Desarrollo de una metodología de simulación de secuencias en accidente en centrales nucleares de agua ligera considerando actuaciones del operador

Abstract

This thesis presents the work carried out to develop a simulation system for nuclear power
plants, denominated TRETA / COPMA-III integrated simulator, which allows the simulation of
the thermalhydraulic processes that take place in this type of facilities, in normal operation and
emergency operation, as well as the control room crew actions related with the management of
the emergency situations. The simulation of the thermalhydraulic processes is carried out by
means of the TRETA (PWR) or TIZONA (BWR) simulators, both developed by the Spanish
Nuclear Council (CSN). In what concerns to the simulation of the human performance, and
taking into account the fact that in this type of facilities the management of the emergencies is
strongly proceduralized, the COPMA-III procedures simulator is used. This simulator has been
developed by the Halden Reactor Project (HRP), and it was adapted by the HRP development
team for its use in the integrated simulator.
This new tool is characterized mainly by its modular structure and its interconnection ability
with other codes. In an individual way, the different codes that compose the simulator present
advanced capacities in its models. Firstly, the TRETA simulator presents great versatility in defining
the grade of complexity in the simulation of the processes. On the other hand, regarding
to the COPMA-III simulator, it enables the automatic simulation of human actions proceduralized
or planned, that means, all of those manual performances of which it is possible to develop
a deterministic scheme, including aspects of timing and work load. Concerning the simulator
package modular structure, it makes possible even the substitution of the process or procedures
simulators and the implementation of any other simulator that it is considered more appropriate
for specific necessities.
This simulation system not only could be applied to validate the procedures design, but rather
could be use in the verification of the consistency of the analyses made in the safety analysis.
This last aspect is specially relevant, because these studies don’t include, except for seldom
cases, the dynamic evaluation of the operator actions impact in the analysis of the accidental
sequences.