTGR) has always been the case of air ingress. Reaction
of oxygen with the graphite of the core and support structure can lead to
weakening of the structure, egress of combustible gases (CO), and to further
core heatup and fuel failures. As in previous designs, the current modular
HTGR (MHTGR) design precludes significant air ingress from being a credible
event. It would require the simultaneous failure of the reactor vessel in top
and bottom locations, or a complete double guillotine break of the short cross
duct, which is built to vessel specification. While such accident scenarios
are considered to be of extremely low probability, they have been evaluated to
establish whether any traumatic consequences are to be expected.
For a description of the current MHTGR concepts, the reader is referred
to Ref. 1. To evaluate a massive air ingress scenario, it was assumed, non-
mechanistically, that the cross duct had suffered a double guillotine break,
and the steam generator side of the duct had disappeared. A scenario achiev-
ing this would require extremely destructive forces, and it may not be credi-
ble to stipulate such an event without considering also destruction of reactor
vessel supports and reactor internal components. However, such an event is
stipulated here, to serve as an upper bound on potential air ingress
*This work performed under the auspices of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission
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Kroeger, P. G. Hypothetical air ingress scenarios in advanced modular high temperature gas cooled reactors, article, January 1, 1988; Upton, New York. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc1064304/m1/2/: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.