Updating of adventitious fuel pin failure frequency in sodium-cooled fast reactors and probabilistic risk assessment on consequent severe accident in Monju

ナトリウム冷却高速炉における燃料ピンの自然破損率のアップデートと「もんじゅ」におけるシビアアクシデントに至る確率論的安全評価

深野 義隆  ; 鳴戸 健一*; 栗坂 健一 ; 西村 正弘 

Fukano, Yoshitaka; Naruto, Kenichi*; Kurisaka, Kenichi; Nishimura, Masahiro

炉心局所事故(LF)はナトリウム冷却高速炉(SFR)におけるシビアアクシデントの一つの要因と考えられてきたことから、LFの拡大に関わる実験研究、決定論的、確率論的安全評価(PRA)が多くの国で実施されてきた。燃料ピンの自然破損(AFPF)は既往PRAにおいて、原子炉運転中の発生頻度の大きさと燃料要素の破損伝播(FEFP)の可能性から、LFの最も支配的な起因事象と考えられてきた。本研究では、最新知見に基づき、最新の異常時運転手順書を反映した日本のSFR原型炉(「もんじゅ」)におけるAFPFからのFEFP(FEFPA)のPRAを実施した。本PRAの起因事象であるSFRのAFPFの発生頻度は最新のAFPFの経験のレビューに基づき、複数の手法を用いてアップデートした。その結果「もんじゅ」におけるAFPFの発生頻度及び炉心損傷頻度(CDF)は、既往PRAと比較して無視し得るレベルまで大幅に低下した。したがって、「もんじゅ」におけるFEFPAのCDFは、発生頻度と結果の重大性の両面からATWSまたはPLOHS事象に包絡され得る。

Experimental studies, deterministic approaches, and probabilistic risk assessments (PRAs) on local fault (LF) propagation in sodium-cooled fast reactors (SFRs) have been performed in many countries because LFs have been historically considered as one of the possible causes of severe accidents. Adventitious-fuel-pin-failures (AFPFs) have been considered to be the most dominant initiators of LFs in these PRAs because of their high frequency of occurrence during reactor operation and possibility of fuel-element-failure-propagation (FEFP). A PRA on FEFP from AFPF (FEFPA) in the Japanese prototype SFR (Monju) was performed in this study based on the state-of-the-art knowledge, reflecting the most recent operation procedures under off-normal conditions. Frequency of occurrence of AFPF in SFRs which was the initiating event of the event tree in this PRA was updated using a variety of methods based on the above-mentioned latest review on experiences of this phenomenon. As a result, the frequency of occurrence of, and the core damage frequency (CDF) from AFPF in Monju was significantly reduced to a negligible magnitude compared with those in the existing PRAs. It was therefore concluded that the CDF of FEFPA in Monju could be comprised in that of anticipated-transient-without-scram or protected-loss-of-heat-sink events from both the viewpoint of occurrence probability and consequences.