Corium kinematic viscosity measurement

Viscosity is one of the important properties which along with thermal conductivity and coefficient of volumetric expansion, determines convection in molten corium in the case of unfavourable progress of a severe accident in nuclear reactors. The viscosimetric attachment has been designed, developed and built for the purpose of measurement of corium kinematic viscosity with the technique of torsional oscillations. The created experimental devices and procedure for measurement of liquid corium viscosity have been tested and refined over temperature range up to 2800°C. The experimental data of 62UO₂+38ZrO₂ (mol%) melt viscosity have been obtained at temperature ranging from 2600 to 2800°C. The viscosity of 62UO₂+8ZrO₂+30Zr (mol%) melt has been measured at temperatures from 2400 to 2700°C. This work has been performed within OECD RASPLAV Project. The Management Board approves publication of this paper.     

Corium viscosity modelling above liquidus temperature

In the event of a highly unlikely core melt-down accident in Pressurized Water Reactors (PWR), scenarios in which the reactor pressure vessel fails and the core melt mixture (called corium) relocates into the reactor cavity, cannot be excluded. The Nuclear Reactor Division (CEA/DRN) has undertaken investigations in order to model rheological corium behaviour. In this paper, a bibliographic study and a comparison with available data lead to the conclusion that the viscosity of corium containing UO₂, ZrO₂ and Zr can be calculated, at the melting point, with a good accuracy using the Andrade formula. Above the liquidus temperature, the correlations, proposed for pure metals and metal alloys, between the activation energy and the melting temperature are not available in the case of urania and thus cannot be used to calculate liquid corium activation energy. To overcome this problem, in this paper we propose to use a mole fraction averaged activation energy. Nevertheless, this last point needs to be validated.     

CPR100O熔融物堆内滞留(IVR)技术有效性评估

应用基于风险导向的事故分析方法(ROAAM)对CPR1000核电厂的熔融物堆内滞留(IVR)技术进行有效性评价.首先基于4类典型严重事故序列的确定论计算结果和专家判断,确定ROAAM评估所需主要输入参数的概率分布密度,然后利用MOPOL程序计算CPR1000的IvR有效性.初步评估结果表明,CPR1000的堆腔注水ⅣR...     

Corium spreading and coolability: CSC Project

In the context of severe accidents, large R&D efforts throughout the world are currently directed towards ex-vessel corium behaviour. Among the mitigation means which can be envisaged, the European industries and utilities are considering the implementation of a core-catcher outside the reactor pressure vessel in order to prevent basemat erosion and to stabilize and control the corium within the containment. The CSC project focused on two key phenomena for external core-catcher efficiency, reliability and safety: spreading and coolability. An experimental programme, covering different scenarios and including both simulant and real materials provided a lot of results which now constitute a large database and which enabled the qualification of computer codes.     

Neutron source strength determination for on-line reactivity measurements

A method is described to determine the effective neutron source strength in a nuclear reactor, which must be known when calculating the time-varying reactivity from inverse reactor kinetics for a reactor at low power. When for an initially subcritical reactor the reactivity is changed and kept constant after the change, the effective source strength can be determined from a linear regression of reactor power to a function proportional to the emission rate of delayed neutrons, which can be calculated from the reactor power history. In view of the relatively strong noise present in the reactor power signal at low power, a grouping method for the regression is preferred over the least-squares method.

Experiments with a reactor simulator with known source strength showed good agreement. Application to actual reactor signals gave consistent and satisfactory results.     

压水堆核电厂严重事故下堆芯熔融物的冷却研究

堆芯熔融物的冷却和捕集在严重事故后长期的进程对安全壳完整性有很重要的影响,本文综述了核电厂特别是先进核电厂在堆芯熔融物冷却和保持方面的设计,并进行简要分析比较.     

Corium phase equilibria based on MASCA, METCOR and CORPHAD results

Experimental data on component partitioning between suboxidized corium melt and steel in the in-vessel melt retention (IVR) conditions are compared. The data are produced within the OECD MASCA program and the ISTC CORPHAD project under close-to-isothermal conditions and in the ISTC METCOR project under thermal gradient conditions. Chemical equilibrium in the U–Zr–Fe(Cr,Ni,…)–O system is reached in all experiments. In MASCA tests the molten pool formed under inert atmosphere has two immiscible liquids, oxygen-enriched (oxidic) and oxygen-depleted (metallic), resulting of the miscibility gap of the mentioned system. Sub-system data of the U–Zr–Fe(Cr,Ni,…)–O phase diagram investigated within the ISTC CORPHAD project are interpreted in relation with the MASCA results. In METCOR tests the equilibrium is established between oxidic liquid and mushy metallic part of the system. Results of comparison are discussed and the implications for IVR noted.     

