SLSF in-reactor local fault safety experiment P4. Final report
The Sodium Loop Safety Facility (SLSF), a major facility in the US fast-reactor safety program, has been used to simulate a variety of sodium-cooled fast reactor accidents. SLSF experiment P4 was conducted to investigate the behavior of a "worse-than-case" local fault configuration. Objectives of this experiment were to eject molten fuel into a 37-pin bundle of full-length Fast-Test-Reactor-type fuel pins form heat-generating fuel canisters, to characterize the severity of any molten fuel-coolant interaction, and to demonstrate that any resulting blockage could either be tolerated during continued power operation or detected by global monitors to prevent fuel failure propagation. The design goal for molten fuel release was 10 to 30 g. Explusion of molten fuel from fuel canisters caused failure of adjacent pins and a partial flow channel blockage in the fuel bundle during full-power operation. Molten fuel and fuel debris also lodged against the inner surface of the test subassembly hex-can wall. The total fuel disruption of 310 g evaluated from posttest examination data was in excellent agreement with results from the SLSF delayed neutron detection system, but exceeded the target molten fuel release by an order of magnitude. This report contains a summary description of the SLSF in-reactor loop and support systems and the experiment operations. results of the detailed macro- and microexamination of disrupted fuel and metal and results from the analysis of the on-line experimental data are described, as are the interpretations and conclusions drawn from the posttest evaluations. 60 refs., 74 figs.
- Research Organization:
- Argonne National Lab., IL (United States). Reactor Analysis and Safety Div.
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-31109-ENG-38
- OSTI ID:
- 712406
- Report Number(s):
- ANL/RAS--85-9; ON: TI86027184
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS
ACOUSTIC DETECTION
FLOWMETERS
FLUID FLOW
FUEL ASSEMBLIES
FUEL PINS
FUEL-COOLANT INTERACTIONS
HEAT TRANSFER
LMFBR TYPE REACTORS
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
PRESSURE GAGES
PRIMARY COOLANT CIRCUITS
REACTOR ACCIDENTS
REACTOR SAFETY
REACTOR SAFETY EXPERIMENTS
ROD BUNDLES
SODIUM
SODIUM COOLED REACTORS
TEST FACILITIES
TESTING
THERMOCOUPLES