Safety rod/thimble melt failure characterization experiments

Technical Report · Fri May 01 04:00:00 EDT 1992

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/10162409· OSTI ID:10162409

Stoots, C M; Hawkes, G L

The Department of Energy (DOE) requested that he INEL perform experiments to study the thermal failure characteristics of a simulated Savannah River Site nuclear reactor safety rod and its surrounding thimble assembly. An electrically heated stainless steel rod simulated a reactor safety rod located eccentrically or concentrically within a perforated aluminum guide tube or thimble. A total of 37 experiments were conducted for a range of power levels and safety rod/thimble relative orientations. Video tapes were made of the four failure tests that were conducted to the melting point of the thimble. Although the primary emphasis of the experiments were to characterize the melting of the thimble qualitatively, experimental transient measurements included heater voltage and current, heater surface temperatures, aluminum thimble temperatures, and ambient temperature. Numerical studies were also performed in support of the experiments and data interpretation. Two finite element models were created to model the heat conduction-radiation between the stainless steel heater and thimble. The predicted temperatures were in good agreement with the experimental results.

• Research Organization: EG and G Idaho, Inc., Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AC07-76ID01570
• OSTI ID: 10162409
• Report Number(s): EGG-NE--10263; ON: DE92018052
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS
220400
220600
220900
CONTROL ELEMENTS
CONTROL SYSTEMS
FAILURES
HYDRAULICS
IDAHO NATIONAL ENGINEERING LABORATORY
LOSS OF COOLANT
PRODUCTION REACTORS
REACTOR SAFETY
RESEARCH
TEST
TRAINING
PRODUCTION
IRRADIATION
MATERIALS TESTING REACTORS
SAVANNAH RIVER PLANT
SIMULATION
TEMPERATURE MEASUREMENT
TEST FACILITIES
TESTING