Experimental studies of thermal and chemical interactions between molten aluminum and water
- Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States)
The possibility of rapid physical and chemical aluminum/water interactions during a core melt accident in a noncommercial reactor (e.g., HFIR, ATR) has resulted in extensive research to determine the mechanism by which these interactions occur and propagate on an explosive time scale. These events have been reported in nuclear testing facilities, i.e., during SPERT 1D experiment, and also in aluminum casting industries. Although rapid chemical reactions between molten aluminum and water have been subject of many studies, very few reliable measurements of the extent of the chemical reactions have thus far been made. We have modified an existing 1-D shock tube facility to perform experiments in order to determine the extent of the explosive thermal/chemical interactions between molton aluminum and water by measuring important physical quantities such as the maximum dynamic pressure and the amount of the generated hydrogen. Experimental results show that transient pressures greater than 69 MPa with a rise time of less than 125 {mu}sec can occur as the result of the chemical reaction of 4.2 grams of molton aluminum (approximately 15% of the total mass of the fuel of 28 grams) at 980 C with room temperature water.
- Research Organization:
- US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), Washington, DC (United States). Div. of Systems Technology; American Nuclear Society (ANS), La Grange Park, IL (United States); American Institute of Chemical Engineers, New York, NY (United States); American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), New York, NY (United States); Canadian Nuclear Society, Toronto, ON (Canada); European Nuclear Society (ENS), Bern (Switzerland); Atomic Energy Society of Japan, Tokyo (Japan); Japan Society of Multiphase Flow, Kyoto (Japan)
- OSTI ID:
- 115062
- Report Number(s):
- NUREG/CP-0142-Vol.3; CONF-950904-Vol.3; ON: TI95017079; TRN: 95:022962
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 7. international topical meeting on nuclear reactor thermal-hydraulics (Nureth-7), Saratoga Springs, NY (United States), 10-15 Sep 1995; Other Information: PBD: Sep 1995; Related Information: Is Part Of Proceedings of the 7th International Meeting on Nuclear Reactor Thermal-Hydraulics NURETH-7, Volume 3, Sessions 12-16; Block, R.C.; Feiner, F. [comps.] [American Nuclear Society, La Grange Park, IL (United States)]; PB: 1001 p.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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