Retrospective view of fast reactor safety: EBR-I to the present
An early concern in fast reactor safety was that the positive Doppler coefficient of fissile material was a significant effect and was responsible for the positive temperature coefficient of EBR-1, which led to meltdown of the core. Another primary concern for early, metal-fueled fast reactors was the possibility of gravity collapse of the molten core. As reactors became larger, it became apparent that this process would lead to unacceptably large energy releases, providing an incentive for more detailed modeling. As fast reactor safety developed, the importance of reactivity effects other than gravity fuel slumping became evident. For the TOP accident, fuel motion modeling as embodied in such codes as EPIC and PLUTO2 showed that if pin failure occurred at or near the top of the core, consistent with higher clad temperatures, a benign outcome was assured. As the newer codes tended to given more benign results for the initiation phase of CDA's, more attention has been focused on the transition to extensive gradual core melting. 12 refs. (JDB)
- Research Organization:
- Argonne National Lab., IL (USA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-31-109-ENG-38
- OSTI ID:
- 6077272
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-860501-1; ON: DE85014990
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: Conference on the science and technology of fast reactor safety, Channel Islands, UK, 12 May 1986
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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TRANSIENT OVERPOWER ACCIDENTS
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EPITHERMAL REACTORS
EXPERIMENTAL REACTORS
FAST REACTORS
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