In-core fuel freezing and plugging experiments: preliminary results of the Sandia TRAN Series I experiments
The first series of TRAN experiments, described in this report, was intended to investigate the validity of current freezing models by applying them to a simple situation. The TRAN Series I experiments used pure UO/sub 2/ as the molten material, and a simple cylindrical freezing channel to simplify the analysis. Five experiments were performed at different initial channel temperatures. These experiments showed that a conduction-like fuel crust was formed for initial steel temperatures less than 973/sup 0/K, but much of the crust thickness was composed of a frozen fuel film left behind as the molten fuel slug moved up themore »