HEPA filter clogging and volatile material release under solvent fire accident in fuel reprocessing facility

Ono, Takuya ; Watanabe, Koji; Tashiro, Shinsuke ; Amano, Yuki ; Abe, Hitoshi 

After the Fukushima-Daiichi accident, countermeasures against the severe accident are newly required as regulatory items for nuclear facilities. Organic solvent fire in cell was defined as one of the accidents in the fuel reprocessing plant. When the solvent burns, aerosols including soot are released. The substances clog HEPA filters in the ventilation system and their breakthrough may happen because of differential pressure rising. Moreover, the fire can also release volatile radioactive gaseous species, which can pass through HEPA filters. These phenomena are important for evaluation of confinement capability of the facility and public exposure. We have investigated, in relating to the clogging behavior, release behavior of aerosols as well as of volatile materials from burnt solvent. In the presentation, we will report experimental data and evaluation results obtained from recent research.