Interactions between drops of a molten aluminum-lithium alloy and liquid water

Journal Article · Mon Aug 01 00:00:00 EDT 1994 · Metallurgical Transactions, B (Process Metallurgy); (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02650083· OSTI ID:7042789

Nelson, L S ^[1]; Duda, P M; Hyndman, D A ^[2]

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1. Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States). Dept. of Nuclear Engineering and Engineering Physics
2. Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (United States)

In certain hypothesized nuclear reactor accident scenarios, 1- to 10-g drops of molten aluminum-lithium alloys might contact liquid water. Because vigorous steam explosions have occurred when large amounts of molten aluminum-lithium alloys were released into water or other coolants, it becomes important to know whether there will be explosions if smaller amounts of these molten alloys similarly come into contact with water. Therefore, the authors released drops of molten Al-3.1 wt pct Li alloy into deionized water at room temperature. The experiments were performed at local atmospheric pressure (0.085 MPa) without pressure transient triggers applied to the water. The absence of these triggers allowed them to (a) investigate whether spontaneous initiation of steam explosions would occur with these drops and (b) study the alloy-water chemical reactions. The drop sizes and melt temperatures were chosen to simulate melt globules that might form during the hypothesized melting of the aluminum-lithium alloy components.

• DOE Contract Number: AC04-76DP00789
• OSTI ID: 7042789
• Journal Information: Metallurgical Transactions, B (Process Metallurgy); (United States), Journal Name: Metallurgical Transactions, B (Process Metallurgy); (United States) Vol. 25:4; ISSN MTTBCR; ISSN 0360-2141
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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