Modeling of melt retention in EU-APR1400 ex-vessel core catcher

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Granovsky, V. S.; Sulatsky, A. A.; Khabensky, V. B.; Sulatskaya, M. B. [Alexandrov Research Inst. of Technology NITI, Sosnovy Bor (Russian Federation); Gusarov, V. V.; Almyashev, V. I.; Komlev, A. A. [Saint Petersburg State Technological Univ. SPbSTU, St.Petersburg (Russian Federation); Bechta, S. [KTH, Stockholm (Sweden); Kim, Y. S. [KHNP, 1312 Gil 70, Yuseongdaero, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Park, R. J.; Kim, H. Y.; Song, J. H. [KAERI, 989 Gil 111, Daedeokdaero, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2012-07-01

A core catcher is adopted in the EU-APR1400 reactor design for management and mitigation of severe accidents with reactor core melting. The core catcher concept incorporates a number of engineering solutions used in the catcher designs of European EPR and Russian WER-1000 reactors, such as thin-layer corium spreading for better cooling, retention of the melt in a water-cooled steel vessel, and use of sacrificial material (SM) to control the melt properties. SM is one of the key elements of the catcher design and its performance is critical for melt retention efficiency. This SM consists of oxide components, but the core catcher also includes sacrificial steel which reacts with the metal melt of the molten corium to reduce its temperature. The paper describes the required properties of SM. The melt retention capability of the core catcher can be confirmed by modeling the heat fluxes to the catcher vessel to show that it will not fail. The fulfillment of this requirement is demonstrated on the example of LBLOCA severe accident. Thermal and physicochemical interactions between the oxide and metal melts, interactions of the melts with SM, sacrificial steel and vessel, core catcher external cooling by water and release of non-condensable gases are modeled. (authors)

Thermal interaction of core melt debris with the TMI-2 baffle, core-former, and lower head structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cronenberg, A.W.; Tolman, E.L.

1987-09-01

Recent inspection of the TMI-2 core-former baffle walls (vertical), former plates (horizontal), and lower plenum has been conducted to assess potential damage to these structures. Video observations show evidence of localized melt failure of the baffle walls, whereas fiberoptics data indicate the presence of resolidified debris on the former plates. Lower plenum inspection also confirms the presence of 20 tons or more of core debris in the lower plenum. These data indicate massive core melt relocation and the potential for melt attack on vessel structural components. This report presents analyses aimed at developing an understanding of melt relocation behavior and damage progression to TMI-2 vessel components. Thermal analysis indicates melt-through of the baffle plates, but maintenance of structural integrity of the former plates and lower head. Differences in the damage of these structures is attributed largely to differences in contact time with melt debris and pressure of water. 29 refs., 17 figs., 9 tabs

BWR core melt progression phenomena: Experimental analyses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ott, L.J.

1992-01-01

In the BWR Core Melt in Progression Phenomena Program, experimental results concerning severe fuel damage and core melt progression in BWR core geometry are used to evaluate existing models of the governing phenomena. These include control blade eutectic liquefaction and the subsequent relocation and attack on the channel box structure; oxidation heating and hydrogen generation; Zircaloy melting and relocation; and the continuing oxidation of zirconium with metallic blockage formation. Integral data have been obtained from the BWR DF-4 experiment in the ACRR and from BWR tests in the German CORA exreactor fuel-damage test facility. Additional integral data will be obtained from new CORA BWR test, the full-length FLHT-6 BWR test in the NRU test reactor, and the new program of exreactor experiments at Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) on metallic melt relocation and blockage formation. an essential part of this activity is interpretation and use of the results of the BWR tests. The Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has developed experiment-specific models for analysis of the BWR experiments; to date, these models have permitted far more precise analyses of the conditions in these experiments than has previously been available. These analyses have provided a basis for more accurate interpretation of the phenomena that the experiments are intended to investigate. The results of posttest analyses of BWR experiments are discussed and significant findings from these analyses are explained. The ORNL control blade/canister models with materials interaction, relocation and blockage models are currently being implemented in SCDAP/RELAP5 as an optional structural component

Reaction- and melting behaviour of LWR-core components UO2, Zircaloy and steel during the meltdown period

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hofmann, P.

1976-07-01

The reaction behaviour of the UO 2 , Zircaloy-4 and austenitic steel core components was investigated as a function of temperature (till melting temperatures) under inert and oxidizing conditions. Component concentrations varied between that of Corium-A (65 wt.% UO 2 , 18% Zry, 17% steel) and that of Corium-E (35 wt.% UO 2 , 10% Zry, 55% steel). In addition, Zircaloy and stainless steel were used with different degrees of oxidation. The paper describes systematically the phases that arise during heating and melting. The integral composition of the melts and the qualitative as well as quantitative analysis of the phases present in solidified corium are given. In some cases melting points have been determined. The reaction and melting behaviour of the corium specimens strongly depends on the concentration and on the degree of oxidation of the core components. First liquid phases are formed at the Zry-steel interface at about 1,350 0 C. The maximum temperatures of about 2,500 0 C for the complete melting of the corium-specimens are well below the UO 2 melting point. Depending on the steel content and/or degree of oxidation of Zry and steel, a homogeneous metallic or oxide melt or two immiscible melts - one oxide and the other metallic - are obtained. During the melting experiments performed under inert gas conditions the chemical composition of the molten specimens generally change by evaporation losses of single elements, especially of uranium, zirconium and oxygen. The total weight losses go up to 30%; under oxidizing conditions they are substantially smaller due to the occurrence of different phases. In air or water vapor, the occurrence of the phases and the melting behaviour of the core components are strongly influenced by the oxidation rate and the oxygen supply to the surface of the melt. In the case of the hypothetical core melting accident, a heterogeneous melt (oxide and metallic) is probable after the meltdown period. (orig./RW) [de

Ex-Vessel Core Melt Modeling Comparison between MELTSPREAD-CORQUENCH and MELCOR 2.1

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Robb, Kevin R. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Farmer, Mitchell [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Francis, Matthew W. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

2014-03-01

System-level code analyses by both United States and international researchers predict major core melting, bottom head failure, and corium-concrete interaction for Fukushima Daiichi Unit 1 (1F1). Although system codes such as MELCOR and MAAP are capable of capturing a wide range of accident phenomena, they currently do not contain detailed models for evaluating some ex-vessel core melt behavior. However, specialized codes containing more detailed modeling are available for melt spreading such as MELTSPREAD as well as long-term molten corium-concrete interaction (MCCI) and debris coolability such as CORQUENCH. In a preceding study, Enhanced Ex-Vessel Analysis for Fukushima Daiichi Unit 1: Melt Spreading and Core-Concrete Interaction Analyses with MELTSPREAD and CORQUENCH, the MELTSPREAD-CORQUENCH codes predicted the 1F1 core melt readily cooled in contrast to predictions by MELCOR. The user community has taken notice and is in the process of updating their systems codes; specifically MAAP and MELCOR, to improve and reduce conservatism in their ex-vessel core melt models. This report investigates why the MELCOR v2.1 code, compared to the MELTSPREAD and CORQUENCH 3.03 codes, yield differing predictions of ex-vessel melt progression. To accomplish this, the differences in the treatment of the ex-vessel melt with respect to melt spreading and long-term coolability are examined. The differences in modeling approaches are summarized, and a comparison of example code predictions is provided.

Risk reduction of core-melt accidents in advaned CAPRA burner cores

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maschek, W.; Struwe, D.; Eigemann, M.

1997-01-01

As part of the CAPRA Program (Consommation Accrue de Plutonium dans les RApides) the feasibility of fast reactors is investigated to burn plutonium and also to destruct minor actinides. The design of CAPRA cores shows significant differences compared to conventional cores. Especially the high Pu-enrichment has an important influence on the core melt-down behavior and the associated recriticality risk. To cope with this risk, inherent design features and special measures/devices are investigated for their potential of early fuel discharge to reduce the criticality of the reactor core. An assessment of such measures/devices is given and experimental needs are formulated. 11 refs., 5 figs

Method and device for catching reactor core melt-down masses in hypothetical accidents of nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Morlock, G.; Wiesemes, J.; Bachner, D.

1977-01-01

The device is to receive the afterheat of the molten core and in this way to prevent afterflow of coolant and a new criticality. A tank below the reactor pressure vessel, with the proper diameter, contains a store of salt or a salt mixture suitable to receive the afterheat of a core melt-down as heat of fusion or conversion. Above the salt, there is a layer of thermoplastics or of a material forming a hardening foam. Coolant eventually continuing to flow out is separated from the core melt by this barrier layer, and thus the build-up of high steam pressures is prevented. Neutron-absorbing materials, like boron salts mixed to the salts, as well as a subdivision of the salt surface, e.g. by means of canalizing firebricks, prevent the formation of new criticality. Further installations within the tank, like pipings or channels, permit the introduction of water after cooling down of the core or salt melt-down mass and to wash out the brine with all radioactive and other constituents for transport to reprocessing or ultimate storage. (HP) [de

Examination of offsite emergency protective measures for core melt accidents

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aldrich, D.C.; McGrath, P.E.; Ericson, D.M. Jr.; Jones, R.B.; Rasmussen, N.C.

Evacuation, sheltering followed by population relocation, and iodine prophylaxis are evaluated as offsite public protective measures in response to potential nuclear reactor accidents involving core-melt. Evaluations were conducted using a modified version of the Reactor Safety Study consequence model. Models representing each protective measure were developed and are discussed. Potential PWR core-melt radioactive material releases are separated into two categories, ''Melt-through'' and ''Atmospheric,'' based upon the mode of containment falure. Protective measures are examined and compared for each category in terms of projected doses to the whole body and thyroid. Measures for ''Atmospheric'' accidents are also examined in terms of their influence on the occurrence of public health effects

EPRTM engineered features for core melt mitigation in severe accidents

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fischer, Manfred; Henning, Andreas

2009-01-01

For the prevention of accident conditions, the EPR TM relies on the proven 3-level safety concepts inherited from its predecessors, the French 'N4' and the German 'Konvoi' NPP. In addition, a new, fourth 'beyond safety' level is implemented for the mitigation of postulated severe accidents (SA) with core melting. It is aimed at preserving the integrity of the containment barrier and at significantly reducing the frequency and magnitude of activity releases into the environment under such extreme conditions. Loss of containment integrity is prevented by dedicated design measures that address short- and long-term challenges, like: the melt-through of the reactor pressure vessel under high internal pressure, energetic hydrogen/steam explosions, containment overpressure failure, and basemat melt-through. The EPR TM SA systems and components that address these issues are: - the dedicated SA valves for the depressurization the primary circuit, - the provisions for H 2 recombination, atmospheric mixing, steam dilution, - the core melt stabilization system, - the dedicated SA containment heat removal system. The core melt stabilization system (CMSS) of the EPR TM is based on a two-stage ex-vessel approach. After its release from the RPV the core debris is first accumulated and conditioned in the (dry) reactor pit by the addition of sacrificial concrete. Then the created molten pool is spread into a lateral core catcher to establish favorable conditions for the later flooding, quenching and cooling with water passively drained from the Internal Refueling Water Storage Tank. Long-term heat removal from the containment is achieved by sprays that are supplied with water by the containment heat removal system. Complementing earlier publications focused on the principle function, basic design, and validation background of the EPR TM CMSS, this paper describes the state achieved after detailed design, as well as the technical solutions chosen for its main components, including

Fuel Rod Melt Progression Simulation Using Low-Temperature Melting Metal Alloy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Seung Dong Lee; Suh, Kune Y.; GoonCherl Park; Un Chul Lee

2002-01-01

The TMI-2 accident and various severe fuel damage experiments have shown that core damage is likely to proceed through various states before the core slumps into the lower head. Numerous experiments were conducted to address when and how the core can lose its original geometry, what geometries are formed, and in what processes the core materials are transported to the lower plenum of the reactor pressure vessel. Core degradation progresses along the line of clad ballooning, clad oxidation, material interaction, metallic blockage, molten pool formation, melt progression, and relocation to the lower head. Relocation into the lower plenum may occur from the lateral periphery or from the bottom of the core depending upon the thermal and physical states of the pool. Determining the quantities and rate of molten material transfer to the lower head is important since significant amounts of molten material relocated to the lower head can threaten the vessel integrity by steam explosion and thermal and mechanical attack of the melt. In this paper the focus is placed on the melt flow regime on a cylindrical fuel rod utilizing the LAMDA (Lumped Analysis of Melting in Degrading Assemblies) facility at the Seoul National University. The downward relocation of the molten material is a combination of the external film flow and the internal pipe flow. The heater rods are 0.8 m long and are coated by a low-temperature melting metal alloy. The electrical internal heating method is employed during the test. External heating is adopted to simulate the exothermic Zircaloy-steam reaction. Tests are conducted in several quasi-steady-state conditions. Given the variable boundary conditions including the heat flux and the water level, observation is made for the melting location, progression, and the mass of molten material. Finally, the core melt progression model is developed from the visual inspection and quantitative analysis of the experimental data. As the core material relocates

Melt spreading code assessment, modifications, and initial application to the EPR core catcher design

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Farmer, M.T.; Basu, S.

