Numerical Study on the Thermal Effects of Fire Barrier for Improving Fire Protection Performance in Nuclear Power Plant Main Control Rooms(Based on NUREG-1934 Scenario)

doi:10.15683/kosdi.2025.12.31.1128

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2025 Vol.21, Issue 4 Preview Page Next Page

Research Article

Numerical Study on the Thermal Effects of Fire Barrier for Improving Fire Protection Performance in Nuclear Power Plant Main Control Rooms(Based on NUREG-1934 Scenario) 원전 주제어실의 화재 방호 성능 향상을 위한 방화벽 열적 영향에 대한 수치해석적 연구(NUREG-1934 시나리오 기반): 박계원¹ㆍ윤가영²*ㆍ김완수³ㆍ최두찬⁴
Kye-Won Park¹, Ga-Yeong Yoon²*, Wan-Soo Kim³, Doo-Chan Choi⁴; ¹Principal Researcher, Risk Safety Research Center, Fire Insurers Laboratories of Korea, Yeoju, Republic of Korea
²Research Fellow, Risk Safety Research Center, Fire Insurers Laboratories of Korea, Yeoju, Republic of Korea
³Director, Technical support team, Maven CO. Sungnam, Republic of Korea
⁴Chief Executive Officer, KF UBIS Co., Ltd, Seoul, Republic of Korea

31 December 2025. pp. 1128-1142

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Abstract

Purpose: The purpose is to analyze the impact of installing firewalls within the nuclear power plant’s control room on preventing fire spread, ensuring the survivability of critical equipment, and securing worker habitability. Method: CFD analysis was performed applying the cabinet fire scenario presented in NUREG-1934. The primary analysis examined thermal characteristics based on the separation distance between the fire source and the fire barrier. The secondary analysis quantitatively compared and evaluated temperature and radiation flux changes for equipment (opposite cabinets) and personnel within the actual MCR configuration, varying with the presence or absence of a fire barrier. Result: Primary analysis results showed that the firewall temperature decreased linearly with distance, but the radiation rate decreased sharply and nonlinearly due to its physical characteristic of being inversely proportional to the square of the distance. This confirmed that installation within 1 meter is most effective for blocking radiant heat. In the secondary analysis L1 (Equipment Survivability) scenario, the firewall reduced the maximum temperature of the ‘opposite cabinet’ by over 87%. In the L2 (operator Habitability) scenario, installing the firewall reduced the average radiation rate by 94%, confirming effective operator protection. Conclusion: Physical fire barriers have been quantitatively proven to play a decisive role in effectively blocking radiant heat transfer during MCR fires at nuclear power plants, thereby preventing the horizontal spread of fire and ensuring the habitability necessary for operators to perform safe shutdown operations.

Keywords

Nuclear Power Plant

Main Control Room

Fire Barrier

Cabinet Fire

Computational Fluid Dynamics(CFD)

연구목적: 원전 주제어실 내 방화벽의 설치가 화재 확산 방지, 핵심 기기 생존성 및 작업자 거주성 확보에 미치는 영향을 분석하고자 한다. 연구방법: NUREG-1934에서 제시하는 캐비닛 화재 시나리오를 적용하여 CFD를 수행하였다. 1차 해석에서는 화원과 방화벽 간 이격 거리에 따른 열적 특성을 분석하였으며, 2차 해석에서는 실제 MCR 형상 내에서 방화벽 유/무에 따른 기기(마주보는 캐비닛) 및 작업자의 온도와 복사열유속 변화를 정량적으로 비교 평가하였다. 연구결과: 1차 해석 결과, 방화벽의 온도는 거리에 비례하여 선형적으로 감소하였으나, 복사열유속은 거리의 제곱에 반비례하는 물리적 특성으로 인해 비선형적으로 급격히 감소하여, 1m 이내 근접 설치가 복사열 차단에 가장 효과적임을 확인하였다. 2차 해석 L1(기기 생존성) 시나리오에서 방화벽은 ‘마주보는 캐비닛’의 최대 온도를 87% 이상 저감시켰다. L2(작업자 거주성) 시나리오에서는 방화벽 설치시 평균 복사열유속이 94% 감소하여 작업자을 효과적으로 보호함을 확인하였다. 결론: 방화벽은 원전 MCR 화재 시 복사열 전달을 효과적으로 차단하여 화재의 수평적 확산을 방지하고, 작업자가 안전정지 조작을 수행할 수 있는 거주성을 확보하는 데 결정적인 역할을 수행함을 정량적으로 확인하였다.

