Experimental validation of simplified radionuclide transport bubble scrubbing code in sodium coolant pool

Becker, Kyle F.; Anderson, Mark H.

doi:10.1016/j.nucengdes.2022.112137

Experimental validation of simplified radionuclide transport bubble scrubbing code in sodium coolant pool

Journal Article · Sat Dec 31 04:00:00 EST 2022 · Nuclear Engineering and Design

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nucengdes.2022.112137· OSTI ID:2418336

Becker, Kyle F. ^[1]; Anderson, Mark H. ^[2]

Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States); OSTI
Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States)

Solid radionuclides released following fuel pin failure may become entrained in gaseous fission products and be rapidly transported through the coolant pool to the cover gas region. Sensitivity studies on radionuclide transport have identified this potential pathway as one of both high concern and high uncertainty. The simplified radionuclide transport scrubbing code utilizes classical aerosol scrubbing mechanisms to model this phenomenon and predict aerosol masses reaching the cover gas region. This paper serves to validate this code in a sodium environment while conducting a parametric study to analyze the effects of aerosol size, bubble size, pool temperature, pool depth, aerosol density, and aerosol concentration. Through a series of experimental tests, it was determined that aerosol sizes ranging from 0.001 to 1.0 µm are of primary concern as aerosols in this range have a ratio of aerosol mass entering the sodium pool from the fuel pin to aerosol mass exiting the sodium pool to the cover gas region of less than 10. Further, the experimental results were found to match the trends found in the scrubbing model closely, but significantly more scrubbing was seen experimentally. Decreasing bubble size and increasing pool depth and aerosol density were all found to increase scrubbing both experimentally and theoretically. Pool temperature was found to have a negligible effect on scrubbing amounts; however, this was largely due to a subsequent increase in bubble size corresponding to increasing temperatures which offset the increase in scrubbing due to increased temperature. Varying aerosol concentration was found to have no effect on scrubbing ratios. A final series of tests was conducted for a more prototypic fuel pin failure with a heterogenous bubble swarm. From these tests, it was found that the experimental scrubbing quantities were larger than for the single bubble case. Overall, it was found that the simplified bubble transport scrubbing code accurately models the trends of the bubble scrubbing but provides a conservative estimate of scrubbing quantities. Model limitations fail to model the complex phenomena present for fission product scrubbing via bubble transport, but match trends seen experimentally.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Nuclear Energy (NE)

Grant/Contract Number:: NE0008804

OSTI ID:: 2418336

Journal Information:: Nuclear Engineering and Design, Journal Name: Nuclear Engineering and Design Journal Issue: C Vol. 403; ISSN 0029-5493

Publisher:: ElsevierCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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