Kinetic study on eutectic reaction between boron carbide and stainless steel in sodium-cooled fast reactor

Kikuchi, Shin  ; Yamano, Hidemasa   

In a postulated severe accidental condition of sodium-cooled fast reactor (SFR), eutectic reaction between boron carbide (BC) and stainless steel (SS) may probably occur. Elucidation on the behavior of cited eutectic reaction is very important in terms of evaluation of core disruptive accidents in SFRs. For the first step to clarify the kinetic feature of BC-SS eutectic reaction, the preliminary thermogavimetry-differential thermal analysis (TG-DTA) measurements using individual reagent were performed to obtain the fundamental information and to confirm the applicability of sample crucibles. It was found that alumina crucible was applicable in terms of eutectic behavior. Based on the DTA curves at different heating rates, the kinetic parameters were roughly estimated by using Kissinger method.