Published March 1990
| Version v1
Report
Recriticality in a BWR following a core damage accident
- 1. Pacific Northwest Lab., Richland, WA (USA)
- 2. Battelle Columbus Labs., OH (USA)
Description
This paper examines the possibility for and consequences of a recriticality following a low-probability severe accident in which the reactor core has been uncovered. Calculations and experimental evidence indicate that control blades in boiling water reactors will melt prior to the fuel rods. If the core is flooded after the control blades have melted but before the fuel rods have melted, a recriticality is possible. The paper provides the scenario sequence definition, criticality analysis, and accident management strategies that could be used to mitigate or terminate the postulated recriticality
Additional details
Publishing Information
- Imprint Title
- Seventeenth water reactor safety information meeting: Proceedings. Volume 2, Accident management; severe accident research; earth sciences; probabilistic risk assessment; seismic and structural engineering
- Imprint Pagination
- 515 p.
- Journal Page Range
- p. 41-65.
- Report number
- NUREG/CP--0105-Vol.2
Conference
- Title
- 17. water reactor safety information meeting.
- Dates
- 23-25 Oct 1989.
- Place
- Rockville, MD (USA).
INIS
- Country of Publication
- United States
- Country of Input or Organization
- United States
- INIS RN
- 22091232
- Subject category
- S21: SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS;
- Resource subtype / Literary indicator
- Conference
- Descriptors DEI
- BORON CARBIDES; BWR TYPE REACTORS; COMPUTER CODES; COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION; CONTAINMENT SYSTEMS; CONTROL ELEMENTS; CORIUM; CRITICALITY; DRYOUT; EMERGENCY PLANS; FUEL CANS; FUEL ELEMENTS; GEOMETRY; LOSS OF COOLANT; M CODES; MELTDOWN; MELTING; MITIGATION; MULTIPLICATION FACTORS; OXIDATION; PEACH BOTTOM-1 REACTOR; PRESSURE DEPENDENCE; PROBABILITY; QUENCHING; REACTOR ACCIDENTS; REACTOR CORE DISRUPTION; REACTOR KINETICS; REACTOR SAFETY; RELIABILITY; RESEARCH PROGRAMS; SANDIA LABORATORIES; TEMPERATURE DEPENDENCE; TIME DEPENDENCE; VENTS; ZIRCALOY
- Descriptors DEC
- ACCIDENTS; ALLOYS; BORON COMPOUNDS; CARBIDES; CARBON COMPOUNDS; CHEMICAL REACTIONS; CONTAINMENT; ENRICHED URANIUM REACTORS; GAS COOLED REACTORS; GRAPHITE MODERATED REACTORS; HEAT TREATMENTS; HELIUM COOLED REACTORS; HTGR TYPE REACTORS; KINETICS; MATHEMATICS; NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS; PHASE TRANSFORMATIONS; POWER REACTORS; REACTOR COMPONENTS; REACTORS; SAFETY; SANDIA NATIONAL LABORATORIES; SIMULATION; THERMAL REACTORS; US AEC; US DOE; US ERDA; US ORGANIZATIONS; WATER COOLED REACTORS; WATER MODERATED REACTORS; ZIRCONIUM ALLOYS; ZIRCONIUM BASE ALLOYS
Optional Information
- Contract/Grant/Project number
- Contract AC06-76RL01830
- Secondary number(s)
- CONF-8910222--Vol.2.