Experiments to investigate direct containment heating phenomena with scaled models of the Zion Nuclear Power Plant in the Surtsey Test Facility
- Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (United States)
- Ktech Corp., Albuquerque, NM (United States)
The Surtsey Facility at Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) is used to perform scaled experiments that simulate hypothetical high-pressure melt ejection (HPME) accidents in a nuclear power plant (NPP). These experiments are designed to investigate the effect of specific phenomena associated with direct containment heating (DCH) on the containment load, such as the effect of physical scale, prototypic subcompartment structures, water in the cavity, and hydrogen generation and combustion. In the Integral Effects Test (IET) series, 1:10 linear scale models of the Zion NPP structures were constructed in the Surtsey vessel. The RPV was modeled with a steel pressure vessel that had a hemispherical bottom head, which had a 4-cm hole in the bottom head that simulated the final ablated hole that would be formed by ejection of an instrument guide tube in a severe NPP accident. Iron/alumina/chromium thermite was used to simulate molten corium that would accumulate on the bottom head of an actual RPV. The chemically reactive melt simulant was ejected by high-pressure steam from the RPV model into the scaled reactor cavity. Debris was then entrained through the instrument tunnel into the subcompartment structures and the upper dome of the simulated reactor containment building. The results of the IET experiments are given in this report.
- Research Organization:
- Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC (United States). Div. of Systems Research; Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC04-94AL85000
- OSTI ID:
- 10158784
- Report Number(s):
- NUREG/CR--6044; SAND--93-1049; ON: TI94013604; BR: GB0103012
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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210200
22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS
220900
CONTAINMENT SYSTEMS
CORIUM
DESIGN
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
MELTDOWN
POWER REACTORS
NONBREEDING
LIGHT-WATER MODERATED
NONBOILING WATER COOLED
PRESSURE MEASUREMENT
REACTOR SAFETY
SCALE MODELS
SIMULATION
TEMPERATURE MEASUREMENT
THERMAL ANALYSIS
ZION-1 REACTOR
ZION-2 REACTOR