Experimental investigations on melt coolability with simulated decay heat—The influence of delay time in flooding

Abstract

The primary objective of core catchers is to minimize the potential risk of core meltdown by stabilization and cooling of molten corium within the reactor containment for a prolonged period by strategically cooling it. Quenching of the high-temperature melt by top flooding strongly depends on the timing of injection of the cooling water, that is, immediate flooding or delayed flooding. To understand this aspect, we conducted experiments in a simulated core catcher of an Indian advanced nuclear reactor. In the experiments, sodium borosilicate glass, as a mixture of corium and sacrificial material simulant, was melted at about 1200°C and cooled by water from the side of a simulated core catcher and then flooding at the top of the melt pool. Two experiments were conducted; the first one was done with immediate flooding at the top of the melt pool; the second was performed with delayed top flooding of 45 min gap. The results show that immediate flooding quenches the melt pool rapidly compared to delayed flooding. A stable crust formation at the top of the melt pool and wall adhesion is observed in the delayed flooding. It was also found that no ingression of the water in the molten pool occurred with delayed flooding. On the other hand, with immediate flooding, water was found to ingress into the melt pool due to gap formations between melt and core catcher sidewall, causing the melt to break up through eruption by ingressed water. This phenomenon resulted in the formation of sand-type debris and in faster melt cooling.