TUFCI, An Experimental Facility to Study the Molten-Fuel--Coolant Interaction in a Full-Scale Fuel Element

摘要

The safety investigations on the Na-cooled fast breeder reactors also include experiments on the fuel--sodium reaction, in which especially the conversion of thermal energy into mechanical energy is to be determined in a simulated fuel element. The development of a test facility is described in which fuel-sodium reactions will be carried out in geometries which are typical for fuel elements. In contradistinction to the actual fuel elements in a core reactor, the walls in the reaction room are almost rigid for the expected pressure transients. The sodium--UO sub 2 contact is then produced both by the sodium striking the molten UO sub 2 and by injection of small amounts of sodium into the UO sub 2 (initiation reaction). (ERA citation 04:046526)