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Experimental investigations of graphite corrosion and aerosol formation during air ingress into the core of a high temperature pebble bed reactor; Experimentelle Untersuchungen zur Graphitkorrosion und Aerosolentstehung beim Lufteinbruch in das Core eines Kugelhaufen-Hochtemperaturreaktors

Abstract

A High Temperature Reactor can be designed to remove the decay heat without using any active systems. For most accident scenarios a release of radioactive fission products can be excluded by design. However, during operation of a HTR some accidents are principally possible, which can result in a release of fission products out of the fuel elements and of the reactor system. One of these accidents is a hypothetical massive air ingress into the hot graphite reactor core. After a pressure drop caused by leakages in the primary circuit a gas mass flow may be able to stream through the core according to free natural convection leading to a corrosion of the graphite fuel elements and reflector structures. With the VELUNA-experiment a testing device was installed, which allows to investigate the corrosion process on parts of a reactor core under real accident conditions. With regard to the experimental results already existing equations to calculate the chemical reaction rate in a pebble bed were modified and the applicability was demonstrated. These equations consider the chemical reaction in the porous graphite as well as diffusion processes to the graphite surface. Equivalent correlations were developed for different flow geometries and for the graphite  More>>
Authors:
Publication Date:
Aug 01, 1994
Product Type:
Thesis/Dissertation
Report Number:
Juel-2956
Reference Number:
SCA: 220900; 210300; 360604; PA: DEN-95:0F1881; EDB-95:035601; SN: 95001342812
Resource Relation:
Other Information: TH: Diss.; PBD: Aug 1994
Subject:
22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS; 21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS; 36 MATERIALS SCIENCE; PEBBLE BED REACTORS; AIR INFILTRATION; GRAPHITE; CORROSION; HTGR TYPE REACTORS; COATED FUEL PARTICLES; REACTOR ACCIDENTS; AEROSOLS; REACTOR CORES; NEUTRON REFLECTORS; FISSION PRODUCT RELEASE; CHEMICAL REACTIONS; TEST FACILITIES; 220900; 210300; 360604; REACTOR SAFETY; POWER REACTORS, NONBREEDING, GRAPHITE MODERATED; CORROSION, EROSION, AND DEGRADATION
OSTI ID:
10121423
Research Organizations:
Forschungszentrum Juelich GmbH (Germany). Inst. fuer Sicherheitsforschung und Reaktortechnik; Technische Hochschule Aachen (Germany)
Country of Origin:
Germany
Language:
German
Other Identifying Numbers:
Journal ID: ISSN 0944-2952; Other: ON: DE95745906; TRN: DE95F1881
Availability:
OSTI; NTIS (US Sales Only); INIS
Submitting Site:
DEN
Size:
179 p.
Announcement Date:
Jun 30, 2005

Citation Formats

Roes, J. Experimental investigations of graphite corrosion and aerosol formation during air ingress into the core of a high temperature pebble bed reactor; Experimentelle Untersuchungen zur Graphitkorrosion und Aerosolentstehung beim Lufteinbruch in das Core eines Kugelhaufen-Hochtemperaturreaktors. Germany: N. p., 1994. Web.
Roes, J. Experimental investigations of graphite corrosion and aerosol formation during air ingress into the core of a high temperature pebble bed reactor; Experimentelle Untersuchungen zur Graphitkorrosion und Aerosolentstehung beim Lufteinbruch in das Core eines Kugelhaufen-Hochtemperaturreaktors. Germany.
Roes, J. 1994. "Experimental investigations of graphite corrosion and aerosol formation during air ingress into the core of a high temperature pebble bed reactor; Experimentelle Untersuchungen zur Graphitkorrosion und Aerosolentstehung beim Lufteinbruch in das Core eines Kugelhaufen-Hochtemperaturreaktors." Germany.
@misc{etde_10121423,
title = {Experimental investigations of graphite corrosion and aerosol formation during air ingress into the core of a high temperature pebble bed reactor; Experimentelle Untersuchungen zur Graphitkorrosion und Aerosolentstehung beim Lufteinbruch in das Core eines Kugelhaufen-Hochtemperaturreaktors}
author = {Roes, J}
abstractNote = {A High Temperature Reactor can be designed to remove the decay heat without using any active systems. For most accident scenarios a release of radioactive fission products can be excluded by design. However, during operation of a HTR some accidents are principally possible, which can result in a release of fission products out of the fuel elements and of the reactor system. One of these accidents is a hypothetical massive air ingress into the hot graphite reactor core. After a pressure drop caused by leakages in the primary circuit a gas mass flow may be able to stream through the core according to free natural convection leading to a corrosion of the graphite fuel elements and reflector structures. With the VELUNA-experiment a testing device was installed, which allows to investigate the corrosion process on parts of a reactor core under real accident conditions. With regard to the experimental results already existing equations to calculate the chemical reaction rate in a pebble bed were modified and the applicability was demonstrated. These equations consider the chemical reaction in the porous graphite as well as diffusion processes to the graphite surface. Equivalent correlations were developed for different flow geometries and for the graphite material of the bottom reflector. The corrosion process forms an aerosol, which consists of graphite particles and a reaction gas phase. The formatted aerosol was characterized concerning its chemical and physical properties. Because the aerosol particles can support the release of fission products, measurements of aerosol parameters like particle mass concentration and particle size distribution provide important information to estimate the radiologic consequences of such an hypothetical air ingress accident. (orig.)}
place = {Germany}
year = {1994}
month = {Aug}
}