Establishment of Heat Release Rate DB for Fire Risk Assessment of Electrical Cabinets in Domestic Nuclear Power Plants

doi:10.15683/kosdi.2025.12.31.877

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2025 Vol.21, Issue 4 Preview Page Next Page

Research Article

Establishment of Heat Release Rate DB for Fire Risk Assessment of Electrical Cabinets in Domestic Nuclear Power Plants 국내 원전 전기캐비닛의 화재위험성 평가를 위한 열방출률 DB 구축: 윤가영¹ㆍ박계원²*ㆍ최두찬³ㆍ최한빛⁴
Ga-Yeong Yoon¹, Kye-Won Park²*, Doo-Chan Choi³, Han-Bit Choi⁴; ¹Research Fellow, Fire Insurers Laboratories of Korea, Yeoju, Republic of Korea
²Principal Researcher, Fire Insurers Laboratories of Korea, Yeoju, Republic of Korea
³CEO, R&D Center, KF UBIS CO., Seoul, Republic of Korea
⁴Researcher, R&D Center, KF UBIS CO., Seoul, Republic of Korea

31 December 2025. pp. 877-894

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Abstract

Purpose: This study aims to establish a database of heat release rates of electrical cabinets that can be utilized for severity estimation for NPP fire risk assessment. Method: For this purpose, fire scenarios were derived based on the specificity of the cabinet shape (volume, opening, combustibles, etc.), and for the design of the electrical cabinet fire test, a cone calorimeter test for combustibles selection and a cable vertical fire spread test for fire source calorific value selection were performed. Result: Based on the developed test method and selected fire scenarios, a Heat Release Rate (HRR) database for domestic nuclear power plant electrical cabinets was established, and its reliability was verified through FDS. Conclusion: The established electrical cabinet heat release rate DBs are applied as severity estimation factors for NPP fire risk assessment. In the future, a database covering all electrical cabinet fire scenarios is planned, and a follow-up study will be conducted to develop a technique to quantitatively estimate the fire severity of domestic electrical cabinets. These studies are expected to contribute to improving the accuracy and reliability of fire safety assessments for nuclear power plants.

Keywords

Nuclear Power Plant

Electric Cabinet Fire

Heat Release Rate

Probabilistic Safety Assessment (PSA)

Severity Factor

연구목적: 본 연구는 원전 화재위험성 평가를 위한 심각도 추정에 활용되는 전기캐비닛의 열방출률 DB 구축을 목적으로 한다. 연구방법: 이를 위해 캐비닛의 형태 특이성(체적, 개구부, 가연물 등)을 기반으로 화재시나리오들을 도출하였고, 전기캐비닛 화재시험 설계를 위하여, 가연물 선정 및 버너 열량 도출을 위한 실험이 수행되었다. 연구결과: 개발된 시험 방법 및 선정된 화재시나리오에 대하여, 국내 원전 전기캐비닛에 대한 열방출률 DB를 구축하였으며, FDS를 통한 신뢰성 검증이 수행되었다. 결론: 구축된 전기캐비닛 열방출률 DB는 원전 화재위험성 평가에 적용되는 심각도 추정을 위한 인자로서 적용된다. 향후 모든 전기캐비닛 화재 시나리오를 포괄하는 데이터베이스 구축이 계획되어 있으며, 후속 연구에서는 국내 전기캐비닛의 화재 심각도를 정량적으로 추정할 수 있는 기법 개발이 진행될 예정이다. 이러한 연구는 원자력 발전소 화재 안전성 평가의 정확성과 신뢰성 향상에 기여할 것으로 기대된다.

