Description of Aerosol Release Associated with Sodium Burning

Incipient temperatures of sodium oxidation, sodium oxide aerosol release and sodium ignition were observed in relation with oxygen concentration in supplying gas by a thermobalance method. On this results, a burning rate and an aerosol release fraction were determined by burning about 0.5 g of sodium samples on a crucible in a burn tube under conditions ranging 400 to 600°C in sodium temperature, 0.1 to 1.0 Nl/min in the supplying gas flow rate and 2.5 to 20v/0 in the oxygen concentration.

Particle sizes of sodium aerosols released from the samples made a log-normal distribution, of which mass median diameter ranged from 0.6 to 2.0 μm. The burning rate increased with the increases of the sodium temperature, of the gas flow rate and of the oxygen concentration, and the aerosol release fraction also increased in proportion to the burning rate at fixed oxygen concentrations. It was found that the aerosol release rate defined as a product of the burning rate and the aerosol release fraction describes fairly well not only the present experimental data but also reported ones.     

钠冷快堆钠池火事故数值模拟

为了估计和预测钠火事故的后果，构建了以“有火焰薄层”为理论基础的燃烧模型和热传输模型，给出了程序计算结果与试验值的比较。比较结果证实，该计算结果可信、模型合理。程序可用来分析和预测钠池火事故。     

钠滴氧化燃烧特性的实验研究

液态钠泄漏和燃烧是钠冷快堆在运行中一多发的常见事故。本文主要针对液态钠滴在不同初始温度(140~370℃)和氧浓度(4%~21%)条件下的氧化燃烧行为进行实验研究。实验通过1套钠滴燃烧装置和高速摄像机使钠滴的氧化燃烧行为可视化。实验结果表明:钠滴的初始温度和氧浓度越低,钠滴表面产生的柱状氧化物越长;在相同氧浓度条件下,钠滴初始温度越高,越易着火燃烧;钠滴初始温度在200℃以下时很难点燃,当有扰动破坏了表面的氧化层结构时,钠滴也会逐渐燃烧;钠滴初始温度在140~370℃的条件下,氧浓度≥12%时,钠滴能燃烧充分,最高温度基本可升至600~800℃;氧浓度12%时,燃烧并不充分,燃烧的最高温度均在600℃以下。这些结果对柱状流及雾状钠火的研究有重要的指导意义。     

钠冷快堆中池式钠火的计算分析

文章论述了根据池式钠火的特点建立了理论模型 ,编制了SPOOL程序。该程序模拟钠燃烧过程中钠和氧气的化学反应 ,钠燃烧热在各种介质中不同方式的传递 ,钠气溶胶的产生、沉积 ,以及在各种通风条件下多种介质的质量和能量交换等瞬态过程 ,描述了钠燃烧过程中各种特征参数随时间的变化。其主要的计算参数包括房间内气体的压力和温度、房间建筑结构的温度、钠气溶胶质量浓度等等。用俄罗斯别洛雅尔斯克核电站实验和法国卡桑德拉 3号实验的数据 ,对SPOOL程序进行验证的结果表明 ,该程序的计算结果可信。该程序为国内钠冷快堆中池式钠火事故的安全分析提供了分析方法     

池式钠冷快堆双层容器泄漏事故序列研究

钠冷快堆是第4代反应堆中的优选堆型,具有安全性高的特点。池式钠冷快堆的双层容器泄漏会导致一回路钠泄漏并发生严重事故。本文采用概率安全分析方法分析池式钠冷快堆双层容器泄漏事故,包括事故的确定论分析及放射性释放路径分析以及池式钠冷快堆双层容器泄漏的事故序列及定量化。结果表明,池式钠冷快堆双层容器泄漏事故后正常通风开启情况下可能发生大量放射性释放。双层容器泄漏导致的大量放射性释放频率为1.07×10^-11（堆•年）^-1,双层容器泄漏事故中大量放射性释放占比为0.1%。     

Sodium Fire Code SFIRE1C for Pool Fire Characteristics

Sodium pool fire code, SOFIRE II, written for the constant value of stoichiometric combustion ratio and heat of reaction is used to compute the buildup of pressure and temperature in a containment. In the SOFIRE II model, for the formation of a mixture of Na₂O and Na₂O₂ in the sodium pool, the input stoichiometric combustion ratio and heat of formation values need to be varied to corresponding values admissible for the mixture. In the present work, the SOFIRE II one-cell model is revised and the present version SFIRE1C (Sodium FIRE 1 Cell model) accounts for the formation of Na₂O in an early stage of the fire and shifts to the formation of Na₂O₂ at a later stage. Thus SFIRE1C computes in a more realistic manner the reaction products which are formed in the pool. The model for sodium oxide aerosol release is also modified in this version, by incorporating a more appropriate aerosol release rate equation. The calculated values using the SFIRE1C one-cell model are compared with sodium pool fire experimental results.     

