Scheme of the DIVA Facility, IRSN

The Fire Risk Assessment through Innovative Research Project is a follow-up of the PRISME project series which addresses new fire scenarios and new topics of interest for an improved fire risk assessment in nuclear power plants (NPPs) and other nuclear facilities. It covers three major topics:

• fire propagation along cable trays with a focus on the effects of long-length cables and cable ageing;
• fires in confined and mechanically ventilated compartments, with a focus on the effects of hot and vitiated environments on the combustion and the re-inflammation of unburned gases;
• multi-source and multi-compartment scenarios, with a focus on fire propagation between discrete sources and smoke propagation in complex multi-compartment configurations.

The experimental campaigns of the FAIR Project includes tests carried out in the GALAXIE platform facilities (operated by the the Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN) at Cadarache), either on a large scale in the DIVA, SATURNE and PLUTON facilities, or with more analytical devices on a medium scale, such as the CISCCO and NYX devices, or still to be designed devices (as for unburned combustion).

An in-depth analysis of the results of all the test campaigns will be carried out  (physical phenomena, data processing, uncertainties). This work will be supported by a dedicated analytical working group. Additionally, support tests (for instance, regarding the characterisation of material properties in open atmosphere) will be performed all along the experimental programme.

The project was launched in June 2023.