Performance of seals and gaskets under severe accident conditions
The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (USNRC) is sponsoring a set of programs to examine the modes of failure of light-water reactor (LWR) containments subjected to severe accidents. Severe accidents, which were not considered in the design of the containments, can sometimes result in temperatures and pressures significantly above design-base conditions. Under such conditions, containment failure could occur in one or more ways: the containment building could be torn or breached; leak paths could open as a result of degraded seal and gasket materials in mechanical penetrations; sufficient deformation could occur at the sealing surfaces in mechanical penetrations to permit leakage; and leakage could occur in electrical penetrations. Programs are in place at Sandia to investigate each of these possibilities, with this paper limited to the program addressing the degradation of seal and gasket materials. As part of this program, tests are conducted on seals and gaskets to evaluate the effect of radiation aging, thermal aging, atmosphere, temperature, pressure, and seal and gasket geometries on the performance of different seal and gasket materials. The test matrix and procedures and techniques used to test these seals are discussed. Results of completed tests are reviewed. Based on the experimental data, hypotheses for leakage mechanisms in mechanical penetrations are formed.
- Research Organization:
- Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (USA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC04-76DP00789
- OSTI ID:
- 7144890
- Report Number(s):
- SAND-86-2266C; CONF-860908-32; ON: TI87000974
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS
220900* -- Nuclear Reactor Technology-- Reactor Safety
ACCIDENTS
AGING
BWR TYPE REACTORS
CONTAINMENT
CONTAINMENT SYSTEMS
ENGINEERED SAFETY SYSTEMS
FAILURES
GASKETS
PERFORMANCE
PHYSICAL RADIATION EFFECTS
PWR TYPE REACTORS
RADIATION EFFECTS
REACTOR ACCIDENTS
REACTORS
SEALS
WATER COOLED REACTORS
WATER MODERATED REACTORS