A numerical simulation research on the applicability of the manual activation curve for the sprinkler system

The containment vessel is the last physical barrier to prevent the release of radioactive substances to the outside. When a LOCA accident occurs, timely activation of the spray system can prevent the containment vessel from rupturing due to overpressure and overheating, thus maintaining its integrity. This paper mainly studies the applicability of the current manual spray activation curve to a certain nuclear power plant. The main considerations include the self-weight, shrinkage, long-term prestress, accident pressure, steel liner thrust, and accident temperature load of the containment vessel. The simulation results show that at the initial moment, the moment when the temperature moment is the largest, and the intersection moment of the internal pressure and temperature moment curves, the stress of the concrete in the standard area of the containment vessel is less than the standard value of the concrete's axial tensile strength, and the calculated reinforcement amount of the containment vessel is far less than the actual reinforcement amount. This indicates that when a LOCA accident occurs, the integrity of the containment vessel can be guaranteed by activating the spray system according to the manual spray activation curve.