Modeling of superheat detonation as a propagating trigger of steam explosions

Conference · Mon Dec 31 23:00:00 EST 1990 · Transactions of the American Nuclear Society; (United States)

OSTI ID:5854396

Farawila, Y M ^[1]

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1. Advanced Nuclear Fuels Corp., Richland, WA (United States)

Superheat detonation was proposed earlier as a possible propagation mechanism of steam explosions. In this paper, the theory is developed further by performing simple quantitative analysis and comparison with experimental data. The role of superheat was dismissed in the early work of Board and Hall, as the amount of superheat energy they estimated is too small to account for the observed energetics. Also, the liquid-liquid contact temperature, as the explosion is triggered and the vapor film separating the melt and coolant collapses, is above the coolant critical point. They concluded that fragmentation heat transfer is responsible for the energy release driving the detonation wave, a picture that became a common denominator for all subsequent theories and modeling efforts of the propagation phenomenon. In the present theory, however, the superheat is acquired before triggering during the relatively long premixing stage, despite the relatively small heat transfer rate across the vapor film.

• OSTI ID: 5854396
• Report Number(s): CONF-910603--
• Journal Information: Transactions of the American Nuclear Society; (United States), Journal Name: Transactions of the American Nuclear Society; (United States) Vol. 63; ISSN TANSA; ISSN 0003-018X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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