A fundamental study of sodium pool combustion

A theoretical study has been conducted to investigate the burning rate of sodium pool fires, which may be caused by the spillage of liquid sodium in fast-breeder nuclear reactors. In the present model, a thin layer (approximately 1 mm in thickness) of vapor is assumed to exist upon the surface of the liquid pool. The sodium vapor diffuses toward the flame front at which a chemical reaction between sodium and oxygen occurs. The calculated results are in good agreement with experimental data obtained by other investigators for the burning rates of sodium pool fires. The earlier conventional model, however, tends to underestimate the burning rates since the vapor layer is neglected and the flame temperature is assumed to be equal to the pool surface temperature. (author)