Design and development of innovative passive valves for Nuclear Power Plant applications

Abstract The recent Fukushima accident has resulted in an increased need for passive safety systems in upcoming advanced reactors. In order to enhance the global contribution and acceptability of nuclear energy, proven evidence is required to show that it is not only green but also safe, in case of extreme natural events. To achieve and establish this fact, we need to design, demonstrate and incorporate reliable ‘passive safety systems’ in our advanced reactor designs. In Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs), the use of passive safety systems such as accumulators, condensing and evaporative heat exchangers and gravity driven cooling systems provide enhanced safety and reliability. In addition, they eliminate the huge costs associated with the installation, maintenance and operation of active safety systems that require multiple pumps with independent and redundant electric power supplies. As a result, passive safety systems are preferred for numerous advanced reactor concepts. In current NPPs, passive safety systems which are not participating in day to day operation, are kept isolated, and require a signal and external energy source to open the valve. It is proposed to replace these valves by passive components and devices such as self-acting valves, rupture disks, etc. Some of these innovative passive valves, which do not require external power, have been recently designed, developed and tested at rated conditions. These valves are proposed to be used for various passive safety systems of an upcoming Nuclear Power Plant being designed by India. For example, the Hot Shutdown Passive Valves (HSPV), developed for the decay heat removal system keep the main heat transport system under hot conditions by passively sensing and controlling the system pressure. Another crucial and important valve which has been successfully developed is the Poison Injection Passive Valve (PIPV) for the Passive Poison Injection System. It not only provides higher reliability, but also ensures safe shutdown of the reactor in case of insider threats or malevolent acts in disabling active shutdown system of the reactor. Recently, an innovative valve called the Accumulator Isolation Passive Valve (AIPV) has been developed for the Emergency Core Cooling System (ECCS), which is engineered to mitigate the consequences of Loss of Coolant Accident (LOCA). During normal operation of the reactor, the pressurized accumulators (55 bar) are kept isolated from the reactor core (70 bar) by means of AIPVs. In case of a LOCA, these passive valves open when the main heat transport system pressure falls to a desired value. For prolonged cooling of the core, these passive valves regulate the discharge in a desired manner. These are non-standard, high pressure and high temperature valves, which are unavailable commercially and hence have to be indigenously designed and developed. This paper primarily deals with the design, development and testing of Accumulator Isolation Passive Valves (AIPV) proposed to be used in the ECCS. A 25 NB size AIPV has been designed and successfully tested at Integral Test Loop (ITL) under simulated reactor conditions. It is a self-acting, ANSI 600 rating valve, which requires no external energy (i.e., neither air nor electrical power). It not only provides passive isolation but also passively controls high pressure liquid discharge through it. The design concept of the valve, functional performance, in situ valve testing methodology and the test results at simulated conditions are discussed.