Study on Influence of Isolation Condenser in Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant Unit 1 Accident with TRAC-BF1 Code

Abstract

  The Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant Unit 1 accident was investigated with the TRAC-BF1 code in order to confirm the effect of an isolation condenser (IC) on core cooling analytically. The analysis shows that the formation of two-phase natural-circulation flow is a key phenomenon for core cooling. Therefore, it is too late to cool fuel rods, once the core is heated up because of the lack of coolant. It also shows that the early start-up of the IC is essential for avoiding the core meltdown under station blackout conditions.