Ex-vessel core catcher materials interactions. Quarterly progress report, April--June 1976

Technical Report · Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1976

OSTI ID:7260135

Swanson, D G; Goddard, D M; Zehms, E H; Meyer, R A; McClelland, J D

The primary effort at Aerospace this quarter has been to define the procedures and methods for evaluating the thermal structural and chemical interaction effects between molten UO/sub 2/ and candidates for catcher materials. UO/sub 2/ was melted a number of times by an electric arc in two different furnaces. One furnace was used to pour the molten UO/sub 2/ onto the catcher materials for the purpose of subjecting it to thermal stress and measuring the short-term interaction effects. The long-time effects are investigated in the second furnace (called the button furnace) where the molten UO/sub 2/ can be kept in contact with the catcher materials for 45 minutes or more. Methods were developed and equipment was put into operation for the evaluation of the catcher materials which were exposed to molten UO/sub 2/. The microstructure was examined for evidence of microcracking, for different modes of UO/sub 2/ penetration into the material, and the composition and structure of the residual UO/sub 2/ after it had hardened.

• Research Organization: Aerospace Corp., El Segundo, Calif. (USA). Materials Sciences Lab.
• OSTI ID: 7260135
• Report Number(s): NP-21211
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS
21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
CORE CATCHERS
LMFBR TYPE REACTORS
MAGNESIUM OXIDES
MATERIALS TESTING
MELTDOWN
MELTING
URANIUM DIOXIDE
ACCIDENTS
ACTINIDE COMPOUNDS
ALKALINE EARTH METAL COMPOUNDS
BREEDER REACTORS
CHALCOGENIDES
EPITHERMAL REACTORS
FAST REACTORS
FBR TYPE REACTORS
LIQUID METAL COOLED REACTORS
MAGNESIUM COMPOUNDS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PHASE TRANSFORMATIONS
REACTOR ACCIDENTS
REACTOR COMPONENTS
REACTORS
TESTING
URANIUM COMPOUNDS
URANIUM OXIDES
220900* - Nuclear Reactor Technology- Reactor Safety
210500 - Power Reactors
Breeding