Experimental Investigation of Sedimentation of LOCA-Generated Fibrous Debris and Sludge in BWR Suppression Pools

摘要

Several tests were conducted in a 1:2.4 scale model of a Mark I suppression pool to investigate the behavior of fibrous insulation and sludge debris under LOCA conditions. NUKON (trademark) shreds, manually cut and tore up in a leaf shredder, and iron oxide particles were used to simulate fibrous and sludge debris, respectively. The suppression pool model included four downcomers fitted with pistons to simulate the steam-water oscillations during chugging expected during a LOCA. The study was conducted to provide debris settling velocity data for the models used in the BLOCKAGE computer code, developed to estimate the ECCS pump head loss due to clogging of the strainers with LOCA generated debris. The tests showed that the debris, both fibrous and particulate, remains fully mixed during chugging; they also showed that, during chugging, the fibrous debris underwent fragmentation into smaller sizes, including individual fibers. Measured concentrations showed that fibrous debris settled slower than the sludge, and that the settling behavior of each material is independent of the presence of the other material. Finally, these tests showed that the assumption of considering uniform debris concentration during strainer calculations is reasonable. The tests did not consider the effects of the operation of the ECCS on the transport of debris in the suppression pool.