Investigations on a Boron Dilution Accident for a VVER-440 Type Reactor by the Help of the Code DYN3D

A reactivity initiated transient caused by entering a plug of water with reduced boron concentration into the core during incorrect loop startup in a VVER-440/W-213 reactor is analyzed . Due to the asymmetric distribution of the boron dilution, significant space-dependent effects are expected. That requires the use of a three-dimensional reactor core model. The analysis was carried out with the help of the code DYN3D/M2 developed for investigations on reactivity initiated accidents in thermal reactors with hexagonal fuel elements. A semi-analytical model adjusted to experimental data on coolant mixing in VVER-440 type reactors is used for the estimation of boron concentration distribution at core inlet. For comparisons, the two limiting cases, ideal mixing and no mixing, are investigated.