Filtration of aerosols produced by a sodium fire

The containment system of the Super Phenix reactor takes account of the possibility of contaminated sodium fires, particularly in the vicinity of the fuel storage drum. It is thus necessary to contain the emitted radioactivity associated with a quantity of sodium aerosols of the order of some 10 g/m3. Investigations previously carried out had shown that the retention capacity of high-efficiency asbestos filters was clearly insufficient. A new research programme on the filtration of sodium aerosols has thus been worked out with the aim of: gaining a better understanding of the granulometry of the aerosols produced by the fire; checking the efficiency of the new glass-fibre media of which high-efficiency filters are composed; selecting a prefiltering system which, in conjunction with the high-efficiency filter, would ensure a suitable retention capacity for the whole unit. The following prefilters are under investigation: agglomerating cyclones; fabric prefilters (dense filter media - variable density filters - bag filters); water prefilters; sand prefilters. The experimental equipment on which this programme has been based is presented. Results have so far been obtained for agglomerating cyclones (recirculating loop with a cyclone of 95% efficiency), for a number of textile prefilters and for the retention capacity of high-efficiency filters