2009-01-01

The Evolutionary Power Reactor (EPR) is a 1,600-MWe Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) that is undergoing a design certification review by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). The EPR severe accident design philosophy is predicated upon the fact that the projected power rating results in a narrow margin for in-vessel melt retention by external flooding. As a result, the design addresses ex-vessel core melt stabilization using a mitigation strategy that includes: 1) an external core melt retention system to temporarily hold core melt released from the vessel; 2) a layer of 'sacrificial' material that is admixed with the melt while in the core melt retention system; 3) a melt plug that, when failed, provides a pathway for the mixture to spread to a large core spreading chamber; and finally, 4) cooling and stabilization of the spread melt by controlled top and bottom flooding. The melt spreading process relies heavily on inertial flow of a low-viscosity admixed melt to a segmented spreading chamber, and assumes that the melt mass will be distributed to a uniform height in the chamber. The spreading phenomenon thus needs to be modeled properly in order to adequately assess the EPR design. The MELTSPREAD code, developed at Argonne National Laboratory, can model segmented, and both uniform and non-uniform spreading. The NRC is using MELTSPREAD to evaluate melt spreading in the EPR design. The development of MELTSPREAD ceased in the early 1990's, and so the code was first assessed against the more contemporary spreading database and code modifications, as warranted, were carried out before performing confirmatory plant calculations. This paper provides principle findings from the MELTSPREAD assessment activities and resulting code modifications, and also summarizes the results of initial scoping calculations for the EPR plant design and preliminary plant analyses, along with the plan for performing the final set of plant calculations including sensitivity studies

Incorporation of Certain Hydrophobic Excipients in the Core of Melt ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Patrick Erah

incorporation of hydrophobic materials (talc or magnesium stearate) in the core of such granules may further retard .... (500mg) was filled into a capsule shell and ... of the drug particles. The effect of melt granulation on the release profiles of paracetamol is shown in Fig 1. The melt granulations displayed a retarded release.

Large population center and core melt accident considerations in siting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Camarinopoulos, L.; Yadigaroglu, G.

1983-01-01

The problem of providing suitable demographic siting criteria in the presence of a very large population center in an otherwise sparsely populated region is addressed. Simple calculations were performed making maximum use of pretabulated results of studies where core melt accidents are considered. These show that taking into consideration the air flow patterns in the region can lower the expected population doses from core melt accidents more effectively than distance alone. Expected doses are compared to the annual background radiation dose. A simple siting criterion combining geographical considerations with the probability of a release reaching the large population center is proposed

The WAIS Melt Monitor: An automated ice core melting system for meltwater sample handling and the collection of high resolution microparticle size distribution data

Science.gov (United States)

Breton, D. J.; Koffman, B. G.; Kreutz, K. J.; Hamilton, G. S.

2010-12-01

Paleoclimate data are often extracted from ice cores by careful geochemical analysis of meltwater samples. The analysis of the microparticles found in ice cores can also yield unique clues about atmospheric dust loading and transport, dust provenance and past environmental conditions. Determination of microparticle concentration, size distribution and chemical makeup as a function of depth is especially difficult because the particle size measurement either consumes or contaminates the meltwater, preventing further geochemical analysis. Here we describe a microcontroller-based ice core melting system which allows the collection of separate microparticle and chemistry samples from the same depth intervals in the ice core, while logging and accurately depth-tagging real-time electrical conductivity and particle size distribution data. This system was designed specifically to support microparticle analysis of the WAIS Divide WDC06A deep ice core, but many of the subsystems are applicable to more general ice core melting operations. Major system components include: a rotary encoder to measure ice core melt displacement with 0.1 millimeter accuracy, a meltwater tracking system to assign core depths to conductivity, particle and sample vial data, an optical debubbler level control system to protect the Abakus laser particle counter from damage due to air bubbles, a Rabbit 3700 microcontroller which communicates with a host PC, collects encoder and optical sensor data and autonomously operates Gilson peristaltic pumps and fraction collectors to provide automatic sample handling, melt monitor control software operating on a standard PC allowing the user to control and view the status of the system, data logging software operating on the same PC to collect data from the melting, electrical conductivity and microparticle measurement systems. Because microparticle samples can easily be contaminated, we use optical air bubble sensors and high resolution ice core density

Catalogue of generic plant states leading to core melt in PWRs: includes appendix 1: detailed description of sequences leading to core melt

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1996-11-01

The Task Group on thermal-hydraulic system behaviour was given a mandate from PWG 2 on Coolant System-Behaviour with the approval of CSNI to deal with the topic of Accident Management. A writing group was set up to identify generic plant states leading to core melt for pressurized water reactors (PWR) and find 'possible approaches to accident management measures' (AM-Measures) for dealing with them. From a matrix of 15 initiating events and 12 system failures (i.e. from 180 possibilities), 32 event sequences have been identified as leading to core melt. Each sequence has been divided into characteristic plant state intervals according to safety function challenges. For each of the 141 defined characteristic plant state intervals, the members of the Writing Group made proposals for AM-Measures

Melt spreading code assessment, modifications, and application to the EPR core catcher design

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Farmer, M.T.

2009-01-01

The Evolutionary Power Reactor (EPR) is under consideration by various utilities in the United States to provide base load electrical production, and as a result the design is undergoing a certification review by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). The severe accident design philosophy for this reactor is based upon the fact that the projected power rating results in a narrow margin for in-vessel melt retention by external cooling of the reactor vessel. As a result, the design addresses ex-vessel core melt stabilization using a mitigation strategy that includes: (1) an external core melt retention system to temporarily hold core melt released from the vessel; (2) a layer of 'sacrificial' material that is admixed with the melt while in the core melt retention system; (3) a melt plug in the lower part of the retention system that, when failed, provides a pathway for the mixture to spread to a large core spreading chamber; and finally, (4) cooling and stabilization of the spread melt by controlled top and bottom flooding. The overall concept is illustrated in Figure 1.1. The melt spreading process relies heavily on inertial flow of a low-viscosity admixed melt to a segmented spreading chamber, and assumes that the melt mass will be distributed to a uniform height in the chamber. The spreading phenomenon thus needs to be modeled properly in order to adequately assess the EPR design. The MELTSPREAD code, developed at Argonne National Laboratory, can model segmented, and both uniform and nonuniform spreading. The NRC is thus utilizing MELTSPREAD to evaluate melt spreading in the EPR design. MELTSPREAD was originally developed to support resolution of the Mark I containment shell vulnerability issue. Following closure of this issue, development of MELTSPREAD ceased in the early 1990's, at which time the melt spreading database upon which the code had been validated was rather limited. In particular, the database that was utilized for initial validation consisted

Differentiation of crusts and cores of the terrestrial planets: lessons for the early Earth

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Solomon, S.C.

1980-01-01

It now appears probable that all of the terrestrial planets underwent some form of global chemical differentiation to produce crusts, mantles, and cores of variable relative mass fractions. There is direct seismic evidence for a crust on the Moon, and indirect evidence for distinct crusts on Mars and Venus. Substantial portions of these crusts have been in place since the time that heavy bombardment of the inner solar system ceased approximately 4 Ga ago. There is direct evidence for a sizeable core on Mars, indirect evidence for one on Mercury, and bounds on a possible small core for the Moon. Core formation is an important heat source confined to times prior to 4 Ga ago for Mercury and the Earth, but was not closely linked to crustal formation on the Moon nor, apparently, on Mars. The tectonic and volcanic histories of the surfaces of the terrestrial planets Moon, Mars, and Mercury can be used, with simple thermal history models, to restrict the earliest chemical differentiation to be shallow (outer 200-400 km) for the first two bodies and much more extensive for Mercury. Extension of these models to an Earth-size planet leads to the prediction of a hot and vigorously convecting mantle with an easily deformable crust immediately following core formation, and of the gradual development of a lithosphere and of plates with some lateral rigidity in Late Archean-Proterzoic times. (Auth.)

The Effect of Pressure on Iron Speciation in Silicate Melts at a Fixed Oxygen Fugacity: The Possibility of a Redox Profile Through a Terrestrial Magma Ocean

Science.gov (United States)

Armstrong, K.; Frost, D. J.; McCammon, C. A.; Rubie, D. C.; Boffa Ballaran, T.

2017-12-01

As terrestrial planets accreted, mantle silicates equilibrated with core-forming metallic iron, which would have imposed a mantle oxygen fugacity below the iron-wüstite oxygen buffer. Throughout Earth's history, however, the oxygen fugacity of at least the accessible portions of the upper mantle has been 4-5 orders of magnitude higher. The process that caused the rapid increase in the redox state of the mantle soon after core formation is unclear. Here we test the possibility that pressure stabilises ferric iron in silicate melts, as has been observed in silicate minerals. A deep magma ocean, which would have likely existed towards the end of accretion, could then develop a gradient in oxygen fugacity for a fixed ferric-ferrous ratio as a result of pressure. We have equilibrated an andesitic melt with a Ru-RuO2 buffer in a multianvil press between 5 and 24 GPa. Further experiments were performed on the same melt in equilibrium with iron metal. The recovered melts were then analysed using Mössbauer spectroscopy to determine the ferric/ferrous ratio. The results show that for the Ru-RuO2 buffer at lower pressures, the ferric iron content decreases with pressure, due to a positive volume change of the reaction FeO + 1/4O2 = FeO1.5. Ferric iron content also appears to be sensitive to water content at lower pressures. However, above 15 GPa this trend apparently reverses and the ferric iron content increases with pressure. This reversal in pressure dependence would drive the oxygen fugacity of a deep magma ocean with a fixed ferric/ferrous ratio down with increasing depth. This would create a redox gradient, where the magma ocean could potentially be in equilibrium with metallic iron at its base but more oxidised in its shallower regions. Crystallisation of this magma ocean could render an upper mantle oxygen fugacity similar to that in the Earth's accessible mantle today.

Examination of offsite radiological emergency measures for nuclear reactor accidents involving core melt

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aldrich, D.C.; McGrath, P.E.; Rasmussen, N.C.

1978-06-01

Evacuation, sheltering followed by population relocation, and iodine prophylaxis are evaluated as offsite public protective measures in response to nuclear reactor accidents involving core-melt. Evaluations were conducted using a modified version of the Reactor Safety Study consequence model. Models representing each measure were developed and are discussed. Potential PWR core-melt radioactive material releases are separated into two categories, ''Melt-through'' and ''Atmospheric,'' based upon the mode of containment failure. Protective measures are examined and compared for each category in terms of projected doses to the whole body and thyroid. Measures for ''Atmospheric'' accidents are also examined in terms of their influence on the occurrence of public health effects

Nuclear power reactor core melt accidents. Current State of Knowledge

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jacquemain, Didier; Cenerino, Gerard; Corenwinder, Francois; Raimond, Emmanuel IRSN; Bentaib, Ahmed; Bonneville, Herve; Clement, Bernard; Cranga, Michel; Fichot, Florian; Koundy, Vincent; Meignen, Renaud; Corenwinder, Francois; Leteinturier, Denis; Monroig, Frederique; Nahas, Georges; Pichereau, Frederique; Van-Dorsselaere, Jean-Pierre; Couturier, Jean; Debaudringhien, Cecile; Duprat, Anna; Dupuy, Patricia; Evrard, Jean-Michel; Nicaise, Gregory; Berthoud, Georges; Studer, Etienne; Boulaud, Denis; Chaumont, Bernard; Clement, Bernard; Gonzalez, Richard; Queniart, Daniel; Peltier, Jean; Goue, Georges; Lefevre, Odile; Marano, Sandrine; Gobin, Jean-Dominique; Schwarz, Michel; Repussard, Jacques; Haste, Tim; Ducros, Gerard; Journeau, Christophe; Magallon, Daniel; Seiler, Jean-Marie; Tourniaire, Bruno; Durin, Michel; Andreo, Francois; Atkhen, Kresna; Daguse, Thierry; Dubreuil-Chambardel, Alain; Kappler, Francois; Labadie, Gerard; Schumm, Andreas; Gauntt, Randall O.; Birchley, Jonathan

2015-11-01

For over thirty years, IPSN and subsequently IRSN has played a major international role in the field of nuclear power reactor core melt accidents through the undertaking of important experimental programmes (the most significant being the Phebus-FP programme), the development of validated simulation tools (the ASTEC code that is today the leading European tool for modelling severe accidents), and the coordination of the SARNET (Severe Accident Research Network) international network of excellence. These accidents are described as 'severe accidents' because they can lead to radioactive releases outside the plant concerned, with serious consequences for the general public and for the environment. This book compiles the sum of the knowledge acquired on this subject and summarises the lessons that have been learnt from severe accidents around the world for the prevention and reduction of the consequences of such accidents, without addressing those from the Fukushima accident, where knowledge of events is still evolving. The knowledge accumulated by the Institute on these subjects enabled it to play an active role in informing public authorities, the media and the public when this accident occurred, and continues to do so to this day. Following the introduction, which describes the structure of this book and highlights the objectives of R and D on core melt accidents, this book briefly presents the design and operating principles (Chapter 2) and safety principles (Chapter 3) of the reactors currently in operation in France, as well as the main accident scenarios envisaged and studied (Chapter 4). The objective of these chapters is not to provide exhaustive information on these subjects (the reader should refer to the general reference documents listed in the corresponding chapters), but instead to provide the information needed in order to understand, firstly, the general approach adopted in France for preventing and mitigating the consequences of core melt

Melt propagation in dry core debris beds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dosanjh, S.S.

