ECOKATS-2: A Large Scale Experiment on Melt Spreading and Subsequent Cooling by Top Flooding
- Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe, IKET, P.O. Box 36 40, 76021 Karlsruhe (Germany)
- Becker Technologies GmbH, Koelner Strasse 6, 65760 Eschborn (Germany)
Spreading of a melt and subsequent top flooding are investigated in a large scale experiment, using a 2 m by 2 m concrete cavity that is filled with 3200 kg high temperature steel and oxide melt. During the first phase of intense concrete erosion, the surface of the spread melt is flooded with coolant water. The interaction of melt and coolant water is mild and does not produce energetic interactions. A closed surface crust is formed that is strictly anchored to the concrete sidewalls. Efficient cooling through formation of an upper crust with high porosity is restricted to the upper 4 cm of the original melt. The contribution of volcanic eruptions to coolability is small, as no loose particles were ejected. The bulk of the oxide melt and the iron layer at the bottom are not cooled by water ingression from the top. With respect to reactor application it is concluded that top flooding alone is unlikely to stop concrete erosion through deeper corium melts. (authors)
- Research Organization:
- American Nuclear Society, 555 North Kensington Avenue, La Grange Park, IL 60526 (United States)
- OSTI ID:
- 21160637
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: ICAPP'04: 2004 international congress on advances in nuclear power plants, Pittsburgh, PA (United States), 13-17 Jun 2004; Other Information: Country of input: France; 9 refs; Related Information: In: Proceedings of the 2004 international congress on advances in nuclear power plants - ICAPP'04, 2338 pages.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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