Consideration of severe accidents at a nuclear power plant (NPP) is an essential component of the defence in depth approach used in nuclear safety. Severe accident analysis involves very complex physical phenomena that occur sequentially during various stages of accident progression. Computer codes are essential tools for understanding how the reactor and its containment might respond under severe accident conditions.
This CRP promotes international collaboration among IAEA Member States through the benchmarking exercise to improve severe accident analysis capability for Heavy Water Reactors (HWRs). The CRP scope includes defining the severe accident sequence and conducting benchmark analyses for HWRs, simulating phenomenological experiments(s) relevant to severe accidents and comparing the results with experimental data, and evaluating the capabilities of existing computer codes to predict important severe accident phenomena and suggesting necessary code improvements and/or new experiments to reduce uncertainties. The CRP has been planned on the advice and with the support of the IAEA Nuclear Energy Department’s Technical Working Groups on Advanced Technologies for HWRs (the TWG-HWR). The CRP will be conducted by IAEA’s Nuclear Power Technology Development Section, in cooperation with the Division of Nuclear Installation Safety
To improve safety for currently operating plants and to facilitate more economic and safe designs for future plants
To promote international collaboration among IAEA Member States through the benchmarking exercise to improve severe accident analysis capability for heavy water reactors.
Many countries had a chance to study severe accidents in heavy water reactor for the first time through the CRP. They could improve understanding many complex behaviours and analysis methodology for severe accidents in heavy water reactor.
Fukushima accident in 2011 renewed the attention for severe accidents in nuclear power plants. The CRP was conducted from 2009 to 2012. The CRP provided a great benefit to IAEA Member States with heavy water reactors.