Red Wolf Associates offers expert containment analysis consultation and services. Red Wolf personnel have extensive experience modeling Mark I, II, and III BWR containment types as well as PWR containments, including sub-atmospheric containments. Our staff believes that containment analysis consists of more than simply running a code and accepting the generated results. It is critical to understand the physics of the phenomena being modeled and important to understand how the code models those phenomena. Our personnel have performed in depth research to assist in the development of underlying constitutive models in GOTHIC™ with regard to the condensation heat transfer and turbulence modeling. We also have extensive experience designing, developing, and implementing various code modifications to the GOTHIC™ preprocessor and solver.
Red Wolf personnel have extensive experience modeling various BWR and PWR containment types including events such as:
- Loss of Coolant Accident (LOCA), including all analysis and modeling activities associated with GSI-191
- Main Steam Line Break
- Feedwater Line Break
- Small / Intermediate Breaks
- Station Blackout (SBO)
- Appendix R
- Anticipated Transient Without Scram (ATWS)
- Suppression Pool Bypass
Benchmarking against an analysis of record is often required when evaluating a new model or method. Red Wolf Associates staff can benchmark GOTHIC™ or CONTAIN models against other legacy containment codes such as CONTEMPT, CONTRANS, COPATTA, and LOCTIC to support transition to GOTHIC™ or CONTAIN as the plant licensing basis.
Our staff also has the capability and experience developing long-term mass and energy releases for PWRs and BWRs to be used as input for containment analysis. Detailed long-term mass and energy release models can be coupled with the containment portion of a GOTHIC™ model to obtain a more accurate response.
In addition to typical containment pressure and temperature response, Red Wolf personnel have experience modeling containment equipment and other containment phenomena of interest. Unconventional applications modeled include:
- Detailed modeling of containment fan coolers and associated ventilation systems
- Predicting temperature and pressure response inside compartments (e.g., steam generator compartment temperature response, annulus pressurization loads, etc.)
- Non-accident containment heat up scenarios
- Detailed modeling of system piping within containment
- Determining effect of transient sump level and temperature variations on ECCS pump NPSH
- Assessing feasibility of early drain down of upper containment pools in BWRs
A GOTHIC™ model of containment or associated systems can be created or utilized for many additional purposes in addition to the standard licensing-basis temperature, pressure, NPSH, etc. response. Examples of the benefit gained from advanced modeling include:
- Evaluating past, current, and future operability of systems in support of operability and safety significance determination
- Determining effect of proposed operator actions (Appendix R response, procedure development, etc.)
- Support of Equipment Qualification program
- Developing piping fluid temperature response and pipe wall temperature profiles for thermal stress analysis
With our depth of knowledge with containment modeling and breadth of experience in thermal-hydraulic applications, Red Wolf Associates is uniquely positioned to provide solutions for your containment analysis needs.