Transient dissolution of a steel structure in an aluminum melt pool

Technical Report · Thu Dec 31 00:00:00 EST 1992

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/10167175· OSTI ID:10167175

Cheung, F B; Yang, B C ^[1]; Cho, D H; Tan, M J ^[2]

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1. Pennsylvania State Univ., University Park, PA (United States). Dept. of Mechanical Engineering
2. Argonne National Lab., IL (United States). Reactor Engineering Div.

A numerical model is developed to describe the process of transient dissolution of the interior surface of a reactor bottom head in a pool of molten aluminum resulting from a severe core meltdown accident. The model accounts for the transient heat conduction in the steel structure, the mass transfer due to dissolution, and the time variations of the bulk pool temperature and concentration. Results indicate that over the range of accident conditions considered in the study, the bulk pool always attains a saturated state while the interface temperature approaches an asymptotic value. Once this saturated state is achieved, no further dissolution would take place. For a given pool inventory, the critical time for achieving the saturated state is found to be a function of the Nusselt number and the dissolution coefficient. On the other hand, the fraction of the steel structure that is dissolved before reaching the saturated state is a function of the Nusselt number alone.

• Research Organization: Argonne National Lab., IL (United States). Reactor Engineering Div.
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: W-31109-ENG-38
• OSTI ID: 10167175
• Report Number(s): ANL/RE/CP-79356; CONF-921110-54; ON: DE94014977; TRN: 94:014608
• Resource Relation: Conference: Winter annual meeting of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME),Anaheim, CA (United States),8-13 Nov 1992; Other Information: PBD: [1992]
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS
21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
HEAVY WATER COOLED REACTORS
MELTDOWN
HEAVY WATER MODERATED REACTORS
STEELS
DISSOLUTION
ALUMINIUM
SOLVENT PROPERTIES
LIQUID METALS
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
EQUILIBRIUM
THEORETICAL DATA
220900
210400
REACTOR SAFETY
POWER REACTORS
NONBREEDING
OTHERWISE MODERATED OR UNMODERATED