MAAP code analysis focusing on the fuel debris conditions in the lower head of the pressure vessel in Fukushima-Daiichi Nuclear Power Station Unit 3

Based on the updated knowledge from plant-internal investigations, experiments and computer-model simulations until now, the in-vessel phase of Fukushima-Daiichi Nuclear Power Station Unit 3 was analyzed using the MAAP code. In Unit 3, it is considered that ca. 40% of UO2 fuel was molten when core materials relocated to the lower plenum of the reactor pressure vessel. Initially relocated molten materials would have been fragmented by mixing with liquid water, while solid materials would have relocated later on. With this two-step relocation, debris in the lower plenum seems to have been permeable for coolant, thus debris seems to have been once cooled down effectively. Although the present MAAP analysis seems to slightly underestimate core-material oxidation during the relocation period, this probable underestimation was compensated for by an existing study that was considered more reliable, so that more realistic debris conditions in the lower plenum could be obtained. Probable debris reheat-up behavior was evaluated based on interpretation of the pressure data. This evaluation predicted that the fuel debris in the lower plenum was basically in solid-phase at the time when it relocated to the pedestal. With this study, basic validity of the former prediction of the Unit 3 accident progression behavior was confirmed, and detailed boundary conditions for future studies addressing the later phases were provided. © 2023 The Author(s)