Experimental database for bed formation behaviors of solid particles

Sheikh, M. A. R.*; Son, E.*; Kamiyama, Motoki*; Morioka, Toru*; Matsumoto, Tatsuya*; Morita, Koji*; Matsuba, Kenichi  ; Kamiyama, Kenji  ; Suzuki, Toru

During the material relocation phase of core disruptive accidents in sodium-cooled fast reactors, the sedimentation behavior of fragmented debris leading to the formation of debris beds is crucial for in-vessel retention by debris bed cooling. In this study, a series of experiments using simulant materials was performed to develop an experimental database of bed formation behavior by gravity driven discharge of solid particles from a nozzle into a quiescent cylindrical water pool. The bed height as well as the bed shape was measured. Three types of spherical and non-spherical particles, namely AlO, ZrO and stainless steel with different size were employed to study the effect of key experimental parameter on debris bed mound shape. Based on the experimental results, an empirical correlation as experimental database was proposed to predict the particle bed height. The proposed correlation reasonably reproduces the experimental trend of the bed height variation on the crucial factors. This result demonstrates a wide applicability of the proposed empirical model to predict the bed height in terms of all crucial factors with reasonable accuracy.