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Journal of Energy : Energija, Vol. 68 No. 2-3, 2019.

Original scientific paper

Passive Autocatalytic Recombiners Periodic Testing Issue

Violeta Čalić orcid id orcid.org/0000-0002-0076-089X ; Krško Nuclear Power Plant Vrbina 12, 8270 Krško, Slovenia

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Abstract

During the refueling outage (RFO) 2013 at NPP Krško, the electric hydrogen recombiners, a
system for the hydrogen control during severe accidents and design basis accidents, were replaced
by passive autocatalytic recombiners (PARs).
During the next RFOs in 2015, 2016 and 2018, periodic tests of PAR cartridges were
performed. The periodic testing of NIS-PARs shall prove that the catalytic reaction starts up as
specified. According to the licenced testing procedure, each outage six cartridges were obtained and
tested in the NIS PAR test device (TD). Randomly selected PAR cartridges did not pass the
periodic test at room temperature (RT). Cartridges that do not pass the periodic testing have to be
regenerated according to NEK procedure, followed again by a test in the TD to demonstrate the
success of the regeneration. The effort of a full regeneration of all cartridges is not necessary and
conservative. Due to significant unexpected workload during outages, the need for enhanced testing
procedure with higher catalyst test temperature is priority. The concept for this is based on the
conclusion that the PARs installed in NPP Krško were functional under accident conditions during
the operational cycles (OL27, OL28 and OL29) even though PAR cartridges did not pass the
periodic testing on RT (testing at higher but well below accident temperatures was successful).
Revision of procedure and methodology in that direction requires development of the new TD. New
TD will allow PAR cartridge measurements at defined elevated temperatures (range 40 - 70 deg C).
It shall be vacuum oven type device or upgraded current NIS device. In both examples it shall
provide testing of at least two cartridges at the same time, independently, however the whole
cartridge shall be tested. Test gas remains 3 vol. % hydrogen in the air.
For a detailed plant specific investigation of this catalytic material behavior, increased testing
of cartridges was developed. Additionally, testing of different batch behavior was performed.

Keywords

passive autocatalytic recombiners, PAR, NIS PAR, periodic test, testing temperature

Hrčak ID:

247090

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/247090

Publication date:

28.10.2019.

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