Acoustic detection of melt particles

The Reactor Safety Research Department at Sandia National Laboratories is investigating a type of Loss of Coolant Accident (LOCA). In this particular type of accident, core meltdown occurs while the pressure within the reactor pressure vessel (RPV) is high. If one of the instrument tube penetrations in the lower head fails, melt particles stream through the cavity and into the containment vessel. This experiment, which simulates this type accident, was performed in the Surtsev Direct Heating Test Facility which is approximately a 1:10 linear scaling of a large dry containment volume. A 1:10 linear scale model of the reactor cavity was placed near the bottom of the Surtsey vessel so that the exit of the cavity was at the vertical centerline of the vessel. A pressure vessel used to create the simulated molten core debris was located at the scaled height of the RPV. In order to better understand how the melt leaves the cavity and streams into the containment an array of five acoustic sensors was placed directly in the path of the melt particles about 30 feet from the exit of the sealed cavity. Highly damped, broadband sensors were chosen to minimize ringing so that individual particle hits could be detected. The goal was to count the signals produced by the individual particle hits to get some idea of how the melt particles left the cavity. This document presents some of the results of the experiment. 9 figs