1989-01-01

During severe light water reactor accidents like Three Mile Island Unit 2, the fuel rods can fragment and thus convert the reactor core into a large particle bed. The postdryout meltdown of such debris beds is examined. A two-dimensional model that considers the presence of oxidic (UO 2 and ZrO 2 ) as well as metallic (e.g., zirconium) constituents is developed. Key results are that a dense metallic crust is created near the bottom of the bed as molten materials flow downward and freeze; liquid accumulates above the blockage and, if zirconium is present, the pool grows rapidly as molten zirconium dissolved both UO 2 and ZrO 2 particles; if the melt wets the solid, a fraction of the melt flows radially outward under the action of capillary forces and freezes near the radial boundary; in a nonwetting system, all of the melt flows into the bottom of the bed; and when zirconium and iron are in intimate contact and the zirconium metal atomic fraction is > 0.33, these metals can liquefy and flow out of the bed very early in the meltdown sequence

Nickel and helium evidence for melt above the core-mantle boundary.

Science.gov (United States)

Herzberg, Claude; Asimow, Paul D; Ionov, Dmitri A; Vidito, Chris; Jackson, Matthew G; Geist, Dennis

2013-01-17

High (3)He/(4)He ratios in some basalts have generally been interpreted as originating in an incompletely degassed lower-mantle source. This helium source may have been isolated at the core-mantle boundary region since Earth's accretion. Alternatively, it may have taken part in whole-mantle convection and crust production over the age of the Earth; if so, it is now either a primitive refugium at the core-mantle boundary or is distributed throughout the lower mantle. Here we constrain the problem using lavas from Baffin Island, West Greenland, the Ontong Java Plateau, Isla Gorgona and Fernandina (Galapagos). Olivine phenocryst compositions show that these lavas originated from a peridotite source that was about 20 per cent higher in nickel content than in the modern mid-ocean-ridge basalt source. Where data are available, these lavas also have high (3)He/(4)He. We propose that a less-degassed nickel-rich source formed by core-mantle interaction during the crystallization of a melt-rich layer or basal magma ocean, and that this source continues to be sampled by mantle plumes. The spatial distribution of this source may be constrained by nickel partitioning experiments at the pressures of the core-mantle boundary.

The influence of chemistry on core melt accidents

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liljenzin, J.O.

1990-01-01

Chemical reactions play an important role in assessing the safety of nuclear power plants. The main source of heat in the early stage of an accident is due to a chemical reaction between steam and the circonium encapsulating the nuclear fuel. The heating and melting of fuel leads to a release of fission products which rapidly condense to form particles suspended in the surrounding gas. These aerosols are the main carriers of radioactivity as they may transport active material from the reactor vessel into the reactor containment building where it is deposited. The content of fission products in the aerosol particles and their chemical form determine their interaction with water molecules. Chemical forces laed to an absorption of water in the particles which transforms them into droplets with increased mass. The particles become spherical and hence deposit more rapidly on surrounding surfaces. There is a rapid reaction between boron carbide and stainless steel in the control blades of boiling water reactors. There is only a small formation of boric acid. This leads to a smaller formation of volatile iodine compounds. But the alloying process is likely to cause melting of the control blades so the are removed from the reactor core, a process which may have negative secondary effects. It has been found that a series of materials that are present in the reactor containment are likely to participate in various chemical reactions during an accident. Among these are electric cables, motors, thermal insulation, surface coatings and sheet metal. Metallic surface coatings and sheet metal can be some of the main sources of hydrogen. Effects from chemical reactions can be more accurately predicted by the new SHMAPP code, developed within this project, combining thermal, hydraulic and chemical phenomena. (AB)

Evaluation of Melt Behavior with initial Melt Velocity under SFR Severe Accidents

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Heo, Hyo; Bang, In Cheol [UNIST, Ulsan (Korea, Republic of); Jerng, Dong Wook [Chung-Ang Univ, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2015-10-15

In the current Korean sodium-cooled fast reactor (SFR) program, early dispersion of the molten metallic fuel within a subchannel is suggested as one of the inherent safety strategies for the initiating phase of hypothetical core disruptive accident (HCDA). The safety strategy provides negative reactivity driven by the melt dispersal, so it could reduce the possibility of the recriticality event under a severe triple or more fault scenario for SFR. Since the behavior of the melt dispersion is unpredictable, it depends on the accident condition, particularly core region. While the voided coolant channel region is usually developed in the inner core, the unvoided coolant channel region is formed in the outer core. It is important to confirm the fuel dispersion with the core region, but there are not sufficient existing studies for them. From the existing studies, the coolant vapor pressure is considered as one of driving force to move the melt towards outside of the core. There is a complexity of the phenomena during intermixing of the melt with the coolant after the horizontal melt injections. It is too difficult to understand the several combined mechanisms related to the melt dispersion and the fragmentation. Thus, it could be worthwhile to study the horizontal melt injections at lower temperature as a preliminary study in order to identify the melt dispersion phenomena. For this reason, it is required to clarify whether the coolant vapor pressure is the driving force of the melt dispersion with the core region. The specific conditions to be well dispersed for the molten metallic fuel were discussed in the experiments with the simulant materials. The each melt behavior was compared to evaluate the melt dispersion under the coolant void condition and the boiling condition. As the results, the following results are remarked: 1. The upward melt dispersion did not occur for a given melt and coolant temperature in the nonboiling range. Over current range of conditions

Evaluation of Melt Behavior with initial Melt Velocity under SFR Severe Accidents

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heo, Hyo; Bang, In Cheol; Jerng, Dong Wook

2015-01-01

In the current Korean sodium-cooled fast reactor (SFR) program, early dispersion of the molten metallic fuel within a subchannel is suggested as one of the inherent safety strategies for the initiating phase of hypothetical core disruptive accident (HCDA). The safety strategy provides negative reactivity driven by the melt dispersal, so it could reduce the possibility of the recriticality event under a severe triple or more fault scenario for SFR. Since the behavior of the melt dispersion is unpredictable, it depends on the accident condition, particularly core region. While the voided coolant channel region is usually developed in the inner core, the unvoided coolant channel region is formed in the outer core. It is important to confirm the fuel dispersion with the core region, but there are not sufficient existing studies for them. From the existing studies, the coolant vapor pressure is considered as one of driving force to move the melt towards outside of the core. There is a complexity of the phenomena during intermixing of the melt with the coolant after the horizontal melt injections. It is too difficult to understand the several combined mechanisms related to the melt dispersion and the fragmentation. Thus, it could be worthwhile to study the horizontal melt injections at lower temperature as a preliminary study in order to identify the melt dispersion phenomena. For this reason, it is required to clarify whether the coolant vapor pressure is the driving force of the melt dispersion with the core region. The specific conditions to be well dispersed for the molten metallic fuel were discussed in the experiments with the simulant materials. The each melt behavior was compared to evaluate the melt dispersion under the coolant void condition and the boiling condition. As the results, the following results are remarked: 1. The upward melt dispersion did not occur for a given melt and coolant temperature in the nonboiling range. Over current range of conditions

A slow atomic diffusion process in high-entropy glass-forming metallic melts

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Changjiu; Wong, Kaikin; Krishnan, Rithin P.; Embs, Jan P.; Chathoth, Suresh M.

2018-04-01

Quasi-elastic neutron scattering has been used to study atomic relaxation processes in high-entropy glass-forming metallic melts with different glass-forming ability (GFA). The momentum transfer dependence of mean relaxation time shows a highly collective atomic transport process in the alloy melts with the highest and lowest GFA. However, a jump diffusion process is the long-range atomic transport process in the intermediate GFA alloy melt. Nevertheless, atomic mobility close to the melting temperature of these alloy melts is quite similar, and the temperature dependence of the diffusion coefficient exhibits a non-Arrhenius behavior. The atomic mobility in these high-entropy melts is much slower than that of the best glass-forming melts at their respective melting temperatures.

The Combined Strength of Thermodynamics and Comparative Planetology: Application of Activity Models to Core Formation in Terrestrial Bodies

Science.gov (United States)

Righter, K.; Pando, K. M.; Danielson, L. R.

2015-01-01

Recent models for accretion of terrestrial bodies involve metal-silicate equilibrium as the metallic core formed during growth. Most elements considered are either refractory or well studied elements for which effects of pressure, temperature, oxygen fugacity, and metallic liquid composition are well known. There are a large number of elements that are both siderophile and volatile, whose fate in such models is unknown, largely due to a lack of data at comparable conditions and com-positions (FeNi core with light elements such as S, C, Si, and O). We have focused on Ge, In, As, Sb and determined the effect of Si and C on metal-silicate partitioning, and developed a thermo-dynamic model that allows application of these new data to a wide range of planetary bodies. New experiments: We have previously carried out experiments with FeSi metallic liquid at C-saturated conditions at 1600 and 1800 C [4]. In a new series of experiments we investigate the effect of Si in carbon-free systems at 1600 C for comparison. Experiments were carried out at 1 GPa in MgO capsules using the same basaltic starting composition as in previous studies. The MgO capsule reacts with the silicate melt to form more MgO-rich liquids that have 22-26 wt% MgO. Experimental met-als and silicates were analyzed using a combination of electron microprobe analysis and laser ablation ICP-MS. Results: The new results can be interpreted by considering Ge as an example, in the simple exchange equilibrium Fe + GeO = FeO + Ge, where the equilibrium constant Kd can be examined as a function of Si content of the metal. The slope of lnKd vs. (1-XSi) for this new series allows derivation of the epsilon interaction parameter for each of these four elements and Si (both C-saturated and C-free).All four elements have positive epsilon values, indicating that Si causes a decrease in the partition coefficients; values are 6.6, 6.5, 27.8 and 25.2 for In, Ge, As, and Sb, respectively, at 1 GPa and 1600 C. As an example of

Universal viscosity growth in metallic melts at megabar pressures: the vitreous state of the Earth's inner core

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brazhkin, Vadim V; Lyapin, A G

2000-01-01

Experimental data on and theoretical models for the viscosity of various types of liquids and melts under pressure are reviewed. Experimentally, the least studied melts are those of metals, whose viscosity is considered to be virtually constant along the melting curve. The authors' new approach to the viscosity of melts involves the measurement of the grain size in solidified samples. Measurements on liquid metals at pressures up to 10 GPa using this method show, contrary to the empirical approach, that the melt viscosity grows considerably along the melting curves. Based on the experimental data and on the critical analysis of current theories, a hypothesis of a universal viscosity behavior is introduced for liquids under pressure. Extrapolating the liquid iron results to the pressures and temperatures at the Earth's core reveals that the Earth's outer core is a very viscous melt with viscosity values ranging from 10 2 Pa s to 10 11 Pa s depending on the depth. The Earth's inner core is presumably an ultraviscous (>10 11 Pa s) glass-like liquid - in disagreement with the current idea of a crystalline inner core. The notion of the highly viscous interior of celestial bodies sheds light on many mysteries of planetary geophysics and astronomy. From the analysis of the pressure variation of the melting and glass-transition temperatures, an entirely new concept of a stable metallic vitreous state arises, calling for further experimental and theoretical study. (reviews of topical problems)

Neutronics simulations on hypothetical power excursion and possible core melt scenarios in CANDU6

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Yonghee

2015-01-01

LOCA (Loss of coolant accident) is an outstanding safety issue in the CANDU reactor system since the coolant void reactivity is strongly positive. To deal with the LOCA, the CANDU systems are equipped with specially designed quickly-acting secondary shutdown system. Nevertheless, the so-called design-extended conditions are requested to be taken into account in the safety analysis for nuclear reactor systems after the Fukushima accident. As a DEC scenario, the worst accident situation in a CANDU reactor system is a unprotected LOCA, which is supposed to lead to a power excursion and possibly a core melt-down. In this work, the hypothetical unprotected LOCA scenario is simulated in view of the power excursion and fuel temperature changes by using a simplified point-kinetics (PK) model accounting for the fuel temperature change. In the PK model, the core reactivity is assumed to be affected by a large break LOCA and the fuel temperature is simulated to account for the Doppler effect. In addition, unlike the conventional PK simulation, we have also considered the Xe-I model to evaluate the impact of Xe during the LOCA. Also, we tried to simulate the fuel and core melt-down scenario in terms of the reactivity through a series of neutronics calculations for hypothetical core conditions. In case of a power excursion and possible fuel melt-down situation, the reactor system behavior is very uncertain. In this work, we tried to understand the impacts of fuel melt and relocation within the pressure vessel on the core reactivity and failure of pressure and calandria tubes. (author)

International solar-terrestrial physics program: a plan for the core spaceflight missions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1985-01-01

This brochure has been prepared to describe the scope of the science problems to be investigated and the mission plan for the core International Solar-Terrestrial Physics (ISTP) Program. This information is intended to stimulate discussions and plans for the comprehensive worldwide ISTP Program. The plan for the study of the solar - terrestrial system is included. The Sun, geospace, and Sun-Earth interaction is discussed as is solar dynamics and the origins of solar winds.

Simulant melt experiments on performance of the in-vessel core catcher

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kyoung-Ho Kang; Rae-Joon Park; Sang-Baik Kim; Suh, K.Y.; Cheung, F.B.; Rempe, J.L.

