Cooling mechanisms at the bottom of relocated porous debris
- Lehrstuhl a fuer Thermodynamik, Garching (Germany)
Within the investigation of the Three Mile Island unit 2 (TMI-2) reactor pressure vessel (RPV), no serious damage in the wall of the lower head was found, although the relocated material reached temperatures beyond 2000 K. This yields to the assumption that a considerable cooling mechanism arose in the area between the hot debris, and the RPV wall. During the accident at TMI-2, water was always present in the lower plenum, and the relocated debris was always covered. It is assumed that water could penetrate the porous area between the debris and RPV wall. Evaporation on the lower crust of the hot debris caused a significant cooling mechanism and had the potential to prevent the lower head from failure.
- OSTI ID:
- 552518
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-971125--
- Journal Information:
- Transactions of the American Nuclear Society, Journal Name: Transactions of the American Nuclear Society Vol. 77; ISSN 0003-018X; ISSN TANSAO
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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