키워드

원자력 발전소

주제어실

화재 방호

전기 캐비닛 화재

전산유체역학

References

Alpert, E., Jones-Bey, F.J., Metzger, F.W., Modarres, M. (2003). “Hazard assessment of fire in electrical cabinets.” Nuclear Technology, Vol. 144, pp. 337-357. 10.13182/NT03-A3449
Carvel, R.O. (2007). “Phenomenological description of actual electrical cabinet fires in free atmosphere.” Proceedings of the 11th International Fire Science and Engineering Conference (Interflam), London, United Kingdom, pp. 725-730.
Coutin, M., Plumecocq, W., Zavaleta, P., Audouin, L. (2015). “Characterisation of open-door electrical cabinet fires in compartments.” Nuclear Engineering and Design, Vol. 286, pp. 104-115. 10.1016/j.nucengdes.2015.01.017
Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). (2010). Fire PRA methodology for nuclear power facilities. EPRI TR-1011989, Palo Alto, CA, US.
Kim, K.M., Choi, D.C., Kim, S.I. (2025). “A study on the analysis of key factors for reducing fire core damage frequency in nuclear power plants.” Journal of the Korea Society of Disaster Information, Vol. 21, No. 2, pp. 342-347.
Kim, W.H. (1991). “A study on the fire safety design of nuclear power plants in Korea.” Journal of Korean Institute of Fire Science and Engineering, Vol. 5, pp. 15-22.
Liu, Y., Moser, A., Sinai, Y. (2004). “Comparison of a CFD fire model against a ventilated fire experiment in an enclosure.” International Journal of Ventilation, Vol. 3, No. 2, pp. 169-181. 10.1080/14733315.2004.11683912
Oh, H.C., Kim, H.T. (2012). “Evaluation of main control room fire risk using new fire human reliability analysis guidelines.” Proceedings of the Annual Conference of the Korean Institute of Fire Science and Engineering, Seoul, Republic of Korea, pp. 307-310.
Park, K.W., Kwark, J.H., Yang, H.H., Choi, D.C. (2025). “Fire safety assessment of accelerated-aged nuclear power plant cables using heat growth index and regression analysis techniques.” Journal of the Korea Society of Disaster Information, Vol. 21, No. 3, pp. 536-544.
Sun, L., Podila, K., Chen, Q., Bayomy, A.M., Rao, Y.F. (2019). “Computational fluid dynamics modeling of fire and human evacuation for nuclear applications.” ASME Journal of Nuclear Engineering and Radiation Science, Vol. 5, No. 4, 041004. 10.1115/1.4044531
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). (2012). Nuclear Power Plant Fire Modeling Analysis Guidelines. NUREG-1934 / EPRI 1023259, Washington, DC, US.
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). (1976). Recommendations Related to Browns Ferry Fire. NUREG-0050, Washington, DC, US.
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). (2015). Refined Fire PRA Methods: Empirical Fire Severity Categories. NUREG-2178, Vol. 1, Washington, DC, US.
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). (2019). Refinement of fire PRA methods—Empirical fire modeling. NUREG-2178, Vol. 2, Washington, DC, US.

Information

Publisher :The Korean Society of Disaster Information
Publisher(Ko) :한국재난정보학회
Journal Title :Journal of the Society of Disaster Information
Journal Title(Ko) :한국재난정보학회논문집
Volume : 21
No :4
Pages :1128-1142
DOI :https://doi.org/10.15683/kosdi.2025.12.31.1128

[1] Alpert, E., Jones-Bey, F.J., Metzger, F.W., Modarres, M. (2003). “Hazard assessment of fire in electrical cabinets.” Nuclear Technology, Vol. 144, pp. 337-357. 10.13182/NT03-A3449

[2] Carvel, R.O. (2007). “Phenomenological description of actual electrical cabinet fires in free atmosphere.” Proceedings of the 11th International Fire Science and Engineering Conference (Interflam), London, United Kingdom, pp. 725-730.

[3] Coutin, M., Plumecocq, W., Zavaleta, P., Audouin, L. (2015). “Characterisation of open-door electrical cabinet fires in compartments.” Nuclear Engineering and Design, Vol. 286, pp. 104-115. 10.1016/j.nucengdes.2015.01.017

[4] Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). (2010). Fire PRA methodology for nuclear power facilities. EPRI TR-1011989, Palo Alto, CA, US.

[5] Kim, K.M., Choi, D.C., Kim, S.I. (2025). “A study on the analysis of key factors for reducing fire core damage frequency in nuclear power plants.” Journal of the Korea Society of Disaster Information, Vol. 21, No. 2, pp. 342-347.

[6] Kim, W.H. (1991). “A study on the fire safety design of nuclear power plants in Korea.” Journal of Korean Institute of Fire Science and Engineering, Vol. 5, pp. 15-22.

[7] Liu, Y., Moser, A., Sinai, Y. (2004). “Comparison of a CFD fire model against a ventilated fire experiment in an enclosure.” International Journal of Ventilation, Vol. 3, No. 2, pp. 169-181. 10.1080/14733315.2004.11683912

[8] Oh, H.C., Kim, H.T. (2012). “Evaluation of main control room fire risk using new fire human reliability analysis guidelines.” Proceedings of the Annual Conference of the Korean Institute of Fire Science and Engineering, Seoul, Republic of Korea, pp. 307-310.

[9] Park, K.W., Kwark, J.H., Yang, H.H., Choi, D.C. (2025). “Fire safety assessment of accelerated-aged nuclear power plant cables using heat growth index and regression analysis techniques.” Journal of the Korea Society of Disaster Information, Vol. 21, No. 3, pp. 536-544.

[10] Sun, L., Podila, K., Chen, Q., Bayomy, A.M., Rao, Y.F. (2019). “Computational fluid dynamics modeling of fire and human evacuation for nuclear applications.” ASME Journal of Nuclear Engineering and Radiation Science, Vol. 5, No. 4, 041004. 10.1115/1.4044531

[11] U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). (2012). Nuclear Power Plant Fire Modeling Analysis Guidelines. NUREG-1934 / EPRI 1023259, Washington, DC, US.

[12] U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). (1976). Recommendations Related to Browns Ferry Fire. NUREG-0050, Washington, DC, US.

[13] U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). (2015). Refined Fire PRA Methods: Empirical Fire Severity Categories. NUREG-2178, Vol. 1, Washington, DC, US.

[14] U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). (2019). Refinement of fire PRA methods—Empirical fire modeling. NUREG-2178, Vol. 2, Washington, DC, US.

Journal of the Society of Disaster Information ISSN:1976-2208(Print) 2671-5287(Online) 한국재난정보학회논문집

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