雾状钠火钠滴燃烧比率的模拟及应用

将雾状钠火中钠滴的燃烧分成预燃阶段和燃烧阶段,利用雾状钠火程序计算得到钠滴燃烧比率和时间的关系曲线,分别用幂函数、指数函数和线性函数对曲线进行拟合,拟合效果较好。拟合函数中包含钠滴下落时间和钠滴最大燃烧比率等参数,这些参数可通过钠滴下落燃烧试验或雾状钠火程序计算得到。通过推导得到了雾状钠火燃烧和单个钠滴燃烧的关系,钠滴燃烧比率的拟合函数被用来模拟雾状钠火燃烧的过程,包括用于计算已燃烧的钠质量、空气中未燃烧的钠质量、进入钠池的钠质量和雾状钠火的燃烧速率。当雾状钠火燃烧过程中钠泄漏流量恒定不变时,空气中未燃烧的钠质量和钠泄漏流量呈正比,雾状钠火的燃烧速率和钠泄漏流量呈正比。雾状钠火的燃烧速率和钠火造成的事故工艺间内的温度与压力变化直接相关。雾状钠火的燃烧速率被用来求解钠气溶胶的生成速率、钠燃烧火焰层和空气之间的传热、钠燃烧火焰层和墙壁之间的传热。总之,使用简单的函数模拟钠滴的燃烧比率曲线,将雾状钠火燃烧当成事故工艺间的热源和钠气溶胶源作为输入,便可模拟雾状钠火的整个燃烧过程,计算得到工艺间温度、压力和钠气溶胶浓度的变化。钠滴的燃烧比率曲线、雾状钠火的燃烧速率曲线还可与试验数据进行对比验证后作为雾状钠火模拟的输入,这种模拟方法可用于钠火事故安全分析中雾状钠火的模拟。     

Features of Dendritic Oxide during Sodium Combustion

Liquid sodium is used as the coolant in fast reactors (FRs). It is a superior thermal medium, but its chemical reactivity with oxygen and water is very high. After the Monju sodium leak accident, a better physical and chemical understanding of the reaction phenomena was required from the viewpoint of the public acceptance of FRs. The purpose of this study is to understand the oxidation behavior of liquid sodium in detail, because it plays an important role in the continuation of the combustion process. The liquid sodium surface is covered with a thin oxide layer at the start of combustion. Generally, the surface oxide layer on the solid metal prevents further oxidation; however, dendritic sodium oxide is generated, and it grows on the oxide layer. This means that sodium can be supplied to the interface of the reaction without being blocked by the reaction products. As a result, the reaction continues spontaneously. Therefore, reaction products such as dendritic oxide have a significant influence on the overall reaction behavior. However, the precise roles of such products on the reaction have not been clarified in previous research. Understanding the role of the dendritic oxide in the reaction can be helpful for controlling sodium combustion phenomena, for example, the extinction process. Therefore, this study is a useful contribution to ensuring FR safety.     

Behavior of Sodium Oxide Aerosol in a Closed Chamber

The behavior of sodium oxide aerosol in a closed chamber was studied for the safety analysis of a Na-cooled fast reactor. The experimental apparatus and techniques are first described. The aerosol was released during a short time by blowing air onto heated Na in a 1 m³ chamber. The maximum mass concentration of the aerosol in the form of Na₂O ranged of 0.05 ～ 10g/m³. The particle size distribution, the aerosol mass concentration and the mass deposition rates were measured as a function of time.

It was found that the mass median diameter of the aerosol was related to the maximum mass concentration. To determine the character of the behavior of sodium oxide aerosol in the chamber, the density of the aerosol material and the thickness of the boundary layer through which the particles deposit on the chamber wall were observed. The initial half-time of the aerosol mass concentration was compared with the values numerically calculated under certain assumptions.     

池式夹带高速区试验研究

发生失水事故后的压水堆内会产生池式夹带现象,这一现象将造成反应堆进一步失水,进而发生堆芯裸露或堆芯熔化等严重事故。Kataoka和Ishii于1983年开发的池式夹带模型在反应堆安全分析中被广泛使用,但十分保守。其中一个重要原因是模型中高速夹带区的试验数据极为有限且不确定性较大,导致该区的模型并不完善。本文介绍空气-水的池式夹带高速区试验,试验本体参考AP1000原型参数,本体内径为380 mm,高为2.2 m,由透明材料制作,供气流速为0.98~5.41 m/s。试验过程中的两相混合液位和夹带液体质量的测量分别使用导波雷达液位计和称重模块。本试验为夹带模型的高速区补充了数据,发展了现有的池式夹带高速区模型,并发现了在夹带高速区出现的夹带饱和现象。     

