Fission gas release restrictor for breached fuel rod

Patent · Wed Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1986

OSTI ID:865894

Kadambi, N Prasad ^[1]; Tilbrook, Roger W ^[2]; Spencer, Daniel R ^[3]; Schwallie, Ambrose L ^[4]

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1. Gaithersburg, MD
2. Monroeville, PA
3. Unity Twp., PA
4. Greensburg, PA

In the event of a breach in the cladding of a rod in an operating liquid metal fast breeder reactor, the rapid release of high-pressure gas from the fission gas plenum may result in a gas blanketing of the breached rod and rods adjacent thereto which impairs the heat transfer to the liquid metal coolant. In order to control the release rate of fission gas in the event of a breached rod, the substantial portion of the conventional fission gas plenum is formed as a gas bottle means which includes a gas pervious means in a small portion thereof. During normal reactor operation, as the fission gas pressure gradually increases, the gas pressure interiorly of and exteriorly of the gas bottle means equalizes. In the event of a breach in the cladding, the gas pervious means in the gas bottle means constitutes a sufficient restriction to the rapid flow of gas therethrough that under maximum design pressure differential conditions, the fission gas flow through the breach will not significantly reduce the heat transfer from the affected rod and adjacent rods to the liquid metal heat transfer fluid flowing therebetween.

• Research Organization: WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC CORP
• DOE Contract Number: AM02-76CH94000
• Assignee: United States of America as represented by United States (Washington, DC)
• Patent Number(s): US 4596690
• OSTI ID: 865894
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

/376/976/
adjacent
adjacent thereto
affected
blanketing
bottle
breach
breached
breached fuel
breeder
breeder reactor
cladding
conditions
constitutes
control
conventional
coolant
design
differential
equalizes
event
exteriorly
fast
fast breeder
fission
fission gas
flow
flowing
fluid
fluid flow
fluid flowing
formed
fuel
fuel rod
gas
gas flow
gas plenum
gas pressure
gradually
heat
heat transfer
high-pressure
high-pressure gas
impairs
increases
interiorly
liquid
liquid metal
maximum
means
metal
metal coolant
metal fast
metal heat
normal
normal reactor
operating
operation
pervious
plenum
portion
pressure
pressure differential
pressure gas
rapid
rapid release
rate
reactor
reactor operation
reduce
release
release rate
restriction
restrictor
result
rod
rods
significantly
significantly reduce
substantial
substantial portion
sufficient
therebetween
therethrough
thereto
transfer
transfer fluid