2005-01-01

Full text of publication follows: LAVA-GAP experiments are in progress to investigate the performance of the in-vessel core catcher using alumina melt as a corium simulant. The hemispherical in-vessel core catcher made of carbon steel was installed inside the lower head vessel with uniform gap of 5 mm or 10 mm to the inner surface of the lower head vessel. As a performance test of the in-vessel core catcher, the effects of base steel and internal coating materials and gap thickness between the core catcher and the lower head vessel were examined in this study. In the LAVA-GAP-2 and LAVA-GAP-3 tests, the base steel was carbon steel and the gap thickness was 10 mm. On the other hand, in the LAVA-GAP-4 and LAVA-GAP-5 tests, the base steel was stainless steel and the gap thickness was 5 mm. Actual composition of the coating material for the LAVA-GAP-4 test was 92% of ZrO 2 - 8% of Y 2 O 3 including 95% of Ni - 5% of Al bond coat same as the LAVA-GAP-3 test. In these tests, the thickness of ZrO 2 internal coating was 0.5 mm. To examine the effects of the coating material, in-vessel core catcher with a 0.6 mm-thick ZrO 2 coating without bond coat was used in the LAVA-GAP-5 test. This report summarizes the experimental results and the post metallurgical inspection results of the LAVA-GAP-4 and LAVA-GAP- 5 tests. In the LAVA-GAP-4 and LAVA-GAP-5 tests, the core catcher was failed and it was stuck to the inner surface of the lower head vessel. LAVA-GAP-4 and LAVA-GAP-5 test results imply that 5 mm thick gap is rather small for sufficient water ingression and steam venting through the gap. In case of small gap size, water is boiled off and steam increases pressure inside the gap and so water can not ingress into the gap at the initial heat up stage. Metallurgical inspections on the test specimens indicate that the internal coating layer might melt totally and dispersed in the base steel and the solidified iron melt and so the detection frequencies of Zr and O are trivial all

Simulation of core melt spreading with lava: theoretical background and status of validation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Allelein, H.-J.; Breest, A.; Spengler, C.

2000-01-01

The goal of this paper is to present the GRS R and D achievements and perspectives of its approach to simulate ex-vessel core melt spreading. The basic idea followed by GRS is the analogy of core melt spreading to volcanic lava flows. A fact first proposed by Robson (1967) and now widely accepted is that lava rheologically behaves as a Bingham fluid, which is characterized by yield stress and plastic viscosity. Recent experimental investigations by Epstein (1996) reveal that corium-concrete mixtures may be described as Bingham fluids. The GRS code LAVA is based on a successful lava flow model, but is adapted to prototypic corium and corium-simulation spreading. Furthermore some detailed physical models such as a thermal crust model on the free melt surface and a model for heat conduction into the substratum are added. Heat losses of the bulk, which is represented by one mean temperature, are now determined by radiation and by temperature profiles in the upper crust and in the substratum. In order to reduce the weak mesh dependence of the original algorithm, a random space method of cellular automata is integrated, which removes the mesh bias without increasing calculation time. LAVA is successfully validated against a lot of experiments using different materials spread. The validation process has shown that LAVA is a robust and fast running code to simulate corium-type spreading. LAVA provides all integral information of practical interest (spreading length, height of the melt after stabilization) and seems to be an appropriate tool for handling large core melt masses within a plant application. (orig.)

In-core melt progression for the MAAP 4 codes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu, C.-D.; Paik, Chan Y.; Henry, Robert E.; Ply, Martin G.

2004-01-01

The MAAP 4 core melt progression model contains provisions for the formation of a molten debris pool surrounded by a crust during late phase core degradation. A predominantly oxidic molten pool with a predominantly metallic lower crust may naturally develop through a combination of models for real material phase diagrams, mechanistic relocation, and rules to recognize extremely low porosity and the liquid fractions of adjacent highly degraded nodes. Pool size and shape thus becomes relatively independent of core nodalization (which only governs the coarseness of the crust location). An upper pool crust is mechanistically allowed during consideration of radiative and convective heat losses from the pool top surface to surrounding core nodes, the core barrel, and upper internals. Circulation within the pool causes mass and energy exchange between participating pool nodes, and determines the heat fluxes to the boundary crusts. Side and bottom node failure is predicted based on the time, temperature, and stress. Calculations demonstrate that this concept allows simulation of the degraded core geometry observed during the TMI-2 accident. (author)

Comparison of advanced mid-sized reactors regarding passive features, core damage frequencies and core melt retention features

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wider, H.

2005-01-01

New Light Water Reactors, whose regular safety systems are complemented by passive safety systems, are ready for the market. The special aspect of passive safety features is their actuation and functioning independent of the operator. They add significantly to reduce the core damage frequency (CDF) since the operator continues to play its independent role in actuating the regular safety devices based on modern instrumentation and control (I and C). The latter also has passive features regarding the prevention of accidents. Two reactors with significant passive features that are presently offered on the market are the AP1000 PWR and the SWR 1000 BWR. Their passive features are compared and also their core damage frequencies (CDF). The latter are also compared with those of a VVER-1000. A further discussion about the two passive plants concerns their mitigating features for severe accidents. Regarding core-melt retention both rely on in-vessel cooling of the melt. The new VVER-1000 reactor, on the other hand features a validated ex-vessel concept. (author)

Melting of Fe-Si-O alloys: the Fate of Coexisting Si and O in the Core

Science.gov (United States)

Arveson, S. M.; Lee, K. K. M.

2017-12-01

The light element budget of Earth's core plays an integral role in sustaining outer core convection, which powers the geodynamo. Many experiments have been performed on binary iron compounds, but the results do not robustly agree with seismological observations and geochemical constraints. Earth's core is almost certainly made up of multiple light elements, so the future of core composition studies lies in ternary (or higher order) systems in order to examine interactions between light elements. We perform melting experiments on Fe-Si-O alloys in a laser-heated diamond-anvil cell to 80 GPa and 4000 K. Using 2D multi- wavelength imaging radiometry together with textural and chemical analysis of quenched samples, we measure the high-pressure melting curves and determine partitioning of light elements between the melt and the coexisting solid. Quenched samples are analyzed both in map view and in cross section using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and electron microprobe analysis (EPMA) to examine the 3D melt structure and composition. Partitioning of light elements between molten and solid alloys dictates (1) the density contrast at the ICB, which drives compositional convection in the outer core and (2) the temperature of the CMB, an integral parameter for understanding the deep Earth. Our experiments suggest silicon and oxygen do not simply coexist in the melt and instead show complex solubility based on temperature. Additionally, we do not find evidence of crystallization of SiO2 at low oxygen content as was recently reported.11 Hirose, K., et al., Crystallization of silicon dioxide and compositional evolution of the Earth's core. Nature, 2017. 543(7643): p. 99-102.

Crust behavior and erosion rate prediction of EPR sacrificial material impinged by core melt jet

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, Gen; Liu, Ming, E-mail: ming.liu@mail.xjtu.edu.cn; Wang, Jinshi; Chong, Daotong; Yan, Junjie

2017-04-01

Highlights: • A numerical code was developed to analyze melt jet-concrete interaction in the frame of MPS method. • Crust and ablated concrete layer at UO{sub 2}-ZrO{sub 2} melt and concrete interface periodically developed and collapsed. • Concrete surface temperature fluctuated around a low temperature and ablation temperature. • Concrete erosion by Fe-Zr melt jet was significantly faster than that by UO{sub 2}-ZrO{sub 2} melt jet. - Abstract: Sacrificial material is a special ferro-siliceous concrete, designed in the ex-vessel core melt stabilization system of European Pressurized water Reactor (EPR). Given a localized break of RPV lower head, the melt directly impinges onto the dry concrete in form of compact jet. The concrete erosion behavior influences the failure of melt plug, and further affects melt spreading. In this study, a numerical code was developed in the frame of Moving Particle Semi-implicit (MPS) method, to analyze the crust behavior and erosion rate of sacrificial concrete, impinged by prototypic melt jet. In validation of numerical modeling, the time-dependent erosion depth and erosion configuration matched well with the experimental data. Sensitivity study of sacrificial concrete erosion indicates that the crust and ablated concrete layer presented at UO{sub 2}-ZrO{sub 2} melt and concrete interface, whereas no crust could be found in the interaction of Fe-Zr melt with concrete. The crust went through stabilization-fracture-reformation periodic process, accompanied with accumulating and collapsing of molten concrete layer. The concrete surface temperature fluctuated around a low temperature and ablation temperature. It increased as the concrete surface layer was heated to melting, and dropped down when the cold concrete was revealed. The erosion progression was fast in the conditions of small jet diameter and large concrete inclination angle, and it was significantly faster in the erosion by metallic melt jet than by oxidic melt jet.

Melting of iron at the Earth's core conditions by molecular dynamics simulation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Y. N. Wu

2011-09-01

Full Text Available By large scale molecular dynamics simulations of solid-liquid coexistence, we have investigated the melting of iron under pressures from 0 to 364 GPa. The temperatures of liquid and solid regions, and the pressure of the system are calculated to estimate the melting point of iron. We obtain the melting temperature of iron is about 6700±200K under the inner-outer core boundary, which is in good agreement with the result of Alfè et al. By the pair analysis technique, the microstructure of liquid iron under higher pressures is obviously different from that of lower pressures and ambient condition, indicating that the pressure-induced liquid-liquid phase transition may take place in iron melts.

Glass forming ability of calcium aluminosilicate melts

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Moesgaard, Mette; Yue, Yuanzheng

2011-01-01

The glass forming ability (GFA) of two series of calcium aluminosilicate melts is studied by measuring their viscous behavior and crystallization tendency. The first series consists of five compositions on the joining line between the eutectic point of anorthite-wollastonite-tridymite and that of......The glass forming ability (GFA) of two series of calcium aluminosilicate melts is studied by measuring their viscous behavior and crystallization tendency. The first series consists of five compositions on the joining line between the eutectic point of anorthite......-wollastonite-tridymite and that of anorthite-wollastonite-gehlenite. The series includes the eutectic compositions as end members. The second series consists of five compositions on a line parallel to the joining line on the alumina rich side. In the present work, GFA is described in terms of glass stability, i.e., the ability of a glass...... to resist crystallization during reheating. In addition, the fragility index (m) is derived by fitting the viscosity data with the Avramov-Milchev equation. The results show that m is inversely proportional to the glass stability for the two series of melts, implying that m is an indirect measure of GFA...

Chicxulub Impact Crater and Yucatan Carbonate Platform - Stratigraphy and Petrography of PEMEX Borehole Cores

Science.gov (United States)

Gutierrez-Cirlos, A. G.; Perez-Drago, G.; Perez-Cruz, L.; Urrutia-Fucugauchi, J.

2008-12-01

Chicxulub impact crater is the best preserved of the three large multi-ring structures documented in the terrestrial record. Chicxulub, formed 65 Ma ago, is associated with the Cretaceous/Tertiary (K/T) boundary layer and the impact related to the organism extinctions and events marking the boundary. The crater is buried under Tertiary sediments in the Yucatan carbonate platform in the southern Gulf of Mexico. The structure was initially recognized from gravity and magnetic anomalies in the PEMEX exploration surveys of the northwestern Yucatan peninsula. The exploration program included eight deep boreholes completed from 1952 through the 1970s. The investigations showing Chicxulub as a large complex impact crater formed at the K/T boundary have relayed on the PEMEX decades-long exploration program. However, despite frequent use of PEMEX information and core samples, significant parts of the database and cores remain to be evaluated, analyzed and incorporated with results from recent efforts. Access to PEMEX Core Repository has permitted to study the cores and collect new samples from some of the boreholes. We analyzed cores from Yucatan-6, Chicxulub-1, Sacapuc-1, Ticul-1, Yucatan-1 and Yucatan-4 boreholes to make new detailed stratigraphic correlations and petrographic characterization, using information from PEMEX database and the recent studies. In C-1 cores, breccias show 4-8 cm clasts of fine grained altered melt dispersed in a medium to coarse grained matrix composed of pyroxene and feldspar with little macroscopic alteration. Clasts contain 0.2 to 0.1 cm fragments of silicate material (basement) that show variable degrees of digestion. Melt samples from C-1 N10 comes from interval 1,393-1,394 m, and show a fine-to-medium grained coherent microcrystalline groundmass. Melt and breccias in Y-6 extend from about 1,100 m to more than 1,400 m. Sequence is well sorted, with an apparent gradation in both the lithic and melt clasts. In this presentation we report on

Plastic deformation of FeSi at high pressures: implications for planetary cores

Science.gov (United States)

Kupenko, Ilya; Merkel, Sébastien; Achorner, Melissa; Plückthun, Christian; Liermann, Hanns-Peter; Sanchez-Valle, Carmen

2017-04-01

The cores of terrestrial planets is mostly comprised of a Fe-Ni alloy, but it should additionally contain some light element(s) in order to explain the observed core density. Silicon has long been considered as a likely candidate because of geochemical and cosmochemical arguments: the Mg/Si and Fe/Si ratios of the Earth does not match those of the chondrites. Since silicon preferentially partition into iron-nickel metal, having 'missing' silicon in the core would solve this problem. Moreover, the evidence of present (e.g. Mercury) or ancient (e.g. Mars) magnetic fields on the terrestrial planets is a good indicator of (at least partially) liquid cores. The estimated temperature profiles of these planets, however, lay below iron melting curve. The addition of light elements in their metal cores could allow reducing their core-alloy melting temperature and, hence, the generation of a magnetic field. Although the effect of light elements on the stability and elasticity of Fe-Ni alloys has been widely investigated, their effect on the plasticity of core materials remains largely unknown. Yet, this information is crucial for understanding how planetary cores deform. Here we investigate the plastic deformation of ɛ-FeSi up to 50 GPa at room temperature employing a technique of radial x-ray diffraction in diamond anvil cells. Stoichiometric FeSi endmember is a good first-order approximation of the Fe-FeSi system and a good starting material to develop new experimental perspectives. In this work, we focused on the low-pressure polymorph of FeSi that would be the stable phase in the cores of small terrestrial planets. We will present the analysis of measured data and discuss their potential application to constrain plastic deformation in planetary cores.

