Decay Heat Limits

Reactor decay heat can be a main concern. In the worst situation scenarios, it can cause melting of and/or damage to the reactor core, as in the situation of Three Mile Island. The degree of anxiety with decay heat will differ according to reactor kind and design. There is slight concern about core temperature due to decay heat for low power, pool-kind reactors.

Each reactor will have few limits throughout shutdown which are depend upon decay heat considerations. Such limits might differ since of steam generator pressure, core temperature, or some other constraint that might be associated to decay heat generation. Even during the refueling procedures, heat elimination from expended fuel rods is a controlling factor. For each limit build up, there is generally some safety device or protective feature recognized.