Thermodynamic Analysis for Molten Corium Stratification Test MASCA with Ionic Liquid U-Zr-Fe-O-B-C-FPs Database

The molten corium stratification tested in the OECD MASCA project was analyzed with our thermodynamic database and the database was verified to be effective for the stratification analysis. The MASCA test shows that the molten corium can be stratified with the metal layer under the oxide when sub-oxidized corium including iron was retained in the lower head of the reactor vessel. This stratification is caused by the increased density of the metal layer attributed to a transfer of uranium metal that was reduced from uranium oxide by zirconium. Thermodynamic equilibrium calculations with the database, which was developed for the corium U-Zr-Fe-O-B-C-FPs system using the ionic two-sublattice model for liquid, show quantitative agreements with the MASCA test, such as the composition of each layer, fission product (FP) partitioning between the layers and B₄C effect on the stratification.     

ASTEC程序中反应堆熔池结构对压力容器下封头换热计算的影响

反应堆严重事故工况下堆内环境复杂,针对下腔室内熔融物行为的试验非常有限,因此通常采用假设的熔池结构模型进行事故评价。本文使用ASTEC程序中的3种熔池结构模型,评价典型严重事故工况下不同熔池结构对下封头内壁换热及压力容器完整性的影响。计算结果表明:在外壁绝热且下封头失效仅使用温度限值的条件下,两层熔池结构导致下封头失效时间最短,且由于顶部金属层集热效应,失效位置位于熔池上部;三层熔池结构由于底层金属层的出现,使下封头下部温度持续升高而发生失效,但其失效时间长于两层熔池结构的情况。     

高瑞利数下熔融池换热特性试验研究

基于大型熔融池换热特性试验装置COPRA,开展了严重事故压力容器下封头内堆芯熔融物换热特性的试验研究。试验段是1/4圆二维切片结构,内半径2.2 m,与国内某自主设计三代核电堆型下封头呈1∶1比例,试验采用非共晶摩尔比例20%NaNO₃-80%KNO₃混合物作为熔融物模拟物。熔融池瑞利数可达到10¹⁶量级,与反应堆真实情况下的量级一致。试验研究了不同熔融物注入位置、熔融池高度、加热功率和注入次数等对熔融池温度场和热流密度分布的影响。结果表明,在同等瑞利数量级下,COPRA试验得到的熔融池向下封头壁面传热的Nu较国际上其他试验得到的结果低。     

熔融物液柱碎化模型对先进压水堆堆外蒸汽爆炸计算的影响分析

在堆外蒸汽爆炸计算中,液柱碎化模型影响着熔融物液滴生成速率、液滴直径、液滴分布、液滴凝固和气泡比例等粗混合参数和现象,从而影响了蒸汽爆炸的冲击载荷。本文基于MC3D V3.8程序,采用不同的液柱碎化模型（CONST模型和KHF模型）对先进压水堆堆外蒸汽爆炸进行计算分析,探讨了CONST和KHF模型对蒸汽爆炸计算的影响。结果表明,两种模型计算的粗混合状态类似;在熔融物触底时刻,爆炸性准则几乎相同,此时触发爆炸得到的冲击载荷差别很小,表明该时刻触发爆炸时不同液柱碎化模型对爆炸冲击计算的影响较小;在本文所定义的工况下,先进压水堆堆坑墙体承受的最高压力约为20 MPa,最大冲量小于0.2 MPa•s。     

硬壳对熔融池换热特性影响试验研究

基于大型熔融池换热特性试验台架COPRA,分别采用水和非共晶摩尔比例20%NaNO₃-80%KNO₃混合物作为熔融物模拟物,进行熔融池换热特性试验研究。熔融池瑞利数Ra′可达到10¹⁶量级,与反应堆真实情况下的量级一致。试验对比了水试验和熔盐试验得到的熔融池温度场分布和壁面热流密度分布。结果表明,熔融物硬壳的形成对熔融池换热特性产生了明显影响。试验拟合得到了熔融池换热特性关系式,其中热流密度关系式与国际上其他试验得到的结果符合得较好。在同等Ra′量级下,COPRA试验得到的熔融池向下封头壁面的传热量较国际上其他试验的结果低。     

压力容器下腔室熔池结构计算方法研究

根据堆芯熔融物向下封头迁移的不同路径,给出压力容器下腔室内熔池结构的计算方法,并用MASCA实验结果对该方法进行验证。以百万千瓦级核电厂为对象计算全厂断电(SBO)事故工况下的熔池结构,结果表明,熔融物从侧面迁移到下封头,最终形成的熔池结构为3层。本方法可为熔融物堆内滞留条件下压力容器下封头的完整性判断提供条件。     

熔融物与下封头间球形窄缝通道内CHF理论研究

严重事故下熔融物与下封头间球形窄缝通道的存在对于下封头结构的完整性有一定的积极意义。本工作通过理论分析,在汽液两相间逆向对流限制机理的基础上提出了球形窄缝通道内的CHF机理模型和预测关系式,预测结果与实验数据符合较好,验证了所建模型的正确性,并进一步分析了系统压力、熔融物半径、间隙尺寸等关键参数对临界热流密度的影响规律。利用本工作的预测模型对三哩岛（TMI-2）事故后堆芯熔融物特性进行了计算分析,结果表明,熔融物与下封头内壁面间的球形窄缝可有效带走堆芯余热,保证了下封头的完整性。     

