Structural integrity assessment of the reactor pressure vessel under the external reactor vessel cooling condition Original Research Article

Since the suggestion of external reactor vessel cooling (ERVC), the effects of melting and cooling on the response of structural integrity of the reactor pressure vessel (RPV) under core melting accident conditions have been investigated. To investigate the initial behavior of RPV lower head and the effects of analysis conditions on the structural integrity of RPV, the transient analysis is utilized considering the transient state. To obtain an analogy with real phenomena, the material properties were determined by combining and modifying the existing results considering phase transformation and temperature dependency. The temperature and stress analyses are performed for core melting accident by using ABAQUS. Finally, the potential for vessel damage is discussed using the Larson-Miller curve and damage rule. In addition, the results by transient analysis are compared with those by steady state analysis and the effects of analysis conditions on structural integrity are reviewed.