Cooling of core debris within the reactor vessel lower head

Journal Article · Mon Mar 01 04:00:00 EST 1993 · Nuclear Technology; (United States)

OSTI ID:6741087

Henry, R E; Burelbach, J P; Hammersley, R J; Henry, C E ^[1]; Klopp, G T ^[2]

---

1. Fauske and Assoc., Inc., Burr Ridge, IL (United States)
2. Commonwealth Edison Co., Downers Grove, IL (United States)

Under severe accident conditions, the most crucial action for recovery from the accident state is to cool the core debris and prevent or terminate attack on the remaining fission product barriers. One means of preventing attack on the containment structures is to retain the core debris within the reactor vessel. Some accident situations could result in the transport of molten core debris to the lower plenum, as occurred to some extent ([approximately]20 tonnes) during the TMI-2 accident, boiloff of water in the lower plenum, and an inability to add water to the reactor coolant system (RCS). In this extreme set of circumstances, sufficient external reactor pressure vessel (RPV) cooling may be available to prevent failure of the RPV lower head and, thereby, retain the core debris within the vessel. Containment configurations like Zion would result in substantial accumulation of water around the lower parts of the reactor vessel for most accident sequences. The experiments which were performed in support of the Commonwealth Edison individual plant examination and accident management programs, are heat transfer tests designed to demonstrate that nucleate boiling is the dominant heat removal process from the outer surface of a simulated RPV lower head surrounded by typical reflective insulation used in nuclear power plants.

• OSTI ID: 6741087
• Journal Information: Nuclear Technology; (United States), Journal Name: Nuclear Technology; (United States) Vol. 101:3; ISSN 0029-5450; ISSN NUTYBB
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
210200 -- Power Reactors
Nonbreeding
Light-Water Moderated
Nonboiling Water Cooled
22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS
220900* -- Nuclear Reactor Technology-- Reactor Safety
ACCIDENTS
AFTER-HEAT REMOVAL
BOILING
CONTAINERS
CONTAINMENT
CONTAINMENT SYSTEMS
COOLING
COOLING SYSTEMS
CORIUM
ENERGY TRANSFER
ENGINEERED SAFETY SYSTEMS
ENRICHED URANIUM REACTORS
FISSION PRODUCT RELEASE
HEAT TRANSFER
MITIGATION
NUCLEATE BOILING
PHASE TRANSFORMATIONS
POWER REACTORS
PWR TYPE REACTORS
REACTOR ACCIDENTS
REACTOR COMPONENTS
REACTOR COOLING SYSTEMS
REACTOR VESSELS
REACTORS
REMOVAL
RESEARCH PROGRAMS
THERMAL REACTORS
THREE MILE ISLAND-2 REACTOR
WATER COOLED REACTORS
WATER MODERATED REACTORS
ZION-1 REACTOR
ZION-2 REACTOR