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Title: Evaluation of prompt release of fission gas from a breached cladding. [PWR; BWR]

Conference ·
OSTI ID:5235986

It is a concern in the current safety analysis of nuclear reactors to understand the different release mechanisms of fission products to accurately determine the radiological source term for a wide variety of accidents. The mechanism which is least understood and which produces an uncertainty in determining the radiological source term during a reactor accident is the early release of fission gas present in the fuel-cladding gap through a cladding breach. In a loss-of-coolant type accident the fuel rods would be surrounded mainly by steam, therefore, the release of the gap gas can simply be treated as a discharge problem through an orifice. However, during reactor normal operation or in those accidents where the failed fuel rods are surrounded by liquid coolant, the release process of the gap gas would be strongly influenced by the coolant conditions (pressure, temperature and flow rate). The purpose of this work is to describe analytically the prompt escape of volatiles and gaseous fission products, present in the fuel-cladding gap through a cladding breach, where the fuel rod is surrounded by liquid coolant.

Research Organization:
EG and G Idaho, Inc., Idaho Falls (USA)
DOE Contract Number:
AC07-76ID01570
OSTI ID:
5235986
Report Number(s):
EGG-M-03581; CONF-811103-72; ON: DE82005629; TRN: 82-013407
Resource Relation:
Conference: ANS winter meeting, San Francisco, CA, USA, 29 Nov 1981
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English