The steam explosion potential for an unseated SRS reactor septifoil
- Westinghouse Savannah River Co., Aiken, SC (United States)
- Science Applications International Corp., Albuquerque, NM (United States)
Control rods in the Savannah River Site's K Reactor are contained within housings composed of seven channels ( septifoils''). Each septifoil is suspended from the top of the reactor and is normally seated on an upflow pin that channels coolant to the septifoil. Forced flow to the septifoil would be eliminated in the unlikely event of a septifoil unseated upon installation, i.e., if the septifoil is not aligned with its upflow pin. If this event were not detected, control rod melting and the interaction of molten metal with water might occur. This paper describes a methodology used to address the issue of steam explosions that might arise by this mechanism. The probability of occurrence of a damaging steam explosion given an unseated septifoil was found to be extremely low. The primary reasons are: (1) the high probability that melting will not occur, (2) the possibility of material holdup by contact with the outer septifoil housing, (3) the relative shallowness of the pool 'Of water into which molten material might fall, (4) the probable absence of a trigger, and (5) the relatively large energy release required to damage a nearby fuel assembly. The methodology is based upon the specification of conditions prevailing within the septifoil at the time molten material is expected to contact water, and upon information derived from the available experimental data base, supplemented by recent prototypic experiments.
- Research Organization:
- Westinghouse Savannah River Co., Aiken, SC (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE; USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC09-89SR18035
- OSTI ID:
- 7102420
- Report Number(s):
- WSRC-MS-92-231; CONF-921110-22; ON: DE92019678
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: Winter annual meeting of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Anaheim, CA (United States), 8-13 Nov 1992
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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The possibility of steam explosions for a misseated septifoil in the SRS K Production reactor
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21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
ACCIDENTS
PROBABILITY
CONTROL ELEMENTS
MELTING
K REACTOR
EXPLOSIONS
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MOLTEN METAL-WATER REACTIONS
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ENERGY TRANSFER
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220900* - Nuclear Reactor Technology- Reactor Safety
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