Contribution of Anticipated Transients Without Scram (ATWS) to core melt at United States nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Giachetti, R.T.

1989-09-01

This report looks at WASH-1400 and several other Probabilistic Risk Assessments (PRAs) and Probabilistic Safety Studies (PSSs) to determine the contribution of Anticipated Transients Without Scram (ATWS) events to the total core melt probability at eight nuclear power plants in the United States. After considering each plant individually, the results are compared from plant to plant to see if any generic conclusions regarding ATWS, or core melt in general, can be made. 8 refs., 34 tabs

Viscosity measurements on metal melts at high pressure and viscosity calculations for the earth's core

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mineev, Vladimir N; Funtikov, Aleksandr I

2004-01-01

A review is given of experimental and calculated data on the viscosity of iron-based melts on the melting curve. The interest in these data originates in the division of opinion on whether viscosity increases rather moderately or considerably in the high-pressure range. This disagreement is especially pronounced in the interpretation of the values of molten iron and its compounds in the environment of the earth's outer core. The conclusion on a substantial rise in viscosity mostly follows from the universal law, proposed by Brazhkin and Lyapin [1], of viscosity changing along the metal melting curve in the high-pressure range. The review analyzes available experimental and computational data, including the most recent ones. Data on viscosity of metals under shock wave compression in the megabar pressure range are also discussed. It is shown that data on viscosity of metal melts point to a small increase of viscosity on the melting curve. Specifics are discussed of the phase diagram of iron made more complex by the presence of several phase transitions and by the uncertainty in the position of the melting curve in the high-pressure range. Inaccuracies that arise in extrapolating the results of viscosity measurements to the pressure range corresponding to the earth's core environment are pointed out. (reviews of topical problems)

Severe accident mitigation and core melt retention in the European pressurized reactor (EPR)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fischer, Manfred

2003-01-01

For the mitigation of severe accidents, the FPR has adopted and improved the defense-in-depth approaches of its predecessors, the French 'N4' and the German 'Konvoi' PWR's. Beyond these evolutionary changes, it includes a new, 4-th level of defense aimed at limiting the consequences of a postulated severe accident with core melting. This involves a strengthening of the confinement function and the avoidance of large early releases, by the prevention of scenarios and events with potentially high loads on the containment, incl. RPV failure at high pressure. The remaining low-pressure accidents are mitigated by dedicated design measures. The paper gives an overview and of the measures for H 2 -mitigation and steam explosion and focuses on a detailed description of the precautions and design measures for the stabilization and long-term cooling of the molten core. In the EPR the latter is achieved by melt spreading into a large outside-cooled crucible lateral to the pit, which is passively flooded and cooled with water from the IRWST. The separation of functions between pit and spreading room not only isolates the core catcher from the various loads during RPV failure, but also avoids any risks related to an unintended initiation of flooding during power operation. A stable state of the melt is reached after a few hours. Complete solidification is achieved within days. The core catcher can optionally be cooled actively by the CHRS, which avoids further steaming into the containment and establishes ambient pressure conditions in the long term. (author)

Shock Compression and Melting of an Fe-Ni-Si Alloy: Implications for the Temperature Profile of the Earth's Core and the Heat Flux Across the Core-Mantle Boundary

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Youjun; Sekine, Toshimori; Lin, Jung-Fu; He, Hongliang; Liu, Fusheng; Zhang, Mingjian; Sato, Tomoko; Zhu, Wenjun; Yu, Yin

2018-02-01

Understanding the melting behavior and the thermal equation of state of Fe-Ni alloyed with candidate light elements at conditions of the Earth's core is critical for our knowledge of the region's thermal structure and chemical composition and the heat flow across the liquid outer core into the lowermost mantle. Here we studied the shock equation of state and melting curve of an Fe-8 wt% Ni-10 wt% Si alloy up to 250 GPa by hypervelocity impacts with direct velocity and reliable temperature measurements. Our results show that the addition of 10 wt% Si to Fe-8 wt% Ni alloy slightly depresses the melting temperature of iron by 200-300 (±200) K at the core-mantle boundary ( 136 GPa) and by 600-800 (±500) K at the inner core-outer core boundary ( 330 GPa), respectively. Our results indicate that Si has a relatively mild effect on the melting temperature of iron compared with S and O. Our thermodynamic modeling shows that Fe-5 wt% Ni alloyed with 6 wt% Si and 2 wt% S (which has a density-velocity profile that matches the outer core's seismic profile well) exhibits an adiabatic profile with temperatures of 3900 K and 5300 K at the top and bottom of the outer core, respectively. If Si is a major light element in the core, a geotherm modeled for the outer core indicates a thermal gradient of 5.8-6.8 (±1.6) K/km in the D″ region and a high heat flow of 13-19 TW across the core-mantle boundary.

Melting and solidification behavior of Cu/Al and Ti/Al bimetallic core/shell nanoparticles during additive manufacturing by molecular dynamics simulation

Science.gov (United States)

Rahmani, Farzin; Jeon, Jungmin; Jiang, Shan; Nouranian, Sasan

2018-05-01

Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were performed to investigate the role of core volume fraction and number of fusing nanoparticles (NPs) on the melting and solidification of Cu/Al and Ti/Al bimetallic core/shell NPs during a superfast heating and slow cooling process, roughly mimicking the conditions of selective laser melting (SLM). One recent trend in the SLM process is the rapid prototyping of nanoscopically heterogeneous alloys, wherein the precious core metal maintains its particulate nature in the final manufactured part. With this potential application in focus, the current work reveals the fundamental role of the interface in the two-stage melting of the core/shell alloy NPs. For a two-NP system, the melting zone gets broader as the core volume fraction increases. This effect is more pronounced for the Ti/Al system than the Cu/Al system because of a larger difference between the melting temperatures of the shell and core metals in the former than the latter. In a larger six-NP system (more nanoscopically heterogeneous), the melting and solidification temperatures of the shell Al roughly coincide, irrespective of the heating or cooling rate, implying that in the SLM process, the part manufacturing time can be reduced due to solidification taking place at higher temperatures. The nanostructure evolution during the cooling of six-NP systems is further investigated. [Figure not available: see fulltext.

Melt cooling by bottom flooding: The experiment CometPC-H3. Ex-vessel core melt stabilization research

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alsmeyer, H.; Cron, T.; Merkel, G.; Schmidt-Stiefel, S.; Tromm, W.; Wenz, T.

2003-03-01

The CometPC-H3 experiment was performed to investigate melt cooling by water addition to the bottom of the melt. The experiment was performed with a melt mass of 800 kg, 50% metal and 50% oxide, and 300 kW typical decay heat were simulated in the melt. As this was the first experiment after repair of the induction coil, attention was given to avoid overload of the induction coil and to keep the inductor voltage below critical values. Therefore, the height of the sacrificial concrete layer was reduced to 5 cm only, and the height of the porous concrete layers was also minimized to have a small distance and good coupling between heated melt and induction coil. After quite homogeneous erosion of the upper sacrificial concrete layer, passive bottom flooding started from the porous concrete after 220 s with 1.3 liter water/s. The melt was safely stopped, arrested and cooled. The porous, water filled concrete was only slightly attacked by the hot melt in the upper 25 mm of one sector of the coolant device. The peak cooling rate in the early contact phase of coolant water and melt was 4 MW/m 2 , and exceeded the decay heat by one order of magnitude. The cooling rate remarkably dropped, when the melt was covered by the penetrating water and a surface crust was formed. Volcanic eruptions from the melt during the solidification process were observed from 360 - 510 s and created a volcanic dome some 25 cm high, but had only minor effect on the generation of a porous structure, as the expelled melt solidified mostly with low porosity. Unfortunately, decay heat simulation in the melt was interrupted at 720 s by an incorrect safety signal, which excluded further investigation of the long term cooling processes. At that time, the melt was massively flooded by a layer of water, about 80 cm thick, and coolant water inflow was still 1 l/s. The melt had reached a stable situation: Downward erosion was stopped by the cooling process from the water filled, porous concrete layer. Top

Effect of periodic melting on geochemical and isotopic signals in an ice core from Lomonosovfonna, Svalbard

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Pohjola, V.A.; Moore, J.C.; Isaksson, E.; Jauhiainen, T.; Wal, R.S.W. van de; Martma, T.; Meijer, H.A.J.; Vaikmäe, R.

2002-01-01

[1] We examine the quality of atmospherically deposited ion and isotope signals in an ice core taken from a periodically melting ice field, Lomonosovfonna in central Spitsbergen, Svalbard. The aim is to determine the degree to which the signals are altered by periodic melting of the ice. We use

Apollo 17 'melt sheet': chemistry, age and Rb/Sr systematics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Winzer, S R [Martin Marietta Labs., Baltimore, Md. (USA); Nava, D F; Schuhmann, S; Philpotts, J A [National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Greenbelt, Md. (USA). Goddard Space Flight Center; Schuhmann, P J; Lum, R K.L.; Lindstrom, M M; Lindstrom, D J [Maryland Univ., College Park (USA)

1977-01-01

Major, minor and trace element compositions, age data and Rb/Sr systematics of Apollo 17 boulders have been compiled, and additional analyses performed on a norite breccia clast (77215) included in the Apollo 17, Station 7 boulder. The Apollo 17 boulders are found to be identical or nearly so in major, minor and trace element composition, suggesting that they all originated as an impact melt analogous to melt sheets found in larger terrestrial craters. The matrix dates (/sup 40/Ar//sup 39/Ar) and Rb/Sr systematics available suggest that this impact melt formed by a single impact about 4 b.y. ago. This impact excavated, shocked, brecciated and melted norites, norite cumulates and possibly anorthositic gabbros and dunites about 4.4 b.y. old. The impact was likely a major one, possibly the Serenitatis basin-forming event.

The oxygen isotope composition of earth's oldest rocks and evidence of a terrestrial magma ocean

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rumble, D.; Bowring, S.; Iizuka, T.

2013-01-01

Analysis of Hadean and Archean rocks for O-16-O-17-O-18 isotopes demonstrates that the Terrestrial Mass Fractionation Line of oxygen isotopes has had the same slope and intercept for at least the past 4.0 and probably for as long as 4.2Ga. The homogenization of oxygen isotopes required to produce....... But other sources of heat for global melting cannot be excluded such as bolide impacts during early accretion of proto-Earth, the decay of short-lived radioactive isotopes, or the energy released during segregation of core from mantle.......Analysis of Hadean and Archean rocks for O-16-O-17-O-18 isotopes demonstrates that the Terrestrial Mass Fractionation Line of oxygen isotopes has had the same slope and intercept for at least the past 4.0 and probably for as long as 4.2Ga. The homogenization of oxygen isotopes required to produce...... such long-lived consistency was most easily established by mixing in a terrestrial magma ocean. The measured identical oxygen isotope mass fractionation lines for Earth and Moon suggest that oxygen isotope reservoirs of both bodies were homogenized at the same time during a giant moon-forming impact...

Differential melt scaling for oblique impacts on terrestrial planets

Science.gov (United States)

Abramov, Oleg; Wong, Stephanie M. Wong; Kring, David A. Kring

2012-01-01

Analytical estimates of melt volumes produced by a given projectile and contained in a given impact crater are derived as a function of impact velocity, impact angle, planetary gravity, target and projectile densities, and specific internal energy of melting. Applications to impact events and impact craters on the Earth, Moon, and Mars are demonstrated and discussed. The most probable oblique impact (45°) produces ∼1.6 times less melt volume than a vertical impact, and ∼1.6 and 3.7 times more melt volume than impacts with 30° and 15° trajectories, respectively. The melt volume for a particular crater diameter increases with planetary gravity, so a crater on Earth should have more melt than similar-size craters on Mars and the Moon. The melt volume for a particular projectile diameter does not depend on gravity, but has a strong dependence on impact velocity, so the melt generated by a given projectile on the Moon is significantly larger than on Mars. Higher surface temperatures and geothermal gradients increase melt production, as do lower energies of melting. Collectively, the results imply thinner central melt sheets and a smaller proportion of melt particles in impact breccias on the Moon and Mars than on Earth. These effects are illustrated in a comparison of the Chicxulub crater on Earth, linked to the Cretaceous–Tertiary mass extinction, Gusev crater on Mars, where the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit landed, and Tsiolkovsky crater on the Moon. The results are comparable to those obtained from field and spacecraft observations, other analytical expressions, and hydrocode simulations.

Proposed model for fuel-coolant mixing during a core-melt accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Corradini, M.L.

1983-01-01

If complete failure of normal and emergency coolant flow occurs in a light water reactor, fission product decay heat would eventually cause melting of the reactor fuel and cladding. The core melt may then slump into the lower plenum and later into the reactor cavity and contact residual liquid water. A model is proposed to describe the fuel-coolant mixing process upon contact. The model is compared to intermediate scale experiments being conducted at Sandia. The modelling of this mixing process will aid in understanding three important processes: (1) fuel debris sizes upon quenching in water, (2) the hydrogen source term during fuel quench, and (3) the rate of steam production. Additional observations of Sandia data indicate that the steam explosion is affected by this mixing process

The Apollo 17 'melt sheet': chemistry, age and Rb/Sr systematics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Winzer, S.R.; Nava, D.F.; Schuhmann, S.; Philpotts, J.A.

