IAEA-UNIPI Training

Course on Natural Circulation Phenomena and Modelling in Water Cooled Nuclear Power Plants

San Piero a Grado (Pisa), Italy

22 to 26 June 2009

 

Organized by:

 

San Piero a Grado Nuclear Research Group (GRNSPG)

University of Pisa (UNIPI)

Via Livornese 1291

San Piero a Grado (Pisa), Italy

 

In cooperation with:

 

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)

Department of Nuclear Energy

Wagramerstrasse 5

1400 Vienna, Austria

 

DOWNLOAD HERE THE BROCHURE OF THE COURSE

 

VISIT THE PHOTOGALLERY

 

 

1.       BACKGROUND AND HISTORY

Nuclear power has proven its viability in many IAEA Member States. Today the worldwide installed nuclear capacity is approximately 370 GWe with nuclear power supplying 15% of the world’s electricity.

Light water reactors and heavy water reactors combined represent 94% of the global nuclear power capacity, and advanced designs are being developed in several IAEA Member States to help meet future energy needs.  Common goals for advanced designs are high reliability and competitive economics while meeting stringent safety requirements. To assure competitive economics, design organizations are challenged to develop advanced nuclear power plants with lower capital costs, and sizes suitable for various grid capacities and owner investment capabilities.  This includes large sizes for some markets and small and medium sizes for others. 

To achieve the largest cost reductions, both proven means and new approaches should be applied. Proven means include streamlining construction methods to shorten the construction period; design standardization; efficient project management and others. New approaches include: design for modularization, factory fabrication, and series production; design simplification; design for higher temperature (higher thermal efficiency); incorporation of passive safety systems for cases where the safety function can be met at reduced cost; and improvements in the technology base (e.g. more accurate data bases of thermo-physical properties and thermo-hydraulic relationships, and improved computer codes and code validation) to reduce the need to incorporate excessively large margins into the design simply for the purpose of allowing for limitations in analytical methodology and uncertain data.

Passive safety systems based on natural circulation are key to several evolutionary water-cooled designs and many innovative water-cooled reactor designs. Some designs also utilize natural circulation to remove core heat during normal operation.

The IAEA fosters international cooperation in examining natural circulation for removal of core heat under normal operation and accident conditions, and to provide cooling of the containment.  Several organizations worldwide are collaborating in an IAEA Coordinated Research Programme on “Natural Circulation Phenomena, Modelling and Reliability of Passive Systems that Utilize Natural Circulation”. This activity is building on other recent IAEA activities on passive safety systems, thermo-hydraulic relationships and experimental tests and qualification of analytical methods to address thermo-hydraulic phenomena, and valuable information from research projects on natural circulation and passive system reliability within the European Commission is being contributed.

This Course on Natural Circulation Phenomena and Modelling in Water-Cooled Nuclear Power Plants utilizes information, results and expertise shared through these various activities, and especially the current IAEA Coordinated Research Programme on “Natural Circulation Phenomena, Modelling and Reliability of Passive Systems that Utilize Natural Circulation”.

 

The Course has been already successfully organized in four occasions:

- in 2004 at the International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), Trieste, Italy,

- in 2007 at the International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), Trieste, Italy,

- in 2008 at the Idaho National Laboratory, USA,

- in 2008 at the International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), Trieste, Italy

 

2.       COURSE OBJECTIVES

The objectives of the Course are to provide participants with instruction on:

·         natural circulation during reactor start-up and operation, methods of analyses and governing equations, passive system initiation and operation, flow stability, scaling laws for experiments;

·         phenomena that influence natural circulation (e.g. behaviour in large pools of liquid, effects of non-condensable gasses on condensation heat transfer; condensation on containment structures, behaviour of containment emergency systems, thermo-fluid dynamics and pressure drops in various configurations, steam-liquid interaction, gravity driven cooling, liquid temperature stratification, behaviour of emergency heat exchangers and isolation condensers, stratification and mixing of boron);

·         experimental databases for these phenomena;

·         methodology for determining the reliability of passive systems that utilize natural circulation.

 

The Course will conclude with an exam and presentation of Certificates to the participants confirming successful completion of the Course, if examination is taken.

