Aluminum/uranium fuel foaming/recriticality considerations for production reactor core-melt accidents

Conference · Sun Sep 30 04:00:00 EDT 1990

OSTI ID:6156977

Hyder, M. L. ^[1]; Ellison, P. G. ^[1]; Cronenberg, A. W. ^[2]

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1. Westinghouse Savannah River Co., Aiken, SC (United States)
2. Engineering Science and Analysis, Albuquerque, NM (USA)

Severe accident studies for the Savannah River production reactors indicate that if coherent fuel melting and relocation occur in the absence of target melting, in-vessel recriticality may be achieved. In this paper, fuel-melt/target interaction potential is assessed where fission gas-induced fuel foaming and melt attack on target material are evaluated and compared with available data. Models are developed to characterize foams for irradiated aluminum-based fuel. Predictions indicate transient foaming, the extent of which is governed by fission gas inventory, heating transient conditions, and bubble coalescence behavior. The model also indicates that metallic foams are basically unstable and will collapse, which largely depends on film tenacity and melt viscosity considerations. For high-burnup fuel, extensive foaming lasting tens of seconds is predicted, allowing molten fuel to contact and cause melt ablation of concentric targets. For low-burnup fuel, contact can not be assured.

• Research Organization: Westinghouse Savannah River Co., Aiken, SC (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP)
• DOE Contract Number: AC09-89SR18035
• OSTI ID: 6156977
• Report Number(s): WSRC-RP--89-1422-Rev.1; CONF-900917--27-Rev.1; ON: DE91005666
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS
220700 -- Nuclear Reactor Technology-- Plutonium & Isotope Production Reactors
220900* -- Nuclear Reactor Technology-- Reactor Safety
ACCIDENTS
ACTINIDES
ALUMINIUM
Accident Studies
BUBBLES
BURNUP
COLLOIDS
CORIUM
CRITICALITY
DISPERSIONS
ELEMENTS
ENERGY SOURCES
FOAMS
FUELS
Low-Burnup Fuel
MATERIALS
MELTDOWN
METALS
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NUCLEAR FUELS
Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP)
PRODUCTION REACTORS
REACTOR ACCIDENTS
REACTOR MATERIALS
REACTOR SAFETY
REACTORS
SAFETY
SAVANNAH RIVER PLANT
URANIUM
US AEC
US DOE
US ERDA
US ORGANIZATIONS