키워드

원자력 발전소

전기 캐비닛 화재

열방출률

확률론적 안전성 평가

심각도

References

Barbrauskas, V., Grayson, S.J. (1992). Heat Release in Fires. Elsevier Applied Science, London, UK.
Chavez, J.M. (1987). An Experimental Investigation of Internally Ignited Fires in Nuclear Power Plant Control Cabinets, Part I: Cabinet Effects Tests. Sandia National Laboratories, NUREG/CR-4527, SAND86-0336, Vol. 1, Albuquerque, US.
Chavez, J.M. (1988). An Experimental Investigation of Internally Ignited Fires in Nuclear Power Plant Control Cabinets, Part II: Room Effects Tests. Sandia National Laboratories, NUREG/CR-4527, SAND86-0336, Vol. 2, Albuquerque, US.
Coutin, M., Plumecocq, W., Melis, S., Audouin, L. (2012). “Energy balance in a confined fire compartment to assess the heat release rate of an electrical cabinet fire.” Fire Safety Journal, Vol. 52, pp. 34-45. 10.1016/j.firesaf.2012.05.002
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
Elyahu, A., Francisco, J.J.-B., Frederick, W.M., Mohammad, M. (2003). “Hazard assessment of fire in electrical cabinets.” Nuclear Technology, Vol. 144, pp. 337-357. 10.13182/NT03-A3449
Kevin, M.C., Randall, M.D., Marcos, V., Eric, M., Simo, H., Jason, F. (2023). Fire Dynamics Simulator User’s Guide. National Institute of Standards and Technology, NIST Special Publication 1019, Gaithersburg, US.
Korean Agency for Technology and Standards (2019). KS F ISO 5660-1: Fire Tests – Heat Release Rate, Smoke Production and Mass Loss Rate – Part 1: Cone Calorimeter Method. KATS, Sejong, Republic of Korea.
Korean Agency for Technology and Standards (2020). KS F ISO 9705-1: Fire Tests – Full-Scale Room Test for Heat Release Rate – Part 1. KATS, Sejong, Republic of Korea.
Mangs, J., Keski-Rahkonen, O. (1994). Full-Scale Fire Experiments on Electronic Cabinets. Technical Research Centre of Finland, VTT Publications No. 186, Espoo, Finland.
Mangs, J., Keski-Rahkonen, O. (1996). Full-Scale Fire Experiments on Electronic Cabinets II. Technical Research Centre of Finland, VTT Publications No. 269, Espoo, Finland.
Mangs, J., Paananen, J., Keski-Rahkonen, O. (2003). “Calorimetric fire experiments on electronic cabinets.” Fire Safety Journal, Vol. 38, pp. 165-186. 10.1016/S0379-7112(02)00055-3
Mickael, C. (2007). “Phenomenological description of actual electrical cabinet fires in free atmosphere.” Proceedings of the 11th International Fire Science and Engineering Conference, London, UK, pp. 725–730.
Park, J.-Y., Mun, S.-Y., Choi, D.-C., Park, K.-W., Hwang, C.-H. (2023). “Measurement of combustion properties of nuclear power cables using a cone calorimeter.” Proceedings of the KIFSE Annual Fall Conference, Republic of Korea, p. 44.
Plumecocq, W., Coutin, M., Melis, S., Rigollet, L. (2011). “Characterization of closed-doors electrical cabinet fires in compartments.” Fire Safety Journal, Vol. 46, pp. 243-253. 10.1016/j.firesaf.2011.02.006
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (2007). Fire PRA Methodology for Nuclear Power Facilities – Clarifications and Refinements. NUREG/CR-6850 Supplement 1, Washington, DC, US.
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (2015). Nuclear Power Plant Fire Ignition Frequency and Non-Suppression Probability Estimates. NUREG-2169, Washington, DC, US.
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (2015). Refined Fire PRA Methods: Empirical Fire Severity Categories. NUREG-2178, Vol. 1, Washington, DC, US.
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (2019). Refined Fire PRA Methods—Empirical Fire Modeling. NUREG-2178, Vol. 2, Washington, DC, US.
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Electric Power Research Institute (2005). Fire PRA Methodology for Nuclear Power Facilities. NUREG/CR-6850, Vol. 2, Washington, DC, US.
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (2016). Heat Release Rates of Electrical Enclosure Fires (HELEN-FIRE). NUREG/CR-7197, Washington, DC, US.
Werner, W., Angner, A., Rowekamp, M., Gauvain, J. (2009). “Fire safety in nuclear power plants and installations.” Proceedings of the 20th International Conference on Structural Mechanics in Reactor Technology, Helsinki, Finland.

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 :877-894
DOI :https://doi.org/10.15683/kosdi.2025.12.31.877

[1] Barbrauskas, V., Grayson, S.J. (1992). Heat Release in Fires. Elsevier Applied Science, London, UK.

