Thermochemical Modeling of Radionuclide Vapor-Liquid Equilibria in Sodium Pools for SFR Mechanistic Source Term Analysis
Mechanistic source term (MST) analysis of sodium fast reactors (SFR) requires understanding of various radionuclide (RN) transport phenomena influencing potential releases from the fuel to the environment. One such phenomenon includes the retention or release of RNs from the sodium coolant pool, representing the step after possible fuel failures and influencing transport to the cover gas region. Thermodynamic vapor-liquid equilibria (VLE) calculations were performed on systems representing SFR sodium pools containing oxygen impurities and radionuclide (RN) inventories. First, an assessment and recreation of a previously developed thermodynamic database was completed, including updates to thermodynamic parameters. The RN inventories used in VLE calculations represented hypothetical source terms that might be released to the pool during previously analyzed fuel failure scenarios. The calculations were performed for all possible combinations of sodium pool size (i.e., total oxygen) and number of failed fuel pins (i.e., total RNs). In this way, multiple ratios of the RN relative to the oxygen impurity (RN:O) were compared for their impact on RN volatility, which is discussed in terms of the vapor fraction (VF), defined as the fraction of the RN that is calculated to exist in the vapor phase at equilibrium above condensed phases of that element. Similar trends in VLE behavior are seen in the equilibrium calculation results for elements of similar chemistry, and for some element types, it was found that the RN:O ratio can be important due to oxide formation, which typically exist in the condensed phase.
- Research Organization:
- Argonne National Laboratory (ANL)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Nuclear Energy - Office of Nuclear Reactor Technologies - Advanced Reactor Technologies (ART); USDOE Office of Nuclear Energy - Nuclear Energy Advanced Modeling and Simulation (NEAMS)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC02-06CH11357
- OSTI ID:
- 2361027
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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