LOCA induced debris characteristics for use in ECCS sump screen debris bed pressure drop calculations

Pressure drop calculations across a LOCA induced fibrous debris bed have been successfully demonstrated to be accurate using the NUREG/CR-6224 semi-theoretical head loss correlation. One of the critical parameters needed for the NURE/CR-6224 correlation to predict the pressure drop across a fibrous debris bed are the characteristics of the debris constituents (density and characteristic size). This paper provides a brief description of the NUREG/CR-6224 head loss correlation and presents suggested debris characteristics of typical sources of debris found in American nuclear power plants for use in the correlation. (authors)