Multi-physics analysis to identify criticality condition of windscale works criticality accident

福田 航大 

Fukuda, Kodai

A preliminary analysis was conducted to clarify the potential impact of a transient inrush of aqueous solution on the criticality condition during the 1970 Windscale Works accident. This analysis couples computational fluid dynamics (CFD) with Monte Carlo (MC) neutron transport calculations, providing a unique and modern approach to modeling a complex multiphase system relevant to criticality safety. The inrush was assumed to occur over a 2-second period, with the fluid entering the vessel at a 15-degree upward angle, based on a past report. Fluid distributions obtained from CFD snapshots were used as inputs for static MC calculations. The results revealed that the inrush could cause a temporary increase in the effective multiplication factor keff, exceeding 1 just after the inrush stopped although this is based on the preliminary analysis. The observed behavior was attributed to the central accumulation of fissile materials, increasing the fast neutron non-leakage probability and the eta value. This study demonstrates the importance of transient fluid behavior in criticality risk assessments and presents a methodology that can be extended to similar legacy or future incidents. Further high-fidelity and kinetics analyses are needed to fully characterize the accident scenario.