VEGA; An Experimental study of radionuclides release from fuel under severe accident conditions

Kudo, Tamotsu ; Hidaka, Akihide*   ; Fuketa, Toyoshi

The VEGA program have been performed at Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute (JAERI). The program was comprised of series of experiments on radionuclides release from fuel under severe accident conditions and post-test evaluation with numerical calculations. Effects on the release of ambient pressure, fuel temperature, inert or steam environment and MOX-effect were studied in the program. These effects had been hardly investigated in previous studies due to difficulties in experiments with high temperature and pressure conditions. Release of cesium was mitigated at elevated pressure in comparison with atmospheric pressure. Cesium release was enhanced in the temperature region where fuel foaming occurred below the melting point of UO. Release of cesium and ruthenium under steam condition was greater than that under the inert helium condition. Released mass of plutonium above 2800 K was higher by nearly three orders of magnitude than that in lower temperature than 2800 K.