1977-01-01

Major, minor and trace element compositions, age data and Rb/Sr systematics of Apollo 17 boulders have been compiled, and additional analyses performed on a norite breccia clast (77215) included in the Apollo 17, Station 7 boulder. The Apollo 17 boulders are found to be identical or nearly so in major, minor and trace element composition, suggesting that they all originated as an impact melt analogous to melt sheets found in larger terrestrial craters. The matrix dates ( 40 Ar/ 39 Ar) and Rb/Sr systematics available suggest that this impact melt formed by a single impact about 4 b.y. ago. This impact excavated, shocked, brecciated and melted norites, norite cumulates and possibly anorthositic gabbros and dunites about 4.4 b.y. old. The impact was likely a major one, possibly the Serenitatis basin-forming event. (Auth.)

Phenomena in the interaction among a core melt and protective and sacrificial materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Steinwarz, W.; Koller, W.; Dyllong, N.; Fischer, M.; Hellmann, S.; Lansmann, V.; Nie, M.; Haefner, W.; Alkan, Z.; Andrae, P.; Rensing, B.

2000-01-01

In a postulated core meltdown accident in a light water reactor there are bound to be interactions, in the ex-vessel phase, among the core melt and the structural materials within and below the reactor cavity. In existing plants, these structural materials normally are structural concrete, while future, evolutionary reactor lines are to have sacrificial and protective materials specially designed for this hypothetical case. To add to the state of knowledge about the phenomena occurring, experiments need to be conducted under conditions as realistic as possible. Within the research programs funded by the European Union, the German Federal Ministry for Economics, and the German nuclear power plant operators, experiments on a laboratory as well as an industrial scale on these problems are being carried out in the two projects called CORESA (COrium on REfractory and SAcrificial materials) and ECOSTAR (Ex-vessel COre melt STAbilization Research). The experiments are accompanied by an extensive analytical theoretical program also serving to advance and validate computer codes on the problems under investigation. The projects, which are carried out with international European participation, are expected to allow a concept to be developed for managing postulated accident scenarios involving core meltdown for innovative nuclear power plants, and to provide findings on risk evaluation of plants now in operation so as to further develop accident management measures. (orig.) [de

Effect of controlling recrystallization from the melt on the residual stress and structural properties of the Silica-clad Ge core fiber

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Ziwen; Cheng, Xueli; He, Ting; Xue, Fei; Zhang, Wei; Chen, Na; Wen, Jianxiang; Zeng, Xianglong; Wang, Tingyun

2017-09-01

Effect of controlling recrystallization from the melt (1000 °C) on the residual stress and structural properties of a Ge core fiber via molten core drawing (MCD) method is investigated. Ge core fibers is investigated using Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscope (SEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Compared with the as-drawn Ge fiber, the Raman peak of the recrystallized Ge fiber shift from 300 cm-1 to 300.6 cm-1 and full width at half maximum (FWHM) decreased from 5.36 cm-1 to 4.48 cm-1. The Ge crystal grains which sizes are of 200-600 nm were formed during the process of recrystallization; the XRD peak of (1 1 1) plane is observed after recrystallization. These results show that controlling recrystallization allows the release of the thermal stress, and improvement of the crystal quality of Ge core.

Nutrient availability limits biological production in Arctic sea ice melt ponds

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sørensen, Heidi Louise; Thamdrup, Bo; Jeppesen, Erik

2017-01-01

nutrient limitation in melt ponds. We also document that the addition of nutrients, although at relative high concentrations, can stimulate biological productivity at several trophic levels. Given the projected increase in first-year ice, increased melt pond coverage during the Arctic spring and potential......Every spring and summer melt ponds form at the surface of polar sea ice and become habitats where biological production may take place. Previous studies report a large variability in the productivity, but the causes are unknown. We investigated if nutrients limit the productivity in these first...... additional nutrient supply from, e.g. terrestrial sources imply that biological activity of melt ponds may become increasingly important for the sympagic carbon cycling in the future Arctic....

On the sequence of core-melt accidents: Fission product release, source terms and Chernobyl release

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Albrecht, H

1986-01-01

There is a sketch of our ideas on the course of a core melt-out accident in a PWR. There is then a survey of the most important results on fission product release, which were obtained by experiments on the SASCHA melt-out plant. The 3rd part considers questions which are important for determining source terms for the environment and the last part contains some considerations on radioactivity release from the Chernobyl reactor.

Earth's core formation due to the Rayleigh-Taylor instability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ida, S.; Nakagawa, Y.; Nakazawa, K.

1987-01-01

A protoearth accretion stage configuration consisting of an undifferentiated solid core, an intermediate metal-melt layer, and an outer silicate-melt layer, is presently taken as the initial state in an investigation of Rayleigh-Taylor instability-induced core formation. The Ida et al. (to be published) quantitative results on the instability in a self-gravitating fluid sphere are used. The instability is found to occur through the translational mode on a time-scale of about 10 hr, in the case where the metal-melt layer is greater than about 1 km; this implies that the earth's core formed due to the undifferentiated solid core's translation upon the outer layer's melting. Differentiation would then have occurred in the late accretion stage. 17 references

Workshop on Oxygen in the Terrestrial Planets

Science.gov (United States)

2004-01-01

This volume contains abstracts that have been accepted for presentation at the Workshop on Oxygen in the Terrestrial Planets, July 20-23,2004, Santa Fe, New Mexico. The contents include: 1) Experimental Constraints on Oxygen and Other Light Element Partitioning During Planetary Core Formation; 2) In Situ Determination of Fe(3+)/SigmaFe of Spinels by Electron Microprobe: An Evaluation of the Flank Method; 3) The Effect of Oxygen Fugacity on Large-Strain Deformation and Recrystallization of Olivine; 4) Plagioclase-Liquid Trace Element Oxygen Barometry and Oxygen Behaviour in Closed and Open System Magmatic Processes; 5) Core Formation in the Earth: Constraints from Ni and Co; 6) Oxygen Isotopic Compositions of the Terrestrial Planets; 7) The Effect of Oxygen Fugacity on Electrical Conduction of Olivine and Implications for Earth s Mantle; 8) Redox Chemical Diffusion in Silicate Melts: The Impact of the Semiconductor Condition; 9) Ultra-High Temperature Effects in Earth s Magma Ocean: Pt and W Partitioning; 10) Terrestrial Oxygen and Hydrogen Isotope Variations: Primordial Values, Systematics, Subsolidus Effects, Planetary Comparisons, and the Role of Water; 11) Redox State of the Moon s Interior; 12) How did the Terrestrial Planets Acquire Their Water?; 13) Molecular Oxygen Mixing Ratio and Its Seasonal Variability in the Martian Atmosphere; 14) Exchange Between the Atmosphere and the Regolith of Mars: Discussion of Oxygen and Sulfur Isotope Evidence; 15) Oxygen and Hydrogen Isotope Systematics of Atmospheric Water Vapor and Meteoric Waters: Evidence from North Texas; 16) Implications of Isotopic and Redox Heterogeneities in Silicate Reservoirs on Mars; 17) Oxygen Isotopic Variation of the Terrestrial Planets; 18) Redox Exchanges in Hydrous Magma; 19) Hydrothermal Systems on Terrestrial Planets: Lessons from Earth; 20) Oxygen in Martian Meteorites: A Review of Results from Mineral Equilibria Oxybarometers; 21) Non-Linear Fractionation of Oxygen Isotopes Implanted in

Visualization Study of Melt Dispersion Behavior for SFR with a Metallic Fuel under Severe Accidents

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Heo, Hyo Heo; Park, Seong Dae; Bang, In Cheol [Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, Ulsan (Korea, Republic of); Jerng, Dong Wook [Jungang Univ., Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2015-05-15

The safety strategy provides negative reactivity driven by the melt dispersal, so it could reduce the possibility of the recriticality event under a severe triple or more fault scenario for SFR. Since the behavior of the melt dispersion is unpredictable, it depends on the accident condition, particularly core region. While the voided coolant channel region is usually developed in the inner core, the unvoided coolant channel region is formed in the outer core. It is important to confirm the fuel dispersion with the core region, but there are not sufficient existing studies for them. From the existing studies, the coolant vapor pressure is considered as one of driving force to move the melt towards outside of the core. There is a complexity of the phenomena during intermixing of the melt with the coolant after the horizontal melt injections. It is too difficult to understand the several combined mechanisms related to the melt dispersion and the fragmentation. The specific conditions to be well dispersed for the molten metallic fuel were discussed in the experiments with the simulant materials. The each melt behavior was compared to evaluate the melt dispersion under the coolant void condition and the boiling condition.

Modeling of heat and mass transfer processes during core melt discharge from a reactor pressure vessel

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dinh, T.N.; Bui, V.A.; Nourgaliev, R.R. [Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm (Sweden)] [and others

1995-09-01

The objective of the paper is to study heat and mass transfer processes related to core melt discharge from a reactor vessel is a severe light water reactor accident. The phenomenology of the issue includes (1) melt convection in and heat transfer from the melt pool in contact with the vessel lower head wall; (2) fluid dynamics and heat transfer of the melt flow in the growing discharge hole; and (3) multi-dimensional heat conduction in the ablating lower head wall. A program of model development, validation and application is underway (i) to analyse the dominant physical mechanisms determining characteristics of the lower head ablation process; (ii) to develop and validate efficient analytic/computational methods for estimating heat and mass transfer under phase-change conditions in irregular moving-boundary domains; and (iii) to investigate numerically the melt discharge phenomena in a reactor-scale situation, and, in particular, the sensitivity of the melt discharge transient to structural differences and various in-vessel melt progression scenarios. The paper presents recent results of the analysis and model development work supporting the simulant melt-structure interaction experiments.

Event course analysis of core disruptive accidents

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hering, W.; Homann, C.; Sengpiel, W.; Struwe, D.; Messainguiral, C.

1995-01-01

The theortical studies of the behavior of a PWR core in a meltdown accident are focused on hydrogen release, materials redistribution in the core area including forming of an oxide melt pool, quantity of melt and its composition, and temperatures attained by the RPV internals (esp. in the upper plenum) during the accident up to the time of melt relocation into the lower plenum. The calculations are done by the SCDAP/RELAP5 code. For its validation selected CORA results and Phebus FPTO results have been used. (orig.)

Analysis of core melt accident in Fukushima Daiichi-Unit 1 nuclear reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tanabe, Fumiya

2011-01-01

In order to obtain a profound understanding of the serious situation in Unit 1 and Unit 2/3 reactors of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (hereafter abbreviated as 1F1 and 1F2/3, respectively), which was directly caused by tsunami due to a huge earthquake on 11 March 2011, analyses of severe core damage are performed. In the present report, the analysis method and 1F1 analysis are described. The analysis is essentially based on the total energy balance in the core. In the analysis, the total energy vs. temperature curve is developed for each reactor, which is based on the estimated core materials inventory and material property data. Temperature and melt fraction are estimated by comparing the total energy curve with the total stored energy in the core material. The heat source is the decay heat of fission products and actinides together with reaction heat from the zirconium steam reaction. (author)

Core Formation on Asteroid 4 Vesta: Iron Rain in a Silicate Magma Ocean

Science.gov (United States)

Kiefer, Walter S.; Mittlefehldt, David W.

2017-01-01

Geochemical observations of the eucrite and diogenite meteorites, together with observations made by NASA's Dawn spacecraft, suggest that Vesta resembles H chondrites in bulk chemical composition, possibly with about 25% of a CM-chondrite like composition added in. For this model, the core is 15% by mass (or 8 volume %) of the asteroid. The abundances of moderately siderophile elements (Ni, Co, Mo, W, and P) in eucrites require that essentially all of the metallic phase in Vesta segregated to form a core prior to eucrite solidification. Melting in the Fe-Ni-S system begins at a cotectic temperature of 940 deg. C. Only about 40% of the total metal phase, or 3-4 volume % of Vesta, melts prior to the onset of silicate melting. Liquid iron in solid silicate initially forms isolated pockets of melt; connected melt channels, which are necessary if the metal is to segregate from the silicate, are only possible when the metal phase exceeds about 5 volume %. Thus, metal segregation to form a core does not occur prior to the onset of silicate melting.

Melt cooling by bottom flooding. The COMET core-catcher concept

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Foit, Jerzy Jan; Alsmeyer, Hans; Tromm, Walter; Buerger, Manfred; Journeau, Christophe

2009-01-01

The COMET concept has been developed to cool an ex-vessel corium melt in case of a hypothetical severe accident leading to vessel melt-through. After erosion of a sacrificial concrete layer the melt is passively flooded by bottom injection of coolant water. The open porosities and large surface that are generated during melt solidification form a porous permeable structure that is permanently filled with the evaporating water and thus allows an efficient short-term as well as long-term removal of the decay heat. The advantages of this concept are the fast cool-down and complete solidification of the melt within less than one hour typically. This stops further release of fission products from the corium. A drawback may be the fast release of steam during the quenching process. Several experimental series have been performed by FZK (Germany) to test and optimise the functionality of the different variants of the COMET concept. Thermite generated melts of iron and aluminium oxide were used. The large scale COMET-H test series with sustained inductive heating includes nine experiments performed with an array of water injection channels embedded in a sacrificial concrete layer. Variation of the water inlet pressure and melt height showed that melts up to 50 cm height can be safely cooled with an overpressure of the coolant water of 0.2 bar. The CometPC concept is based on cooling by flooding the melt from the bottom through layers of porous, water filled concrete. The third variant of the COMET design, CometPCA, uses a layer of porous, water filled concrete CometPCA from which flow channels protrude into the layer of sacrificial concrete. This modified concept combines the advantages of the original COMET concept with flow channels and the high resistance of a water-filled porous concrete layer against downward melt attack. Four large scale CometPCA experiments (FZK, Germany) have demonstrated an efficient cooling of melts up to 50 cm height using the recommended water

The effect of melt composition on metal-silicate partitioning of siderophile elements and constraints on core formation in the angrite parent body

Science.gov (United States)

Steenstra, E. S.; Sitabi, A. B.; Lin, Y. H.; Rai, N.; Knibbe, J. S.; Berndt, J.; Matveev, S.; van Westrenen, W.

