Fragility and Leakage Risk Assessment of Nuclear Containment Structure under Loss-of-Coolant Accident Conditions Considering Liner Corrosion

Abstract

The steel liner plays a key role in ensuring the leak-tightness of nuclear containment structures (NCSs). Once the liner is subjected to corrosion, its corrosion effects can severely impact the leak-tight function of the NCS, especially in severe accident scenarios. Therefore, evaluating the corrosion effects of the liner is essential to guaranteeing the safe operation of nuclear power plants. This paper presents a probabilistic safety analysis of the NCS under liner corrosion conditions. Firstly, the corrosion mechanism of the liner is elucidated, and a refined simulation method is developed to investigate the localized corrosion effects of the liner. Utilizing a probabilistic finite element method, the fragility of the NCS under loss-of-coolant accident (LOCA) conditions is evaluated. Finally, the leakage risk of the NCS at different degrees of liner corrosion is discussed. The results indicate that liner corrosion has a significant impact on the median pressure capacity and high-confidence–low-probability pressure capacity of the NCS. With the aggravation of liner corrosion, the safety margin of the NCS decreases, and the total probability of failure increases. Within the scope of this paper, the NCS can fulfill the probabilistic safety requirements.

Keywords

• nuclear containment structures
• liner corrosion
• LOCA
• pressure capacity
• fragility
• leakage risk