Comparison of the recriticality risk of fast reactor cores following a HCDA

A preliminary and parametric sensitivity study on recriticality risk of fast reactor cores after a hypothetical total core meltdown accident was performed. Only neutronic aspects of the accident were considered, independent of the accident scenario, and efforts were made to estimate the quantity of molten fuel which must be ejected out of the core to assure a sub-critical state after the accident. Two types of parameters were examined : characteristic parameters of molten core such as geometry, molten pool type (homogenized or stratified), fuel temperature, environment, and relative parameters to normal core such as core size (small or large), and fuel type (oxide, nitride, metal). The first type of parameters was found to intervene more directly in the recriticality risk than the second type of parameters