2017-09-01

We present 275 new metal-silicate partition coefficients for P, S, V, Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, Ge, Mo, and W obtained at moderate P (1.5 GPa) and high T (1683-1883 K). We investigate the effect of silicate melt composition using four end member silicate melt compositions. We identify possible silicate melt dependencies of the metal-silicate partitioning of lower valence elements Ni, Ge and V, elements that are usually assumed to remain unaffected by changes in silicate melt composition. Results for the other elements are consistent with the dependence of their metal-silicate partition coefficients on the individual major oxide components of the silicate melt composition suggested by recently reported parameterizations and theoretical considerations. Using multiple linear regression, we parameterize compiled metal-silicate partitioning results including our new data and report revised expressions that predict their metal-silicate partitioning behavior as a function of P-T-X-fO2. We apply these results to constrain the conditions that prevailed during core formation in the angrite parent body (APB). Our results suggest the siderophile element depletions in angrite meteorites are consistent with a CV bulk composition and constrain APB core formation to have occurred at mildly reducing conditions of 1.4 ± 0.5 log units below the iron-wüstite buffer (ΔIW), corresponding to a APB core mass of 18 ± 11%. The core mass range is constrained to 21 ± 8 mass% if light elements (S and/or C) are assumed to reside in the APB core. Incorporation of light elements in the APB core does not yield significantly different redox states for APB core-mantle differentiation. The inferred redox state is in excellent agreement with independent fO2 estimates recorded by pyroxene and olivine in angrites.

Study on severe fuel damage and in-vessel melt progression

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Hee Dong; Kim, Sang Baik; Lee, Gyu Jung

1992-06-01

In-vessel core melt progression describes the progression of the state of a reactor core from core uncovery up to reactor vessel melt through in uncovered accidents or through temperature stabilization in accidents recovered by core reflooding. Melt progression can be thought as two parts; early melt progression and late melt progression. Early phase of core melt progression includes the progression of core material melting and relocation, which mostly consist of metallic materials. On the other hand, the late phase of core melt progression involves ceramic material melt and relocation to the lower plenum and heat-up the reactor vessel lower head. A large number of information are available for the early melt progression through experiments such as SFD, DF, FLHT test and utilized in the severe accident analysis codes. However, understanding of the late phase melt progression phenomenology is based primary on TMI-2 core examinations and not much experimental information is available. Especilally, the great uncertainties exist in vessel failure mode, melt composition, mass, and temperature. Further research is planned to perform to reduce the uncertainties in understanding of core melt down accidents as parts of long term melt progression research program. A study on the core melt progression at KAERI has been being performed through the Severe Accident Research Program with USNRC. KAERI staff had participated in the PBF SFD experiments at INEL and analyses of experiments were performed using SCDAP code. Experiments of core melt program have not been carried out at KAERI yet. It is planned that further research on core melt down accidents will be performed, which is related to design of future generations of nuclear reactors as parts of long-term project for improvement of nuclear reactor safety. (Author)

Melt Fragmentation Characteristics of Metal Fuel with Melt Injection Mass during Initiating Phase of SFR Severe Accidents

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Heo, Hyo; Lee, Min Ho; Bang, In Cheol [Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, Ulsan (Korea, Republic of); Jerng, Dong Wook [Chung-Ang Univ., Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2016-05-15

The PGSFR has adopted the metal fuel for its inherent safety under severe accident conditions. However, this fuel type is not demonstrated clearly yet under the such severe accident conditions. Additional experiments for examining these issues should be performed to support its licensing activities. Under initiating phase of hypothetic core disruptive accident (HCDA) conditions, the molten metal could be better dispersed and fragmented into the coolant channel than in the case of using oxide fuel. This safety strategy provides negative reactivity driven by a good dispersion of melt. If the coolant channel does not sufficient coolability, the severe recriticality would occur within the core region. Thus, it is important to examine the extent of melt fragmentation. The fragmentation behaviors of melt are closely related to a formation of debris shape. Once the debris shape is formed through the fragmentation process, its coolability is determined by the porosity or thermal conductivity of the melt. There were very limited studies for transient irradiation experiments of the metal fuel. These studies were performed by Transient Reactor Test Facility (TREAT) M series tests in U.S. The TREAT M series tests provided basic information of metal fuel performance under transient conditions. The effect of melt injection mass was evaluated in terms of the fragmentation behaviors of melt. These behaviors seemed to be similar between single-pin and multi-pins failure condition. However, the more melt was agglomerated in case of multi-pins failure.

Accelerator mass analyses of meteorites - carbon-14 terrestrial ages

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miura, Y.; Rucklidge, J.; Beukens, R.; Fireman, E.

1988-01-01

Carbon-14 terrestrial ages of ten Antarctic meteorites have been measured by the IsoTrace accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS). The 14 C terrestrial age of 1 gram sample was determined from 14 C concentrations collected at melt and re-melt temperatures, compared with the 14 C concentration of the known Bruderheim chondrite. Yamato-790448 (LL3) chondrite was found to be the oldest terrestrial age of 3x10 4 years in the nine Yamato chondrites, whereas Yamato-791630 (L4) chondrite is considered to be the youngest chondrites less than thousand years. Allan Hills chondrite of ALH-77231 (L6) shows older terrestrial age than the nine Yamato chondrites. New accelerator data of the terrestrial age show higher accuracy with smaller sample than the previous counting method. (author)

Terrestrial aftermath of the Moon-forming impact.

Science.gov (United States)

Sleep, Norman H; Zahnle, Kevin J; Lupu, Roxana E

2014-09-13

Much of the Earth's mantle was melted in the Moon-forming impact. Gases that were not partially soluble in the melt, such as water and CO2, formed a thick, deep atmosphere surrounding the post-impact Earth. This atmosphere was opaque to thermal radiation, allowing heat to escape to space only at the runaway greenhouse threshold of approximately 100 W m(-2). The duration of this runaway greenhouse stage was limited to approximately 10 Myr by the internal energy and tidal heating, ending with a partially crystalline uppermost mantle and a solid deep mantle. At this point, the crust was able to cool efficiently and solidified at the surface. After the condensation of the water ocean, approximately 100 bar of CO2 remained in the atmosphere, creating a solar-heated greenhouse, while the surface cooled to approximately 500 K. Almost all this CO2 had to be sequestered by subduction into the mantle by 3.8 Ga, when the geological record indicates the presence of life and hence a habitable environment. The deep CO2 sequestration into the mantle could be explained by a rapid subduction of the old oceanic crust, such that the top of the crust would remain cold and retain its CO2. Kinematically, these episodes would be required to have both fast subduction (and hence seafloor spreading) and old crust. Hadean oceanic crust that formed from hot mantle would have been thicker than modern crust, and therefore only old crust underlain by cool mantle lithosphere could subduct. Once subduction started, the basaltic crust would turn into dense eclogite, increasing the rate of subduction. The rapid subduction would stop when the young partially frozen crust from the rapidly spreading ridge entered the subduction zone. © 2014 The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved.

LACOMERA - large scale experiments on core degradation, melt retention and coolability at the Forschungszentrum Karslruhe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miassoedov, A.; Alsmeyer, H.; Meyer, L.

2003-01-01

The LACOMERA project at the Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe is a 3 year shared-cost action within the Fifth Framework Programme which started in September 2002. The overall objectives of the LACOMERA project are to provide research institutions from the EU member countries and associated states access to large scale experimental facilities at the Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe which shall be used to increase the knowledge of the quenching of a degraded core and regaining melt coolability in the reactor pressure vessel, of possible melt dispersion to the cavity, of molten core concrete interaction and of ex-vessel melt coolability. One major aspect is to understand how these events affect the safety of European reactors so as to lead to soundly-based accident management procedures. The project will bring together interested partners of different European member states in the area of severe accident analysis and control, with the goal to increase the public confidence in the use of nuclear energy. Moreover, partners from the newly associated states should be included as far as possible, and therefore the needs of Eastern, as well as Western, reactors will be considered in LACOMERA project. The project offers a unique opportunity to get involved in the networks and activities supporting VVER safety, and for Eastern experts to get an access to large scale experimental facilities in a Western research organisation to improve understanding of material properties and core behaviour under severe accident conditions. As a result of the first call for proposals a project on air ingress test in the QUENCH facility has been selected. A second call for proposals is opened with a deadline of 31 December 2003. (author)

A spectroscopic study of uranium species formed in chloride melts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Volkovich, Vladimir A.; Bhatt, Anand I.; May, Iain; Griffiths, Trevor R.; Thied, Robert C.

2002-01-01

The chlorination of uranium metal or uranium oxides in chloride melts offers an acceptable process for the head-end of pyrochemical reprocessing of spent nuclear fuels. The reactions of uranium metal and ceramic uranium dioxide with chlorine and with hydrogen chloride were studied in the alkali metal chloride melts, NaCl-KCl at 973K, NaCl-CsCl between 873 and 923K and LiCl-KCl at 873K. The uranium species formed therein were characterized from their electronic absorption spectra measured in situ. The kinetic parameters of the reactions depend on melt composition, temperature and chlorinating agent used. The reaction of uranium dioxide with oxygen in the presence of alkali metal chlorides results in the formation of alkali metal uranates. A spectroscopic study, between 723 and 973K, on their formation and their solutions was undertaken in LiCl, LiCl-KCl eutectic and NaCl-CsCl eutectic melts. The dissolution of uranium dioxide in LiCl-KCl eutectic at 923K containing added aluminium trichloride in the presence of oxygen has also been investigated. In this case, the reaction leads to the formation of uranyl chloride species. (author)

High Pressure and Temperature Core Formation as an Alternative to the "Late Veneer" Hypothesis

Science.gov (United States)

Righter, Kevin; Pando, K.; Humayun, M.; Danielson, L.

2011-01-01

The highly siderophile elements (HSE; Re, Au and the Platinum Group Elements - Pd Pt, Rh, Ru, Ir, Os) are commonly utilized to constrain accretion processes in terrestrial differentiated bodies due to their affinity for FeNi metal [1]. These eight elements exhibit highly siderophile behavior, but nonetheless have highly diverse metal-silicate partition coefficients [2]. Therefore the near chondritic relative concentrations of HSEs in the terrestrial and lunar mantles, as well as some other bodies, are attributed to late accretion rather than core formation [1]. Evaluation of competing theories, such as high pressure metal-silicate partitioning or magma ocean hypotheses has been hindered by a lack of relevant partitioning data for this group of eight elements. In particular, systematic studies isolating the effect of one variable (e.g. temperature or melt compositions) are lacking. Here we undertake new experiments on all eight elements, using Fe metal and FeO-bearing silicate melts at fixed pressure, but variable temperatures. These experiments, as well as some additional planned experiments should allow partition coefficients to be more accurately calculated or estimated at the PT conditions and compositions at which core formation is thought to have occurred.

Results of out-of-pile experiments to investigate the possibilities of cooling a core melt with internal heat production

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fieg, G.

1976-01-01

After serious hypothetical reactor accidents, melted core materials with internal heat production can occur in large quantities. A retention of these molten core masses within the containment must be ensured. The knowledge of the heat transport from volume-heated layers is necessary to clarify this matter. (orig./LH) [de

The Origin of the Compositional Diversity of Mercury's Surface Constrained From Experimental Melting of Enstatite Chondrites

Science.gov (United States)

Boujibar, A.; Righter, K.; Pando, K.; Danielson, L.

2015-01-01

Mercury is known as an endmember planet as it is the most reduced terrestrial planet with the highest core/mantle ratio. MESSENGER spacecraft has shown that its surface is FeO-poor (2-4 wt%) and Srich (up to 6-7 wt%), which confirms the reducing nature of its silicate mantle. Moreover, high resolution images revealed large volcanic plains and abundant pyroclastic deposits, suggesting important melting stages of the Mercurian mantle. This interpretation was confirmed by the high crustal thickness (up to 100 km) derived from Mercury's gravity field. This is also corroborated by a recent experimental result that showed that Mercurian partial melts are expected to be highly buoyant within the Mercurian mantle and could have risen from depths as high as the core-mantle boundary. In addition MESSENGER spacecraft provided relatively precise data on major elemental compositions of Mercury's surface. These results revealed important chemical and mineralogical heterogeneities that suggested several stages of differentiation and re-melting processes. However, the extent and nature of compositional variations produced by partial melting remains poorly constrained for the particular compositions of Mercury (very reducing conditions, low FeO-contents and high sulfur-contents). Therefore, in this study, we investigated the processes that lead to the various compositions of Mercury's surface. Melting experiments with bulk Mercury-analogue compositions were performed and compared to the compositions measured by MESSENGER.

