Theoretical assessment of particle generation from sodium pool fires
M. García, L. Herranz, M. Kissane
Dec 15, 2016
Citations
9
Citations
Journal
Nuclear Engineering and Design
Full text
Semantic Scholar
Key Takeaway Key Takeaway: A particle generation model has been developed to estimate particle generation rates and primary sizes during sodium pool fires in containment, predicting large particle concentrations in the immediate vicinity of the pool.
Abstract
Abstract Potential sodium discharge in the containment during postulated Beyond Design Basis Accidents (BDBAs) in Sodium-cooled Fast Reactors (SFRs) would have major consequences for accident development in terms of energetics and source term. In the containment, sodium vaporization and subsequent oxidation would result in supersaturated oxide vapours that would undergo rapid nucleation creating toxic aerosols. Therefore, modelling this vapour nucleation is essential to proper source term assessment in SFRs. In the frame of the EU-JASMIN project, a particle generation model to calculate the particle generation rate and their primary size during an in-containment sodium pool fire has been developed. Based on a suite of individual models for sodium vaporization, oxygen natural circulation (3D modelling), sodium-oxygen chemical reactions, sodium-oxides-vapour nucleation and condensation, its consistency has been partially validated by comparing with available experimental data. As an outcome, large temperature and vapour concentration gradients set over the sodium pool have been found which result in large particle concentrations in the close vicinity of the pool.