Candu Fire Load Densities in Canadian Nuclear Plants

Abstract

A fuel survey was carried out at all operating CANDU reactors in Canada in 5 sites (Bruce A, Bruce B, Darlington, Pickering, and Point Lepreau). The survey used the National Fire Protection Association 557 combination method for the fire zones that contain fire safe shutdown analysis equipment. A fire zone group list for the sites was developed to combine fire zones with similar functions; 38 fire zone groups were produced from this exercise. The results of the survey show that the average fuel load density for all 1230 fire zones is 170.1 MJ/m2, and the average fuel load is 79 183 MJ. The maximum fuel load density is 1319 MJ/m2, and the maximum fuel load is 2 785 404 MJ. High-energy arcing faults risk was found in 254 fire zones out of the 1230 fire zones. Electric fault is the highest ignition source risk present in all 1230 fire zones.