Corium retention for high power reactors by an in-vessel core catcher in combination with External Reactor Vessel Cooling

If there were inadequate cooling during a reactor accident, a significant amount of core material could become molten and relocate to the lower head of the reactor vessel, as happened in the Three Mile Island Unit 2 (TMI-2) accident. If it is possible to ensure that the vessel lower head remains intact so that relocated core materials are retained within the vessel, the enhanced safety associated with these plants can reduce concerns about containment failure and associated risk. For example, the enhanced safety of the Westinghouse Advanced 600 MWe Pressurized Water Reactor (AP600), which relied upon External Reactor Vessel Cooling (ERVC) for in-vessel retention (IVR), resulted in the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (US NRC) approving the design without requiring certain conventional features common to existing Light Water Reactors (LWRs). Accordingly, IVR of core melt is a key severe accident management strategy adopted by some operating nuclear power plants and proposed for some advanced light water reactors. However, it is not clear that currently-proposed methods to achieve ERVC will provide sufficient heat removal for higher power reactors. A US–Korean International Nuclear Energy Research Initiative (INERI) project has been initiated in which the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL), Seoul National University (SNU), Pennsylvania State University (PSU), and the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) will determine if IVR is feasible for reactors up to 1500 MWe. This paper summarizes results from the first year of this 3-year project.     

Analysis of B4C Influences on Thermodynamic Properties and Phase Separation of Molten Corium with Ionic Liquid U-Zr-Fe-O-B-C-FPs Database

Boron carbide influences on thermodynamic properties and phase separation of molten corium such as liquidus temperature were estimated with our U-Zr-Fe-O-B-C-FPs thermodynamic database. The liquidus temperature of the oxide for the typical corium was estimated to increase by a hundred degrees with B₄C addition when the corium included up to 10 wt% Fe. On the other hand, the liquidus temperature was hardly changed when the corium included 50wt% Fe. The interaction temperature between the steel and the corium with B₄C was estimated at 1130K. We define the interaction temperature as the lowest temperature where the solid Fe and the liquid phase of a corium are in equilibrium, at which interactions such as microstructure change of the vessel were observed in test studies. Although it is 180K lower than that without B₄C, the estimated temperature is still over 200K higher than the criterion temperature where the vessel loses its structural strength, which has been used in the feasibility evaluation of the in-vessel retention. Other thermodynamic influences of B₄C were also estimated as not having a negative impact on the in-vessel retention.     

冷凝器外壳承受极限水压力的计算与分析

以某循环冷却水系统冷凝器外壳破坏情况为例,基于冷凝器外壳上安装的拉杆螺栓的变形量和冷凝器外壳平板的对应变形量的协调关系,采用简化的理论模型和有限元数值计算方法,对冷凝器外壳承受的极限水压力进行力学分析与计算.结论表明:该冷凝器外壳的结构设计及拉杆焊接接头焊接质量是造成这次破坏的主要原因,对其他冷凝器外壳(如核电站)改进设计具有参考意义.     

Heat and fission product transport in molten core material pool with crust

Heat transfer and fluid flow in a molten pool are influenced by internal volumetric heat generated from the radioactive decay of fission product species retained in the reactor vessel during a severe accident. The pool superheat is determined based on the overall energy balance that equates the heat production rate to the heat loss rate. Decay heat of fission products in the pool is estimated by product of the mass concentration and energy conversion factor of each fission product. Twenty-nine elements are chosen and classified by their chemical properties to calculate heat generation rate in the pool. The mass concentration of a fission product is obtained from released fraction and the tabular output of the ORIGEN 2 code. The initial core and pool inventories at each time can also be estimated using ORIGEN 2. The released fraction of each fission product is calculated based on the bubble dynamics and mass transport. Numerical analysis is performed for heat and fission product transport in a molten core material pool during the Three Mile Island Unit 2 (TMI-2) accident. The pool is assumed to be a partially filled hemisphere, whose change in geometry is neglected during the numerical calculation. Calculated results indicate that the peak temperature in the molten pool is significantly lowered, since a substantial amount of the volatile fission products is released from the molten pool during progression of the accident. The results may directly be applied to the existing severe accident analysis codes to more mechanistically determine the thermal load to the reactor vessel lower head during the in-vessel retention.     

加速器束团长度测量

随着技术的不断发展,近年来出现了多种加速器束团长度的测量方法,主要有条纹相机测量、迈克尔逊干涉仪测量、电光晶体测量、耦合束流频谱测量等。本文综合介绍了这些方法,并指出各种方法都有自己的优缺点及适用范围。目前国际上各大型加速器实验室普遍采用的是条纹相机测量方法,对于自由电子激光等超短束团一般都是采用光学技术、频域方法测量,有些测量法的分辨率可达到飞秒级,提供了具有更高空间分辨率、更高时间分辨率的强有力研究手段。