Final Agenda is available here

 

The Roadmap for the Course is shown below:

 

Casella di testo:     A team of 7 experts in Natural Circulation systems will give all the lectures at the course: ·         Professor Francesco D’Auria (University of Pisa, Italy), ·         Dr. Nusret Aksan (Course Director, University of Pisa, Italy), ·         Ing. Juan Carlos Ferreri (Autoridad Regulatoria Nuclear, Argentina), ·         Professor Yassin A. Hassan (Texas A&M University, USA), ·         Professor José N. Reyes Jr. (Oregon State University, USA), ·         Dr. D. Saha (Reactor Engineering Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai, India), ·         Dr. Michel Marquès (CEA/Cadarache,France). Course material and CDs with the lecturers’ presentations and papers will be distributed during the course week.   3.   PARTICIPATION The Course is intended for graduate engineers/physicists working in the nuclear field and post-graduate students wishing to become more informed and involved in natural circulation and its application in nuclear power plants. A basic knowledge in thermo-hydraulics, fluid mechanics and heat transfer is required. Logistics limit the number of participants to a minimum of 15 to activate the course.   4.    COURSE ORGANIZATION LOCAL ORGANIZATION San Piero a Grado Nuclear Research Group (GRNSPG)       Ms Patricia Pla                                                                         Tel.:     + 39 050 2210 371      San Piero a Grado Nuclear Research Group (GRNSPG)                     Email: grnspg@ing.unipi.it       University of Pisa                                                                      Fax:     + 39 050 2210 384       Via Diotisalvi, 2, 56126 PISA (Italy)         Ms Maria Cristina Galassi                                                          Tel.:     + 39 050 2210 361      San Piero a Grado Nuclear Research Group (GRNSPG)                     Email: grnspg@ing.unipi.it       University of Pisa                                                                      Fax:     + 39 050 2210 384       Via Diotisalvi, 2, 56126 PISA (Italy)         Ms Martina Adorni                                                                    Tel.:     + 39 050 2210 354      San Piero a Grado Nuclear Research Group (GRNSPG)                     Email: grnspg@ing.unipi.it       University of Pisa                                                                      Fax:     + 39 050 2210 384       Via Diotisalvi, 2, 56126 PISA (Italy)   IN COLLABORATION WITH: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)       Mr John Cleveland                                            Tel.:     + 43 (1) 2600 22819       Department of Nuclear Energy                          Email: j.cleveland@iaea.org       International Atomic Energy Agency                  Fax:     + 43 (1) 2600-29598       P. O. Box 100, Wagramerstrasse 5                          1400 Vienna, Austria         Mr J.H. Choi                                                     Tel.:     + 43 (1) 2600 22825       Department of Nuclear Energy                          Email: J.H.Choi@iaea.org       International Atomic Energy Agency                  Fax:     + 43 (1) 2600-29598       P. O. Box 100, Wagramerstrasse 5                          1400 Vienna, Austria   5.      COURSE INSCRIPTION FEE   Course Inscription Fee: 1500 euro for each participant. It includes the course material, CD, coffee breaks, reception and the official dinner.   Please make the payment by bank transfer (Bank charges to be added to registration fees). Bank transfer information will be communicated individually after registration. Cancellations will be charged a 25% cancellation fee.   REGISTRATION FORM                        (PDF; DOC)   Registration deadline is April 20th 2009   Possible support could be requested through the competent official authorities of your Country (Ministry of Foreign Affairs or National Atomic Energy) in relation to the available related projects.   6.      WORKING LANGUAGE   The working language of the Course and materials will be English.   7.      COURSE VENUE AND TRAVEL INFORMATION   The course will be held at the premises of the San Piero a Grado Nuclear Research Group (GRNSPG) in Via Livornese 1291, San Piero a Grado (Pisa), Italy. It is located at about 5 km from Pisa city and about 5 km from the beautiful seaside villages of Tirrenia and Marina di Pisa.   A canteen is available at the premises for lunch break. The cost of a complete lunch is about 8 euro.   A bus transportation (free of charges) for the participants will be organized every day from the Hotel Bonanno in Pisa city to the course location and back to Pisa. Time schedule for the bus transportation will be provided after registration to the course.   A list of Hotels in Pisa (at walking distance from Hotel Bonanno) is available here Public transport information is available here       This page has been updated on 16 October 2008