Advances In Nuclear Safety Analysis Methodology

Dr. Luxat has been the Senior Chair in Nuclear Safety Analysis in the Department of Engineering Physics at McMaster University since 2004. Prior to joining McMaster he spent 32 years in industry working at Ontario Hydro/Ontario Power Generation in nuclear safety analysis, thermal hydraulics and reactor physics. Dr. Luxat is a fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering, a member of the International Nuclear Energy Academy, a member of the Board of the American Association for Structural Mechanics in Reactor Technology (AASMiRT), and a member of the Advisory Board of the International Association for Structural Mechanics in Reactor Technology (IASMiRT).

1. Introduction/Overview

SECTION 1: ANALYSIS OF DESIGN BASIS ACCIDENTS 2. Review of International Best Estimate and Uncertainty Analysis Methodologies 3. Analysis of Loss of Coolant Accidents in PWR to support limiting LOCA accident redefinition and safety margins 4. Analysis of Reactivity Initiated Accidents (RIA) in LWR to quantify margins to coolable core geometry 5. Analysis of Steam Line Break accidents in LWR 6. Analysis of Loss of Coolant Accidents with ECCS impairments in PHWR reactors 7. Coupled physics and thermal hydraulic analysis using TRACE/PARCS computer codes

SECTION 2: ANALYSIS OF BEYOND DESIGN BASIS ACCIDENTS 8. Analysis of Station Blackout (SBO) sequences in LWR and PHWR leading to core cooling degradation 9. High Temperature materials behaviour and uncertainties during core degradation in LWR and PHWR severe accidents 10. Analysis of hydrogen generation, transport and combustion phenomena in severe accidents 11. Analysis of fission product release and transport phenomena from degraded cores and molten corium pools 12. Analysis of containment integrity under thermal hydraulic and hydrogen combustion loadings 13. Level 2 Probabilistic Safety Analysis of Severe Accidents.

SECTION 3: SUPPORTING ACCIDENT MANAGEMENT AND EMERGENCY RESPONSE 14. Level 3 Probabilistic Safety Analysis of off-site fission product release to the environment during severe accidents 15. Assessment of the effectiveness of Severe Accident Management Guidelines (SAMG) in PWR, BWR and PHWR reactors