RISK ASSESSMENT OF THE INTEGRATION OF A LARGE-SCALE HYDROGEN COGENERATION FACILITY INTO A VVER POWER PLANT

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Contributors

Abstract

This manuscript presents the outcomes from the quantitative risk assessment (QRA) of the integration of a generic hydrogen cogeneration facility into the protected area of a reference nuclear power plant (NPP). The latter is Rivne NPP in Ukraine, and the hydrogen production plant (HPP) is assumed to use electricity from the NPP to operate in base-load mode. The presented study applies HAZID technique to identify those postulated initiating events (PIEs) that lead to the worst-case scenario in the HPP and therefore major external hazard to the NPP, which is regarded as an hydrogen explosion. The study quantifies likelihood of occurrence of the two identified PIEs and potential accident scenarios. It evaluates as well the consequences of the worst-case scenario by means of empirical and analytical expressions in the process safety literature, together with conservative conditions. The major external hazard is the storage facility due to the large hydrogen inventory. Nevertheless, storage is assumed outside of the NPP perimeter, and safety distances can be adjusted accordingly. In the electrolyser facility, a detonation of a hydrogen vapor cloud in the gas processing unit would only violate the 10 kPa criterion over the nearby standby diesel generators, under upper-bound conditions. An explosion of the buffer tank would have more severe consequences, requiring mitigation measures such as blast walls to ensure an adequate safety level under such conservative accidental conditions.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationNuclear Plant Operation and Maintenance, Engineering and Modification, Operation Life Extension (OLE), and Life Cycle
PublisherThe American Society of Mechanical Engineers(ASME)
ISBN (electronic)9780791888216
Publication statusPublished - 1 Nov 2024
Peer-reviewedYes

Publication series

SeriesProceedings of 2024 31st International Conference on Nuclear Engineering, ICONE 2024
Volume1

Conference

Title2024 31st International Conference on Nuclear Engineering, ICONE 2024
Duration4 - 8 August 2024
CityPrague
CountryCzech Republic

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Keywords

  • nuclear safety, pink hydrogen, risk assessment, VVER, worst-case scenario