CAF experiments on the flow and freezing of metal fuel and cladding melts, 1; Test conditions and overview of the results

深野 義隆; 川田 賢一; 佐藤 一憲; Wright, A. E.*; Kilsdonk, D. J.*; Aeschlimann, R. W.*; Bauer, T. H.*

Proceedings of International Conference on Fast Reactors and Related Fuel Cycles (FR 2009) (CD-ROM), 10 Pages, 2012/00

http://www-pub.iaea.org/mtcd/meetings/PDFplus/2009/cn176/cn176_BoeS.pdf

For metal fueled fast reactors, assessment of the core disruptive accident (CDA) is necessary for both design and licensing. The objectives of the Core Alloy Flow and Erosion (CAF) experiments are to investigate the fundamental flow, metallurgical interaction, and freezing behavior of uranium-iron-type melts within iron-based trough-shaped flow channels and provide information that can support the development of mathematical models that describe the movements of molten fuel-bearing core materials during CDAs. In the CAFE experiments, melt produced in yttria-coated crucible by induction heating flowed down within approximately 660 mm long inclined trough and was received by the catch cup located below the bottom of the trough. Flow was observed and recorded by three video cameras and many thermocouples. Four UT series tests were conducted using molten uranium whose melting point is 1400 K. Two E1T series tests were performed using U-Fe eutectic mixture whose melting point is 1000 K. In each test, 1 to 1.65 kg of melt was introduced into an inclined trough. These test results provide understandings on fundamental flow and freezing behavior of melts including metallurgical interaction in the steel flow channels with a variety of melt and flow channel conditions and also offer useful information for developing analytical models to describe such behavior.