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Combustion of sodium in the open atmosphere

Abstract

A series of sodium fire tests has been conducted in ambient air at a meteorological test site. This test series was designed to simulate hypothetical accidents which might occur in the heat transport system of an LMFBR. Measurements of concentration, agglomeration, fallout, and chemical species of the sodium combustion products were made as a function of downwind distance. In each of the first two tests, {approx}23 kg of 540 deg. C sodium was sprayed as a fan of 250-{mu}m sodium drops across the wind, from heights of 5 or 6 m. Each release took a few minutes. A dense sodium combustion product aerosol was formed, and quickly agglomerated to large (100 to 660 {mu}m) diameter particles. More than 50% of the aerosol mass fell out within several hundred meters of the release point. Two additional tests were performed by releasing sodium through 9.5-mm diameter jets at a height of 30 m. In each test, the sodium jet was aimed horizontally across the wind, and followed a downward parabolic trajectory, releasing burning sodium drops along its track. Again, close-in fallout due to large agglomerates was observed. A substantial amount of unburned sodium fell 30 m to the ground, where it burned.  More>>
Authors:
Morewith, H A; Johnson, R P; Nelson, C T; Otter, J M [1] 
  1. Energy System Group, Rockwell International, Rockwell (United States)
Publication Date:
Mar 01, 1979
Product Type:
Conference
Report Number:
IWGFR-28
Resource Relation:
Conference: IAEA-IWGFR specialists' meeting on sodium fires and prevention, Cadarache (France), 20-24 Nov 1987; Other Information: 21 fis, 6 tabs; PBD: Mar 1979; Related Information: In: Specialists' meeting on sodium fires and prevention. Summary report, 259 pages.
Subject:
21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS; CHEMICAL ANALYSIS; COMBUSTION; COMBUSTION PRODUCTS; COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS; COMPUTER CODES; LMFBR TYPE REACTORS; PARTICULATES; RISK ASSESSMENT; SODIUM; SODIUM HYDROXIDES; SODIUM OXIDES; TESTING
OSTI ID:
20236814
Research Organizations:
International Atomic Energy Agency, International Working Group on Fast Reactors, Vienna (Austria)
Country of Origin:
IAEA
Language:
English
Other Identifying Numbers:
TRN: XA0200872011379
Availability:
Available from INIS in electronic form
Submitting Site:
INIS
Size:
page(s) 240-253
Announcement Date:
Apr 04, 2002

Citation Formats

Morewith, H A, Johnson, R P, Nelson, C T, and Otter, J M. Combustion of sodium in the open atmosphere. IAEA: N. p., 1979. Web.
Morewith, H A, Johnson, R P, Nelson, C T, & Otter, J M. Combustion of sodium in the open atmosphere. IAEA.
Morewith, H A, Johnson, R P, Nelson, C T, and Otter, J M. 1979. "Combustion of sodium in the open atmosphere." IAEA.
@misc{etde_20236814,
title = {Combustion of sodium in the open atmosphere}
author = {Morewith, H A, Johnson, R P, Nelson, C T, and Otter, J M}
abstractNote = {A series of sodium fire tests has been conducted in ambient air at a meteorological test site. This test series was designed to simulate hypothetical accidents which might occur in the heat transport system of an LMFBR. Measurements of concentration, agglomeration, fallout, and chemical species of the sodium combustion products were made as a function of downwind distance. In each of the first two tests, {approx}23 kg of 540 deg. C sodium was sprayed as a fan of 250-{mu}m sodium drops across the wind, from heights of 5 or 6 m. Each release took a few minutes. A dense sodium combustion product aerosol was formed, and quickly agglomerated to large (100 to 660 {mu}m) diameter particles. More than 50% of the aerosol mass fell out within several hundred meters of the release point. Two additional tests were performed by releasing sodium through 9.5-mm diameter jets at a height of 30 m. In each test, the sodium jet was aimed horizontally across the wind, and followed a downward parabolic trajectory, releasing burning sodium drops along its track. Again, close-in fallout due to large agglomerates was observed. A substantial amount of unburned sodium fell 30 m to the ground, where it burned. In a third type of test, sodium was burned for 60 min as pool in a 1.5m{sup 2} burn pan at 9 m/s wind velocity. Approximately 30% of the combustion products became airborne. Large agglomerates fell out as they moved downwind, depositing 1 kg/m{sup 2} at 1 m downwind from the edge of the pan. Chemical analysis of the samples indicated that the sodium fires produced mainly Na{sub 2}O, and that the conversion of NaOH was slow. Comparison were made with COMRADEX-IV code models, which are appropriate for calculating deposition and concentrations for downwind distances between 10{sup 2} and 10{sup 4} m. (author)}
place = {IAEA}
year = {1979}
month = {Mar}
}