Design experiments for a vented containment

A filtered containment venting system, operable late in 1985, is currently under installation at the Barsebaeck twin nuclear power station in Sweden. The filter unit, which communicates with the containments of both reactor units, but is separated from them by rupture discs, consists of a concrete bed, 40 m high and 20 m in diameter, filled with gravel of grain size 25-35 mm. The performance of the gravel bed under such accident conditions which might lead to an activation of this safeguard system has been the subject for investigation within the FILTRA project. These investigations have shown that the gravel bed acts as: an expansion volume for decreasing gas pressure and increasing gas residence time, a heat sink for condensing steam, an excellent filter medium for removing aerosols and elemental iodine, and a sump volume for collecting radioactive condensate. The results from iodine retention studies in gravel beds are mainly considered