Containment Building Separation System at a Nuclear Power Plant

Abstract

The invention is related to safety systems for nuclear power plants (NPP) which can be used in various operational modes, including emergency mode, and is aimed at controlling air flows inside NPP containment buildings.

NPP containment building separation system dividing the NPP containment building into isolated rooms. It includes the containment building separation shutters located in the circular gap which divides the containment building rooms and the containment building walls; an air supply unit connected to a manifold ring which, in turn, is connected to the air-inflated shutters designed to ensure insulation of the airspace inside the containment building rooms when inflated and at connecting the airspace when deflated. In emergency mode the air supply to the air-inflated shutters is terminated, the shutters get deflated and fully open the circular gap which ensures convection process throughout the whole area of containment building.

Claims

1. NPP containment building separation system dividing the NPP containment into isolated rooms, comprising the containment building separation system installed on the floor slab between the rooms and located in the circular gap between the floor slab and the containment building wall, and including, at least, one isolating valve to ensure insulation of the airspace in the containment building rooms, and is configured to connect the airspace in the containment building rooms following the pressure drop which may occur, wherein additionally the system contains an air supply unit connected to the manifold ring, being connected to each of the valves in the containment building separation system; wherein each of the valves is designed as an air-inflated shutter aimed at providing insulation of the airspace inside the containment building rooms when inflated and at connecting the airspace when deflated.

2. A containment building separation system according to claim 1, wherein the air-inflated shutters are made of fabric.

3. A containment building separation system according to claim 2, wherein the air-inflated shutters are made of resin-coated fabric.

4. A containment building separation system according to claim 1, comprising support structure elements installed on the floor slab dividing the rooms from each other, and the air-inflated shutters are attached to the support structure elements.

5. A containment building separation system according to claim 1, wherein the air-inflated shutters adjoin to each other.

6. A containment building separation system according to claim 1, wherein the vertical service tunnels are arranged between some of the air-inflated shutters.

7. A containment building separation system according to claim 1, wherein the air is supplied via a blower fan or an air blower.

8. A containment building separation system according to claim 1, comprising at least, two air supply units.

9. A containment building separation system according to claim 1, wherein the return valve is installed at the outlet of the air supply unit.

10. A containment building separation system according to claim 1, comprising pressure transmitters located in at least one room inside the containment building, and connected to the control module which, in turn, is connected to an air supply unit.

11. A containment building separation system according to claim 1, wherein the manifold ring is a circular pipe connected to each of the air-inflated shutters.

12. A containment building separation system according to claim 1, wherein the manifold ring is equipped with a continuously operating pressure relief nozzle.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES AND DRAWINGS

[0032] FIG. 1 represents a general view of the containment building separation system at NPP in a preferable embodiment which includes the following components: air-inflated shutters 1 installed on a support structure elements which are attached to the floor slab 3; the shutters are connected with a manifold ring 2 connected to an air blower 6 installed on the floor slab 3 The air-inflated shutters 1 are filled with air and are designed to close the circular gap 5 between the floor slab 3 and the containment building wall 4.

[0033] FIG. 1 represents a preferable embodiment of an air-inflated shutter 1 installed on a support structure element and connected to a manifold ring 2 by means of a pipe, the shutter shown in the FIGURE is ON.

[0034] FIG. 1 represents a sectional view of the containment building separation system during the normal operational mode. The containment building separation system is installed between the floor slab 3 and the containment building wall 4 inside the circular gap 5 and includes the air-inflated shutters 1 connected to the manifold ring 2, the circular gap 5 is fully closed with the air-inflated shutter 1

[0035] FIG. 1 represents a sectional view of the containment building separation system at the moment of shock wave impact. The containment building separation system is installed between the floor slab 3 and the containment building wall 4 inside the circular gap 5 and includes the air-inflated shutters 1 connected to the manifold ring 2, the circular gap 5 is partially opened after the shock wave impact resulted from the pressure drop in the lower premises.

[0036] FIG. 1 represents a sectional view of the containment building separation system after the air-inflated shutter 1 is deflated. The containment building separation system is installed between the floor slab 3 and the containment building wall 4 inside the circular gap 5 and includes the air-inflated shutters 1 connected to the manifold ring 2, the circular gap 1 is fully opened.

EMBODIMENTS

[0037] The preferable embodiment of the containment building separation system consists of the following components: a containment building separation package located in the circular gap 5 between the floor slab 3 which divides the containment building rooms one from another, and the containment building wall 4. The containment building separation package is represented with air-inflated shutter 1 tightly adjoining each other, this arrangement makes it possible to have the circular gap 5 fully closed during normal operational mode. Air-inflated shutters 1 are installed on a support structure which is attached to the floor slab 3 dividing the containment building rooms from each other. Wherein air-inflated shutters 1 by means of pipes are connected to the manifold ring 2 through which the air is supplied to the shutters from the air supply unit. The air supply unit, in the preferable embodiment, is represented with 2 blower fans 6, one of them supplies the air to the manifold ring 2, and the other one is redundant. Wherein both of the blower fans are equipped with return valves to prevent the air backflow through the redundant blower fan. The containment building separation system includes also a control module not shown in the FIGURE, connected to the pressure transmitters not shown in the FIGURE, which are located in various zones of the containment building.

