Characteristics of debris resulting from simulated molten fuel coolant interactions in SFRS
Sodium cooled Fast Reactors (SFR) are built with several engineered safety features and hence a severe accident such as a core melt accident is hypothetical with a probability of <10−6/ry. However, in case of such accidents, the mixture of the molten fuel and structural materials interacts with s...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2024-01-01
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| Series: | Nuclear Engineering and Technology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1738573323004461 |
| _version_ | 1797355289637289984 |
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| author | E. Hemanth Rao Prabhat Kumar Shukla D. Ponraju B. Venkatraman |
| author_facet | E. Hemanth Rao Prabhat Kumar Shukla D. Ponraju B. Venkatraman |
| author_sort | E. Hemanth Rao |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Sodium cooled Fast Reactors (SFR) are built with several engineered safety features and hence a severe accident such as a core melt accident is hypothetical with a probability of <10−6/ry. However, in case of such accidents, the mixture of the molten fuel and structural materials interacts with sodium. This phenomenon is known as Molten Fuel Coolant Interaction (MFCI) and results in fragmentation of the melt due to various instabilities. The fragmented particles settle as a debris bed on the core catcher at the bottom of the reactor vessel, and continue to generate decay heat. Characteristics of the debris particles play a vital role in heat transfer from the bed and need thorough investigation. The size, shape, and physical state of the debris depend on the associated fragmentation mechanism, superheating of the melt, and sodium temperature. Experiments have been conducted by releasing simulated corium, a molten mixture of alumina and iron generated by the aluminothermy process at ∼2400 °C into liquid sodium, to study the fragmentation phenomena. After the experiment, the fragmented debris was retrieved and the particle size distribution was determined by sieve analysis. The debris was subjected to microscopic investigation for obtaining morphological characteristics. Based on the characteristics of debris, an attempt has been made to assess of fragmentation mechanism of simulated corium in sodium. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T14:09:00Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-70bcd25579824f2f868e8e0044912828 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1738-5733 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T14:09:00Z |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nuclear Engineering and Technology |
| spelling | doaj.art-70bcd25579824f2f868e8e00449128282024-01-15T04:20:54ZengElsevierNuclear Engineering and Technology1738-57332024-01-01561283291Characteristics of debris resulting from simulated molten fuel coolant interactions in SFRSE. Hemanth Rao0Prabhat Kumar Shukla1D. Ponraju2B. Venkatraman3Homi Bhabha National Institute, Training School Complex, Anushakti Nagar, Mumbai, 400094, India; Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam, 603102, Tamil Nadu, India; Corresponding author. Homi Bhabha National Institute, Training School Complex, Anushakti Nagar, Mumbai, 400094, India.Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam, 603102, Tamil Nadu, IndiaHomi Bhabha National Institute, Training School Complex, Anushakti Nagar, Mumbai, 400094, India; Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam, 603102, Tamil Nadu, IndiaIndira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam, 603102, Tamil Nadu, IndiaSodium cooled Fast Reactors (SFR) are built with several engineered safety features and hence a severe accident such as a core melt accident is hypothetical with a probability of <10−6/ry. However, in case of such accidents, the mixture of the molten fuel and structural materials interacts with sodium. This phenomenon is known as Molten Fuel Coolant Interaction (MFCI) and results in fragmentation of the melt due to various instabilities. The fragmented particles settle as a debris bed on the core catcher at the bottom of the reactor vessel, and continue to generate decay heat. Characteristics of the debris particles play a vital role in heat transfer from the bed and need thorough investigation. The size, shape, and physical state of the debris depend on the associated fragmentation mechanism, superheating of the melt, and sodium temperature. Experiments have been conducted by releasing simulated corium, a molten mixture of alumina and iron generated by the aluminothermy process at ∼2400 °C into liquid sodium, to study the fragmentation phenomena. After the experiment, the fragmented debris was retrieved and the particle size distribution was determined by sieve analysis. The debris was subjected to microscopic investigation for obtaining morphological characteristics. Based on the characteristics of debris, an attempt has been made to assess of fragmentation mechanism of simulated corium in sodium.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1738573323004461SFRCore melt accidentMFCIFragmentationParticle size distribution |
| spellingShingle | E. Hemanth Rao Prabhat Kumar Shukla D. Ponraju B. Venkatraman Characteristics of debris resulting from simulated molten fuel coolant interactions in SFRS Nuclear Engineering and Technology SFR Core melt accident MFCI Fragmentation Particle size distribution |
| title | Characteristics of debris resulting from simulated molten fuel coolant interactions in SFRS |
| title_full | Characteristics of debris resulting from simulated molten fuel coolant interactions in SFRS |
| title_fullStr | Characteristics of debris resulting from simulated molten fuel coolant interactions in SFRS |
| title_full_unstemmed | Characteristics of debris resulting from simulated molten fuel coolant interactions in SFRS |
| title_short | Characteristics of debris resulting from simulated molten fuel coolant interactions in SFRS |
| title_sort | characteristics of debris resulting from simulated molten fuel coolant interactions in sfrs |
| topic | SFR Core melt accident MFCI Fragmentation Particle size distribution |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1738573323004461 |
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