Results from the DCH-1 [Direct Containment Heating] experiment

The DCH-1 (Direct Containment Heating) test was the first experiment performed in the Surtsey Direct Heating Test Facility. The test involved 20 kg of molten core debris simulant ejected into a 1:10 scale model of the Zion reactor cavity. The melt was produced by a metallothermic reaction of iron oxide and aluminum powders to yield molten iron and alumina. The cavity model was placed so that the emerging debris propagated directly upwards along the vertical centerline of the chamber. Results from the experiment showed that the molten material was ejected from the caviity as a cloud of particles and aerosol. The dispersed debris caused a rapid pressurization of the 103-m3 chamber atmosphere. Peak pressure from the six transducers ranged from 0.09 to 0.13 MPa (13.4 to 19.4 psig) above the initial value in the chamber. Posttest debris collection yielded 11.6 kg of material outside the cavity, of which approximately 1.6 kg was attributed to the uptake of oxygen by the iron particles. Mechanical sieving of the recovered debris showed a lognormal size distribution with a mass mean size of 0.55 mm. Aerosol measurements indicated a subsantial portion (2 to 16%) of the ejected mass was in the size range less than 10 m aerodynamic equivalent diameter