MANAGEMENT AND UNCERTAINTIES OF SEVERE ACCIDENTS

Project Information

MUSA

Grant agreement ID: 847441

DOI

10.3030/847441

Project closed

EC signature date 23 May 2019

Start date 1 June 2019

End date 31 May 2023

Funded under

• Euratom

Total cost

€ 5 929 652,50

EU contribution

€ 3 186 503,05

Coordinated by

CENTRO DE INVESTIGACIONES ENERGETICAS MEDIOAMBIENTALES Y TECNOLOGICAS
Spain

Periodic Reporting for period 3 - MUSA (MANAGEMENT AND UNCERTAINTIES OF SEVERE ACCIDENTS)

Reporting period: 2022-06-01 to 2023-05-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Investigating the major uncertainties affecting severe accidents modeling
Nuclear energy has proved to be a safe way to produce huge amounts of electricity practically free of GHG emissions. However, on the pursue of enhancing even further safety, the MUSA (Management and Uncertainties of Severe Accidents) project is investigating the major uncertainties affecting modeling of severe accidents (SA); these events, despite being highly unlikely, become a significant contribution of the low risk associated to the commercial exploitation of Nuclear Power Plants.
The systematic and extensive application of mathematical tools for quantification of uncertainties and sensitivity analyses (UASA) in the SA domain will give key information concerning both in-reactor and in-Spent Fuel Pools (SFP) scenarios and, most importantly, it will allow a better assessment and a potential enhancement of SA management measures proposed so far. On the way, unique databases are meant to be built on initial uncertainties affecting the modeling and an adaptation of UASA methodologies is likely to happen. The broad international participation as well as the diverse nature of the organizations involved, ensures an efficient communication & dissemination of the major outcomes expected from MUSA.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

Given the sequential working structure of the project, a sound settlement of WP1 through WP3 is mandatory to launch WP4-WP6 in an optimal way to meet their individual targets. Thus, during the first reporting period the major achievements accomplished have been:

- Delivery and approval of key structural docs: online workspace (D1.1) project quality plan (D1.2) and data management plan (D1.3).
- Creation of strong links with the Advisory Board (AB) and the End User Group (EUG) (D1.4 and D1.5 respectively).
- Definition of the Figures Of Merit that will orient all project calculations.
- A preliminary database of input uncertainties (identification and characterization) (MS2).
- A review of UaSA methodologies (MS9), with the D3.1 Review of uncertainty methodologies and tools applicable to SA codes for the prediction of ST
- Launch of WP4, WP5, and WP6.
- Creation of the project website (MS9).
- Definition of a strategy for dissemination and communication activities has been reported (D7.1).
- Delivery of a Progress report 1 (D1.6) and achievement of a milestone UQ in integral SevereAccident experiments: Results and lessons learned on application to Source Term (MS5)

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The full achievement of the potential impacts declared in the GA needs the entire project to be finished. In addition to the impacts highlighted during the first reporting period (WP2 and WP3 linked):

• A database on input variable uncertainty characterization has been set (M2.1) and, although not thoroughly complete, it enables WP4, WP5, and WP6 to get started on a sound basis.
• Organizations have strengthened their background on the application of uncertainty quantification in the severe accident domain by adapting existing uncertainty methods (D3.1).

the second one has been characterized by the outcomes of the WP4 and the substantial progress made in WP5 and WP6. As for WP4, it is worth highlighting:

• The application fo UaSA (Uncertainties and Sensitivity Analyses) methodologies to severe accidents has to deal with intrinsic challenges, like failed runs, sampling methods, uncertainy propagation of a limited number of variables and others. Different approaches are being followed by partners to overcome them in WP5 and WP6.

Despite the COVID restrictions during the second reporting period remained, decisive steps towards the achievement of the final project impacts declared in the GA have been given. This has meant that the necessary elements for a sound launch of all the “practical WPs”, have been articulated in the best way possible under the circumstances. Dissemination and communication, though, is being strongly impacting by the health crisis, but apparently everything is going back to track in the last months.

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