In the event of a severe accident in a nuclear power plant, combustible gases can be released, leading to a potential explosion risk in the nuclear containment building. These gases, including Hydrogen (H2) and Carbon monoxide (CO) need to be managed to avoid threatening the containment integrity, which can result in the release of radioactive material into the environment.
The AMHYCO project improved experimental knowledge and simulation capabilities in an area that has not been explored sufficiently in previous EU and OECD projects: combustion risk management of hydrogen and carbon monoxide (H2/CO) mixtures in severe accidents in nuclear power plants.
The AMHYCO consortium consists of 12 organisations from 6 European countries and one from Canada and is led by the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM).
Severe accidents in nuclear power plants are costly (IRSN "Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire" (now ASNR) estimated the total cost of a Fukushima-scale accident in France to reach nearly €188 billion) and are potentially dangerous to both humans and the environment.
To prevent and/or reduce the impact of these accidents, nuclear power plants must have adequate accident management measures in place.
During a severe accident, combustible gases can be released, leading to a potential explosion risk in the nuclear containment building. These gases - including hydrogen and carbon monoxide - need to be managed to avoid threatening the containment integrity, which can result in the release of radioactive material into the environment.
The AMHYCO consortium consists of 12 organisations from 7 countries, 6 European and 1 Canadian, and is led by the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM).
Read the results and reports produced by our experts during the project's implementation.
This project has received funding from the Euratom research and training programme 2019-2020 under Grant Agreement n°945057. The content of this website reflects only the author's view. The European Commission is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains.