Influence of steam on the behavior of U3O8 aerosols

A project is being conducted in the Nuclear Safety Pilot Plant (NSPP), located at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), to study the behavior of aerosols assumed to be generated during LWR reactor accident sequences and released into containment. This project, which is part of the ORNL Aerosol Release and Transport (ART) Program, is sponsored by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and its purpose is to provide experimental qualification for LWR aerosol behavioral codes being developed independently by other NRC-sponsored programs. The program plan for the NSPP aerosol project provides for the study of the behavior of LWR accident aerosols emanating from fuel, reactor core structural materials, and from concrete-molten metal reactions. The behavior of each of these aerosols is being studied individually to establish their characteristics; future experiments will involve mixtures of these aerosols to establish their interaction and collective behavior within containment. The purpose of this paper is to document observations illustrating the influence that steam has on the behavior of U3O8 aerosols within the NSPP vessel