Effects of the RHR Return Line Elevation to the Suppression Pool Temperature of the Lungmen ABWR Containment

Lungmen Nuclear Power Plant in Taiwan is a twin-unit Advanced Boiling Water Reactor (ABWR) plant. In this study, a long-term GOTHIC model for the Lungmen ABWR primary containment response analysis is established. The wetwell space is vertically divided into several volumes to catch the pool temperature stratification effect. The long-term containment responses for a double-ended feedwater line break (FWLB) accident are calculated. The fuel decay heat is absorbed by the reactor coolant, and the coolant flows to the containment via the broken line. The suppression pool is gradually heated up by the high-temperature gas-water mixture following through horizontal vents. To reduce the pool temperature, the Residual Heat Removal (RHR) system will be required to operate in the suppression pool cooling mode. The RHR pumps have suction flow from suppression pool and discharge it to the RHR heat exchangers for cooling. The cooled water then returns to the pool. An elevated RHR return line is desired to avoid the cooled water being directly sucked again. The wetwell temperature stratification associated with the RHR return line elevation is investigated in this study. Effects of the RHR return line elevation on the pool temperature can be determined since the whole wetwell space is not lumped as a node only. The calculated peak pool temperature is 92.6°C based on the plant piping configuration. The peak temperature can be reduced to 88.9°C by returning the water via the wetwell spray spargers located in the top of the wetwell. However, it should be noted that using the wetwell spray also pressurizes the wetwell because the pool water temperature is higher than that of airspace during the late period of the event. Returning the pool water via the wetwell spray spargers is not suggested because it causes long-term wetwell pressurization.