[0038] In one of the embodiments it is possible to connect the manifold ring 3 to the ventilation system of NPP containment building, instead of using an independent blower fan 6.

[0039] NPP containment building separation system in the preferable embodiment functions as following: In normal operational mode one of the blower fans 6 injects pressure into the manifold ring 2 via a return valve. The air-inflated shutters 1 are, therefore, filled with air and fully close the circular gap 5 between the floor slab 3 and the containment building wall 4, as shown in FIG. 3. Thus, the upper room of the containment building is fully isolated from the lower one, where the radioactive background is higher, and NPP personnel can attend this upper room for servicing the machines and plants inside this room. According to the calculations, to ensure reliable insulation between the upper room and the lower room it is enough to have the circular gap 5 95% closed, in this case the forced-flow exhaust ventilation system will generate the pressure drop between the room which will be sufficient to prevent upstream airflows from the lower room to the upper room. A system control module monitors the indications of the pressure transmitters inside the containment. In case one of the blower fans 6 fails, the control module activates the second blower fan 6 to have the circular gap 5 fully closed, this will allow the NPP personnel to carry out instant field repair of the collapsed blower fan 6 without being exposed to any radioactive hazard.

[0040] If a severe accident occurs, for example, a breakage of a pressurized water supply pipeline located in the lower section of the containment took place, this damaged pipe caused a high pressure zone of steam and gas mixture to appear, the mixture includes hydrogen among other gases, this high pressure zone generates a shock wave which rushes through the air-inflated shutters 1 at one of the circular gap 5 segments, as shown in FIG. 4. This became possible because the air-inflated shutters 1 are made of fabric, and, therefore, they are flexible and vulnerable to shock wave impact. The shock wave impact is distributed within both of the containment zones, and the pressure onto the containment building walls 4 is reduced. The pressure transmitters indicate sharp pressure rise which is registered by the control module. The control module deactivates both of the blower fans 6. In practice when the pressure inside the containment rises above 0.129 MPa so called setpoint pressure all electric systems are deactivated, which means that blower fans 6 are switched off as well. When NPP ventilation system is used for supplying air to the containment building separation system, it is also deactivated following the above the pressure rise. As a result all air-inflated shutters 1 along the whole perimeter of the containment get deflated and return to a vertical position, as shown in FIG. 5, so the circular gap 5 becomes fully open. In the preferable embodiment the air-inflated shutters 1 are made of fabric to ensure instant deflation through the pores of the fabric when No. air is supplied from the blower fans 6. This ensures uniform distribution of hydrogen concentration and pressure of steam and gas mixture throughout the whole containment to protect the walls 4 of the containment and keep them free of damage. Besides that, the water which was sprayed by sprinkler systems located under the dome of the containment flows through the open circular gap 5 directly into the catch pits tanks of the containment.

[0041] After a severe accident has been localized and the consequences were eliminated, it is possible to instantly close the circular gap 5 by activating the blower fans 6. This will provide for the insulation of the manned upper room of NPP containment from the source of radioactive emissions, and due to this insulation it will be possible to arrange the process of NPP recovery to restore normal operational mode as soon as possible.

[0042] In one of the embodiments it was offered to add to the manifold ring a pipe for uninterrupted discharge of air into the containment airspace. In this case the pressure produced by the operating blower fan 6 will be sufficient to keep the shutters inflated, after the blower fans get OFF as a result of any severe accident, the shutters will be deflated and the air will be discharged through this pipe. Using the pipe for continuous air discharge is not a pre-requisite for implementation of this invention, but it makes the process of air discharge from the shutters 1 faster, and therefore, opening of the circular gap 5 also becomes faster. Another embodiment offers to use the air discharge pipe activated with a command from the control module following the pressure drop or if the pressure inside the containment reaches the setpoint value.

[0043] Using blower fans or air blowers 6 for supplying air to the containment building separation system is a recommended choice as compared with using the plant ventilation system, as they make a containment building separation system independent of the ambient conditions inside the containment.

[0044] In the preferable embodiment the containment building separation system contains vertical service tunnels located between some of the air-inflated shutters.

[0045] It is also acceptable to use metal shutters instead of air-inflated fabric shutters 1, however, this embodiment has some disadvantages. In particular, metal shutters are quite heavy, so to have them capable to let the shock wave impact through, a complicated mechanism is required, which includes special louvers, and this complicated design will influence the reliability of the shutters.

[0046] It is assumed that the service life of air-inflated shutters 1 made of fabric is longer than the NPP service life, the design of air-inflated shutters 1 makes it possible to replace the shutters very quickly. A factory-made design includes an air-inflated shutter 1 made of fabric and attached to the support structure used for installation of the whole system onto the support base, the shutter is fixed to the support structure with two pins.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

[0047] NPP containment building separation system provides for the enhanced safety level both in normal operational mode, and during severe accidents, and is applicable for any type of containments.