In-core fuel freezing and plugging experiments: preliminary results of the Sandia TRAN Series I experiments
The first series of TRAN experiments, described in this report, was intended to investigate the validity of current freezing models by applying them to a simple situation. The TRAN Series I experiments used pure UO/sub 2/ as the molten material, and a simple cylindrical freezing channel to simplify the analysis. Five experiments were performed at different initial channel temperatures. These experiments showed that a conduction-like fuel crust was formed for initial steel temperatures less than 973/sup 0/K, but much of the crust thickness was composed of a frozen fuel film left behind as the molten fuel slug moved up the channel. In one instance two blockages containing molten steel formed at the leading edge of the flow. Fuel penetration distances intermediate between conduction theory and bulk-freezing theory were observed. A new model embodied in the PLUGM code was developed to describe these low-temperature results. At an initial steel temperature of 1173/sup 0/K, however, rapid, massive melting of steel was observed, resulting in complex curved interfaces between the fuel and molten steel but with very little entrainment of molten steel into the fuel. Generally longer penetration distances were observed compared to previous models, and the steel-entrainment assumptions of previous models were not verified at these driving pressures; also, important finite-mass effects and liquid-film-deposition effects were inferred from the results.
- Research Organization:
- Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (USA); Science Applications, Inc., Albuquerque, NM (USA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC04-76DP00789
- OSTI ID:
- 6473787
- Report Number(s):
- NUREG/CR-3675; SAND-81-1726; ON: TI85003121
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
A fuel freezing model for liquid-metal fast breeder reactor hypothetical core disruptive accidents
Post-test analysis of TRAN-1 and TRAN-2 final-fuel distributions
Related Subjects
210500 -- Power Reactors
Breeding
22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS
220900* -- Nuclear Reactor Technology-- Reactor Safety
ACCIDENTS
ACPR REACTOR
ACTINIDE COMPOUNDS
BREEDER REACTORS
CHALCOGENIDES
ENRICHED URANIUM REACTORS
EPITHERMAL REACTORS
FAST REACTORS
FBR TYPE REACTORS
FLOW BLOCKAGE
FREEZING
HOMOGENEOUS REACTORS
HYDRIDE MODERATED REACTORS
LIQUID METAL COOLED REACTORS
LMFBR TYPE REACTORS
MELTDOWN
MIXED SPECTRUM REACTORS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PULSED REACTORS
REACTOR ACCIDENTS
REACTORS
RESEARCH AND TEST REACTORS
RESEARCH REACTORS
SOLID HOMOGENEOUS REACTORS
URANIUM COMPOUNDS
URANIUM DIOXIDE
URANIUM OXIDES
WATER COOLED REACTORS
WATER MODERATED REACTORS