池式钠冷快堆放射性释放风险概率安全评价事件树分析

池式钠冷快堆的安全特性和放射性释放机制与压水堆有着显著不同,在核安全新要求下,亟待开展放射性释放风险概率安全评价（PSA）研究。本文以池式钠冷快堆为研究对象,通过分析放射性来源、包容边界及破坏包容边界完整性的严重事故现象,确定了池式钠冷快堆大量放射性释放的主要位置和释放模式,构建分析了放射性释放事件树。本文分析结果可为进一步开展池式钠冷快堆放射性释放风险PSA提供参考。     

Formation of Volatile Radioiodine Compounds in Sodium Pool Burning

In sodium pool burning occurring in the case of an LMFBR accident, some radio-iodine in the sodium coolant may be transported into the gas phase and act in common with sodium oxide aerosol. If some iodine is converted to volatile compounds, the radioactivity may remain for many hours in the gas phase of the reactor containment. The present work was carried out in an attempt to throw more light on these circumstances.

Reactor-grade sodium with sodium iodide tagged with ¹³¹I in an amount of about 1 ppm was burned by heating in a closed vessel containing air. Most of the iodine released into the gas phase took the form of aerosol, but some amount remained in vaporous state. It was determined by Maypacks and radio-gaschromatography that the volatile radio-iodine compounds were of organic form. The proportion of organic iodide referred to total airborne iodine in the present experiments falls within the experimental data on what will be formed in a loss of coolant accident involving a light water reactor. It is concluded that volatile iodine formation would present similar aspects under accidental conditions affecting both LWR and FBR, though the mechanisms governing the two cases would be different.     

Density Wave Instability of Sodium Boiling Two-phase Flow in a Vertical Annulus at Low Pressure

Experiments of density wave instability in a sodium boiling two-phase flow in an annulus were carried out with the parameters of heat flux from 80 to 976kW/m², inlet subcooling from 25.6 to 226.8°C, mass flow rate from 7.92 to 68.9 kg/h, and system pressure from 2,600 Pa to 0.06 MPa. It was found that the density wave instability occurred in the case of low exit quality, and the oscillation of flow rate was so large that the flow would be reversal. The lower inlet temperature, the higher system pressure and the larger mass flow rate could result in a more stable boiling two-phase flow. The oscillation period of the instability increased with the system pressure and the inlet subcooling, but it decreased with the mass flow rate. A correlation for the onset condition of the density wave instability was obtained from the experimental data.     

Experimental Studies on Heat Transfer by Natural Convection and Pool Boiling of Sodium in a Strong Magnetic Field

This report deals with an experiment on the heat transfer of liquid sodium, with particular reference to the effects brought by the application of a magnetic field on pool boiling. The test section, a heater pin of 6.5 mm diameter, was inserted vertically into the center of a sodium tank. The heating surface of the pin was parallel to the magnetic field as well as to the direction of gravity.

Under conditions of natural convection in a magnetic field, a sharp rise of the heating surface temperature was always seen to occur at some point when the heat flux was gradually increased, accompanied by the onset of sharp temperature oscillations.

The surface superheat required for the initiation of boiling decreased with increasing intensity of the applied magnetic field, reached a minimum, then increased again.

The surface temperature fluctuations in nucleate boiling was higher under magnetic field than when free of such influence. The critical heat flux for burn-out was not appreciably affected by magnetic field.     

Transmutation-incineration potential of transuraniums discharged from PWR-UO2 spent fuel in modified PROMETHEUS fusion reactor

This study presents the potential of the burning and/or transmutation (B/T) of transuraniums (TRUs), discharged from the pressured water reactor PWR-UO₂ spent fuel, in the modified PROMETHEUS-H fusion reactor. Two different design shapes (Models A and B) were considered. The transmutation zone (TZ), which contains the mixture of TRU nuclides (10%), was located in the modified blankets. The volume fraction of Pu in the mixture is raised from 0 to 40% stepped by 10% to determine its effect on the B/T. The fuel spheres were cladded with SiC (5%) and cooled with high-pressured helium gas (85%) for nuclear heat transfer. The calculations were performed for an operation period (OP) of up to 10 years by 75% plant factor (η) under a neutron wall load (P) of 4.7 MW/m². The results bring out that: (1) the Model B transmutes the TRUs more rapidly than the Model A; (2) the effective half-lives decrease about 20 and 40% with the increase of Pu fraction in the cases of Models A and B, respectively; (3) the M values are quite high with respect to the M value of the original PROMETHEUS fusion reactor; (4) the blankets can produce substantial electricity in situ.