Melt progression in severely damaged reactor cores

Technical Report · Tue Dec 01 04:00:00 EST 1987

OSTI ID:5074323

Dosanjh, S S

A model of melt formation and relocation in a two-dimensional core rubble bed is developed in this report. The analysis includes mass conservation equations for the species of interest (UO/sub 2/ and ZrO/sub 2/); a liquid phase momentum equation (z,r) that incorporates the effects of drag, gravity and capillary forces; and an energy equation that includes internal heat generation by decay heating, convection by the liquid and the solid (as it collapses), as well as conduction and radiation through the bed. An equilibrium UO/sub 2/-ZrO/sub 2/ phase diagram is prescribed and radiative heat transfer through the bed is incorporated utilizing a temperature-dependent thermal conductivity. Models developed in this work will be implemented in the MELPROG computer code that is being developed by Sandia and Los Alamos National Laboratories. The modified version of MELPROG will then be used to calculate melt progression, crust growth, pool formation, crust failure and the relocation of debris material into the lower plenum during the Three Mile Island accident and other nuclear reactor accidents.

• Research Organization: Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC04-76DP00789
• OSTI ID: 5074323
• Report Number(s): NUREG/CR-5029; SAND-87-2384; ON: TI88007622
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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