Thermal behavior of sodium hydroxide-structural concrete composition of sodium-cooled fast reactor

Kikuchi, Shin  ; Koga, Nobuyoshi*

Under postulated accidental condition of sodium-cooled fast reactor (SFR), liquid sodium spill into the floor may lead to fail the steel liner resulting in sodium-concrete reaction (SCR). In this study, the sodium hydroxide (NaOH)-silica (SiO) reaction as one of possible secondary stage reactions was investigated for safety assessment of SFR. Thermal behavior of NaOH-SiO reaction such as reaction onset was determined using a differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). As a result of DSC measurement, it was revealed that NaOH-SiO reaction occurs as rapid reaction right after NaOH melting at 583 K. Therefore, it was expected that NaOH-SiO reaction is dominant in the time frame of secondary stage of SCR if significant amount of NaOH has been generated during the initial stage reaction.