[2] Chavez, J.M. (1987). An Experimental Investigation of Internally Ignited Fires in Nuclear Power Plant Control Cabinets, Part I: Cabinet Effects Tests. Sandia National Laboratories, NUREG/CR-4527, SAND86-0336, Vol. 1, Albuquerque, US.

[3] Chavez, J.M. (1988). An Experimental Investigation of Internally Ignited Fires in Nuclear Power Plant Control Cabinets, Part II: Room Effects Tests. Sandia National Laboratories, NUREG/CR-4527, SAND86-0336, Vol. 2, Albuquerque, US.

[4] Coutin, M., Plumecocq, W., Melis, S., Audouin, L. (2012). “Energy balance in a confined fire compartment to assess the heat release rate of an electrical cabinet fire.” Fire Safety Journal, Vol. 52, pp. 34-45. 10.1016/j.firesaf.2012.05.002

[5] 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

[6] Elyahu, A., Francisco, J.J.-B., Frederick, W.M., Mohammad, M. (2003). “Hazard assessment of fire in electrical cabinets.” Nuclear Technology, Vol. 144, pp. 337-357. 10.13182/NT03-A3449

[7] Kevin, M.C., Randall, M.D., Marcos, V., Eric, M., Simo, H., Jason, F. (2023). Fire Dynamics Simulator User’s Guide. National Institute of Standards and Technology, NIST Special Publication 1019, Gaithersburg, US.

[8] Korean Agency for Technology and Standards (2019). KS F ISO 5660-1: Fire Tests – Heat Release Rate, Smoke Production and Mass Loss Rate – Part 1: Cone Calorimeter Method. KATS, Sejong, Republic of Korea.

[9] Korean Agency for Technology and Standards (2020). KS F ISO 9705-1: Fire Tests – Full-Scale Room Test for Heat Release Rate – Part 1. KATS, Sejong, Republic of Korea.

[10] Mangs, J., Keski-Rahkonen, O. (1994). Full-Scale Fire Experiments on Electronic Cabinets. Technical Research Centre of Finland, VTT Publications No. 186, Espoo, Finland.

[11] Mangs, J., Keski-Rahkonen, O. (1996). Full-Scale Fire Experiments on Electronic Cabinets II. Technical Research Centre of Finland, VTT Publications No. 269, Espoo, Finland.

[12] Mangs, J., Paananen, J., Keski-Rahkonen, O. (2003). “Calorimetric fire experiments on electronic cabinets.” Fire Safety Journal, Vol. 38, pp. 165-186. 10.1016/S0379-7112(02)00055-3

[13] Mickael, C. (2007). “Phenomenological description of actual electrical cabinet fires in free atmosphere.” Proceedings of the 11th International Fire Science and Engineering Conference, London, UK, pp. 725–730.

[14] Park, J.-Y., Mun, S.-Y., Choi, D.-C., Park, K.-W., Hwang, C.-H. (2023). “Measurement of combustion properties of nuclear power cables using a cone calorimeter.” Proceedings of the KIFSE Annual Fall Conference, Republic of Korea, p. 44.

[15] Plumecocq, W., Coutin, M., Melis, S., Rigollet, L. (2011). “Characterization of closed-doors electrical cabinet fires in compartments.” Fire Safety Journal, Vol. 46, pp. 243-253. 10.1016/j.firesaf.2011.02.006

[16] U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (2007). Fire PRA Methodology for Nuclear Power Facilities – Clarifications and Refinements. NUREG/CR-6850 Supplement 1, Washington, DC, US.

[17] U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (2015). Nuclear Power Plant Fire Ignition Frequency and Non-Suppression Probability Estimates. NUREG-2169, Washington, DC, US.

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

[19] U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (2019). Refined Fire PRA Methods—Empirical Fire Modeling. NUREG-2178, Vol. 2, Washington, DC, US.

[20] U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Electric Power Research Institute (2005). Fire PRA Methodology for Nuclear Power Facilities. NUREG/CR-6850, Vol. 2, Washington, DC, US.

[21] U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (2016). Heat Release Rates of Electrical Enclosure Fires (HELEN-FIRE). NUREG/CR-7197, Washington, DC, US.

[22] Werner, W., Angner, A., Rowekamp, M., Gauvain, J. (2009). “Fire safety in nuclear power plants and installations.” Proceedings of the 20th International Conference on Structural Mechanics in Reactor Technology, Helsinki, Finland.

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

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