Direct containment heating experiments in Zion Nuclear Power Plant geometry using prototype core materials
- Argonne National Lab., IL (United States)
Risk studies of U.S. nuclear power plants have focused attention on low probability, beyond design basis, severe accidents. These accidents involve a core melt, relocation to the vessel lower head, failure of the lower head, and release to the containment. The release of the molten core material (corium) to the containment can produce thermal or pressure loadings that pose a threat to the integrity of the containment. Of interest here is a corium release in a pressurized water reactor (PWR) while the vessel is at elevated pressure. In such case, the corium will be forcibly ejected into the containment cavity. An event of this type is termed a high pressure melt ejection (HPME). The fundamental question concerning an HPME is as follows: Will the HPME cause an energy transfer to the containment atmosphere large enough to produce a pressure load that threatens the containment integrity The transfer of energy to the containment atmosphere is termed direct containment heating (DCH).
- OSTI ID:
- 7129183
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-931160--
- Journal Information:
- Transactions of the American Nuclear Society; (United States), Journal Name: Transactions of the American Nuclear Society; (United States) Vol. 69; ISSN 0003-018X; ISSN TANSAO
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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220900* -- Nuclear Reactor Technology-- Reactor Safety
ACCIDENTS
CONTAINMENT
CORIUM
DATA
ENERGY TRANSFER
ENRICHED URANIUM REACTORS
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
HEAT GAIN
HEAT TRANSFER
INFORMATION
NUMERICAL DATA
POWER REACTORS
PWR TYPE REACTORS
REACTOR ACCIDENTS
REACTOR CORE DISRUPTION
REACTORS
TESTING
THERMAL REACTORS
WATER COOLED REACTORS
WATER MODERATED REACTORS
ZION-1 REACTOR
ZION-2 REACTOR