The AMHYCO Final Technical Workshop took place on February 26-27, 2025, in Madrid, marking the culmination of years of research dedicated to improving severe accident management strategies in nuclear power plants. Hosted by the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM), this event brought together 38 in-person and 59 online participants from nuclear safety authorities, international organizations (IAEA, OECD/NEA), industry representatives, and academic researchers.
Key Highlights of the Workshop
Over the two days, participants delved into hydrogen and carbon monoxide (H₂/CO) combustion risks, exploring advancements in predictive modeling, experimental validation, and risk mitigation strategies. The workshop featured technical presentations from each Work Package (WP) of the AMHYCO project, showcasing the latest findings and their implications for nuclear safety.
Discussions focused on:
- Severe Accident Management Guidelines (SAMGs) and their enhancement
- Experimental studies on hydrogen and CO combustion
- Passive Autocatalytic Recombiner (PAR) performance
- Containment integrity assessment through numerical simulations
- Innovative methodologies for computational efficiency in safety analysis
Beyond the technical sessions, the workshop also included a dedicated PhD session, where young researchers presented their contributions, reinforcing the educational impact of the AMHYCO project.
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WP1: Critical Review
- Key Findings:
✔ In-depth analysis of past nuclear accidents (Three Mile Island, Fukushima) and their combustion risk factors.
✔ Identification of knowledge gaps in safety measures and predictive modeling.
✔ Evaluation of the impact of oxygen concentration and carbon monoxide on recombination processes.
WP2: Selection of Severe Accident Sequences
- Key Findings:
✔ Development of a combustion-risk database and containment models (LP, 3D & CFD).
✔ Identification of critical severe accident scenarios with high H₂/CO generation and fast injection rates.
✔ Contribution to defining flammability criteria for future risk assessments.
WP3: Experimental Investigations – Combustion
- Key Findings:
✔ Experimental studies on flammability limits, ignition energy, and explosion risks.
✔ High-speed imaging and diagnostics to analyze flame acceleration and detonation potential.
✔ Evaluation of mitigation strategies such as oxygen starvation, CO₂ dilution, and water sprays.
Experimental Investigations – Passive Autocatalytic Recombiners (PARs)
- Key Findings:
✔ Experimental campaigns (REKO-1, REKO-3, REKO-4) to analyze PAR operation in various atmospheres.
✔ Identification of catalyst deactivation challenges due to CO presence.
✔ Development of new PAR operational models and validation of computational tools (SPARK, PARUPM).
WP4: Full Containment Analysis
- Key Findings:
✔ Application of Lumped Parameter codes, 3D modeling, and CFD simulations to analyze containment behavior.
✔ Assessment of PAR efficiency in reducing hydrogen risk across different reactor types (PWR-KWU, PWR-W, PWR-VVER).
✔ Identification of combustion criteria refinements needed for improved safety assessments.
WP5: Enhancement of Severe Accident Management Guidelines (SAMGs)
- Key Findings:
✔ Development of a framework to enhance hydrogen risk management in PWR reactors.
✔ Refinement of protocols for deploying PARs, filtered venting, and emergency cooling measures.
✔ Public release of final safety recommendations integrating lessons from experimental and computational research.