Fundamentals of Melt-Water Interfacial Transport Phenomena: Improved Understanding for Innovative Safety Technologies in ALWRs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

M. Anderson; M. Corradini; K.Y. Bank; R. Bonazza; D. Cho

2005-04-26

The interaction and mixing of high-temperature melt and water is the important technical issue in the safety assessment of water-cooled reactors to achieve ultimate core coolability. For specific advanced light water reactor (ALWR) designs, deliberate mixing of the core-melt and water is being considered as a mitigative measure, to assure ex-vessel core coolability. The goal of this work is to provide the fundamental understanding needed for melt-water interfacial transport phenomena, thus enabling the development of innovative safety technologies for advanced LWRs that will assure ex-vessel core coolability. The work considers the ex-vessel coolability phenomena in two stages. The first stage is the melt quenching process and is being addressed by Argonne National Lab and University of Wisconsin in modified test facilities. Given a quenched melt in the form of solidified debris, the second stage is to characterize the long-term debris cooling process and is being addressed by Korean Maritime University in via test and analyses. We then address the appropriate scaling and design methodologies for reactor applications.

Fundamentals of Melt-Water Interfacial Transport Phenomena: Improved Understanding for Innovative Safety Technologies in ALWRs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anderson, M.; Corradini, M.; Bank, K.Y.; Bonazza, R.; Cho, D.

2005-01-01

The interaction and mixing of high-temperature melt and water is the important technical issue in the safety assessment of water-cooled reactors to achieve ultimate core coolability. For specific advanced light water reactor (ALWR) designs, deliberate mixing of the core-melt and water is being considered as a mitigative measure, to assure ex-vessel core coolability. The goal of this work is to provide the fundamental understanding needed for melt-water interfacial transport phenomena, thus enabling the development of innovative safety technologies for advanced LWRs that will assure ex-vessel core coolability. The work considers the ex-vessel coolability phenomena in two stages. The first stage is the melt quenching process and is being addressed by Argonne National Lab and University of Wisconsin in modified test facilities. Given a quenched melt in the form of solidified debris, the second stage is to characterize the long-term debris cooling process and is being addressed by Korean Maritime University in via test and analyses. We then address the appropriate scaling and design methodologies for reactor applications

Event course analysis of core disruptive accidents; Ereignisablaufanalyse kernzerstoerender Unfaelle

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hering, W.; Homann, C.; Sengpiel, W.; Struwe, D.; Messainguiral, C.

1995-08-01

The theortical studies of the behavior of a PWR core in a meltdown accident are focused on hydrogen release, materials redistribution in the core area including forming of an oxide melt pool, quantity of melt and its composition, and temperatures attained by the RPV internals (esp. in the upper plenum) during the accident up to the time of melt relocation into the lower plenum. The calculations are done by the SCDAP/RELAP5 code. For its validation selected CORA results and Phebus FPTO results have been used. (orig.)

Constant electrical resistivity of Ni along the melting boundary up to 9 GPa

Science.gov (United States)

Silber, Reynold E.; Secco, Richard A.; Yong, Wenjun

2017-07-01

Characterization of transport properties of liquid Ni at high pressures has important geophysical implications for terrestrial planetary interiors, because Ni is a close electronic analogue of Fe and it is also integral to Earth's core. We report measurements of the electrical resistivity of solid and liquid Ni at pressures 3-9 GPa using a 3000 t multianvil large volume press. A four-wire method, in conjunction with a rapid acquisition meter and polarity switch, was used to overcome experimental challenges such as melt containment and maintaining sample geometry and to mitigate the extreme reactivity/solubility of liquid Ni with most thermocouple and electrode materials. Thermal conductivity is calculated using the Wiedemann-Franz law. Electrical resistivity of solid Ni exhibits the expected P dependence and is consistent with earlier experimental values. Within experimental uncertainties, our results indicate that resistivity of liquid Ni remains invariant along the P-dependent melting boundary, which is in disagreement with earlier prediction for liquid transition metals. The potential reasons for such behavior are examined qualitatively through the impact of P-independent local short-range ordering on electron mean free path and the possibility of constant Fermi surface at the onset of Ni melting. Correlation among metals obeying the Kadowaki-Woods ratio and the group of late transition metals with unfilled d-electron band displaying anomalously shallow melting curves suggests that on the melting boundary, Fe may exhibit the same resistivity behavior as Ni. This could have important implications for the heat flow in the Earth's core.

Analysis of natural convection in volumetrically-heated melt pools

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sehgal, B.R.; Dinh, T.N.; Nourgaliev, R.R.

1996-12-01

Results of series of studies on natural convection heat transfer in decay-heated core melt pools which form in a reactor lower plenum during the progression of a core meltdown accident are described. The emphasis is on modelling and prediction of turbulent heat transfer characteristics of natural convection in a liquid pool with an internal energy source. Methods of computational fluid dynamics, including direct numerical simulation, were applied for investigation

What Should the FeO Content of a Terrestrial Planet Be?

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, John H.

2013-01-01

Basalts from the Earth, the Moon, Mars, and Vesta are strongly depleted in elements that prefer to reside in the metallic state (siderophile elements). Therefore, it is believed that all these bodies have metallic cores. We do not yet have siderophile element analyses of venusian or mercurian basalts, but we assume that Venus, too, as a terrestrial planet, has a metallic core. For the Earth, Moon, Mercury, and Mars, the moments-of-inertia of these bodies are consistent with metallic cores of various sizes. Because Venus rotates so slowly, it may be difficult to determine the moment-of-inertia of Venus in order to confirm this assumption. However, despite many possible complexities, it seems likely that most of the major and minor terrestrial planets have experienced some sort of metal/silicate equilibration, and we will use this as a boundary condition. One immediate contrast between the Earth and Moon is the difference in FeO content between lunar and terrestrial basalts. Both bodies presumably formed near 1 AU and formed from the same feeding zone of planetesimals, judging by their oxygen isotopes [13]. If, for example, the Moon formed from the Earth by a giant impact, then this event must have occurred before high-pressure equilibria had the opportunity to deplete the Earth s mantle in FeO. Alternatively, the bulk silicate Moon may be dominated by material from the impactor. Regardless, it would be useful to know the pressures where FeO incorporation into a metallic core is not of interest. If the Giant Impact hypothesis is correct, this should set an upper limit for the size of the proto-Earth at the time of the impact.

Transparent phosphosilicate glasses containing crystals formed during cooling of melts

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Liu, S. J.; Zhang, Yanfei; He, W.

2011-01-01

The effect of P2O5-SiO2 substitution on spontaneous crystallization of SiO2-Al2O3-P2O5- Na2O-MgO melts during cooling was studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and rotation viscometry. Results show that addition of P2O5 leads...... to amorphous phase separation (APS), i.e., phosphate- and silicate-rich phases. It is due to the tendency of Mg2+ to form [MgO4] linking with [SiO4]. Molar substitution of P2O5 for SiO2 enhances the network polymerization of silicate-rich phase in the melts, and thereby the spontaneous crystallization of cubic...... Na2MgSiO4 is also enhanced during cooling of the melts. In addition, the sizes of the local crystalline and separated glassy domains are smaller than the wavelength of the visible light, and this leads to the transparency of the obtained glasses containing crystals....

Recent progress in the LACOMERA Project (Large-Scale Experiments on Core Degradation, Melt Retention and Coolability) at the Forschungszentrum Karslruhe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miassoedov, A.; Alsmeyer, H.; Eppinger, B.; Meyer, L.; Steinbrueck, M.

2004-01-01

The LACOMERA Project at the Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe (FZK) is a 3 year action within the 5 th Framework Programme of the EU. The overall objective of the project is to offer research institutions from the EU member countries and associated states access to four large-scale experimental facilities QUENCH, LIVE, DISCO-H, and COMET which can be used to investigate core melt scenarios from the beginning of core degradation to melt formation and relocation in the vessel, possible melt dispersion to the reactor cavity, and finally corium concrete interaction and corium coolability in the reactor cavity. As a result of two calls for proposals, seven organisations from four countries are expected to profit from the LACOMERA Project participating in preparation, conduct and analysis of the following experiments: QUENCH-L1: Air ingression impact on core degradation. The test has provided unique data for the investigation of air ingress phenomenology in conditions as representative as possible of the reactor case regarding the source term. QUENCH-L2: Boil-off of a flooded bundle. The test will be of a generic interest for all reactor types, providing a link between the severe accident and design basis areas, and would deliver oxidation and thermal hydraulic data at high temperatures. LIVE-L1: Simulation of melt relocation into the Reactor Pressure Vessel (RPV) lower head for VVER conditions. The experiment will provide important information on the melt pool behaviour during the stages of air circulation at the outer RPV surface with a subsequent flooding of the lower head. LIVE-L2: Transient corium spreading and its impact on the heat fluxes to the RPV wall and on the final shape of the melt in the RPV lower head. The test will address the questions of melt stabilisation and the effects of crust formation near the RPV wall for a nonsymmetrical melt pool shape. COMET-L1: Long-term 2D concrete ablation in siliceous concrete cavity at intermediate decay heat power level with

Assessment of uncertainties in core melt phenomenology and their impact on risk at the Z/IP facilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pratt, W.T.; Ludewig, H.; Bari, R.A.; Meyer, J.F.

1983-01-01

An evaluation of core meltdown accidents in the Z/IP facilities has been performed. Containment event trees have been developed to relate the progression of a given accident to various potential containment building failure modes. An extensive uncertainty analysis related to core melt phenomenology has been performed. A major conclusion of the study is that large variations in parameters associated with major phenomenological uncertainties have a relatively minor impact on risk when external initiators are considered. This is due to the inherent capability fo the Z/IP containment buildings to contain a wide range of core meltdown accidents. 12 references, 2 tables

Experimental terrestrial soil-core microcosm test protocol. A method for measuring the potential ecological effects, fate, and transport of chemicals in terrestrial ecosystems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Van Voris, P.; Tolle, D.A.; Arthur, M.F.

1985-06-01

In order to protect the environment properly and have a realistic appraisal of how a chemical will act in the environment, tests of ecological effects and chemical fate must be performed on complex assemblages of biotic and abiotic components (i.e., microcosms) as well as single species. This protocol is one which could be added to a series of tests recently developed as guidelines for Section 4 of the Toxic Substances Control Act (P.L. 94-469; U.S.C., Section 2601-2629). The terrestrial soil-core microcosm is designed to supply site-specific and possibly regional information on the probable chemical fate and ecological effects resulting from release of a chemical substance to a terrestrial ecosystem. The EPA will use the data resulting from this test system to compare the potential hazards of a chemical with others that have been previously evaluated.

Analysis of natural convection in volumetrically-heated melt pools

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sehgal, B.R.; Dinh, T.N.; Nourgaliev, R.R. [Royal Inst. of Tech., Stockholm (Sweden). Div. of Nuclear Power Safety

1996-12-01

Results of series of studies on natural convection heat transfer in decay-heated core melt pools which form in a reactor lower plenum during the progression of a core meltdown accident are described. The emphasis is on modelling and prediction of turbulent heat transfer characteristics of natural convection in a liquid pool with an internal energy source. Methods of computational fluid dynamics, including direct numerical simulation, were applied for investigation. Refs, figs, tabs.

Terrestrial Ecosystems - Land Surface Forms of the Conterminous United States

Science.gov (United States)

Cress, Jill J.; Sayre, Roger G.; Comer, Patrick; Warner, Harumi

2009-01-01

As part of an effort to map terrestrial ecosystems, the U.S. Geological Survey has generated land surface form classes to be used in creating maps depicting standardized, terrestrial ecosystem models for the conterminous United States, using an ecosystems classification developed by NatureServe . A biophysical stratification approach, developed for South America and now being implemented globally, was used to model the ecosystem distributions. Since land surface forms strongly influence the differentiation and distribution of terrestrial ecosystems, they are one of the key input layers in this biophysical stratification. After extensive investigation into various land surface form mapping methodologies, the decision was made to use the methodology developed by the Missouri Resource Assessment Partnership (MoRAP). MoRAP made modifications to Hammond's land surface form classification, which allowed the use of 30-meter source data and a 1-km2 window for analyzing the data cell and its surrounding cells (neighborhood analysis). While Hammond's methodology was based on three topographic variables, slope, local relief, and profile type, MoRAP's methodology uses only slope and local relief. Using the MoRAP method, slope is classified as gently sloping when more than 50 percent of the area in a 1-km2 neighborhood has slope less than 8 percent, otherwise the area is considered moderately sloping. Local relief, which is the difference between the maximum and minimum elevation in a neighborhood, is classified into five groups: 0-15 m, 16-30 m, 31-90 m, 91-150 m, and >150 m. The land surface form classes are derived by combining slope and local relief to create eight landform classes: flat plains (gently sloping and local relief = 90 m), low hills (not gently sloping and local relief = 150 m). However, in the USGS application of the MoRAP methodology, an additional local relief group was used (> 400 m) to capture additional local topographic variation. As a result, low

SAXS study of transient pre-melting in chain-folded alkanes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ungar, G.; Wills, H.H.

1990-01-01

A pronounced pre-melting effect is observed in chain-folded crystals of pure monodisperse n-alkane C 246 H 494 . The effect is reversible on a short time scale, but at longer times the once-folded chain crystals are irreversibly lost as slow chain extension proceeds by solid diffusion well below the melting point. The melting process is thus monitored by rapid time-resolved small-angle X-ray (SAXS) measurements, using synchrotron radiation. The results show that the observed pronounced broadening of the DSC melting endotherm for chain-folded crystals is entirely due to genuine pre-melting of lamellar surfaces. Although a significant portion of material is already molten below the final melting point of chain-folded crystals T F , no recrystallization in the chain-extended form can occur until the cores of the crystalline lamellae melt at T F . Pre-melting of extended chain crystals is significantly less pronounced than that of folded chain crystals

Examination of off-site emergency protective measures for core melt accidents

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aldrich, D.C.; Ericson, D.M. Jr.; Jones, R.B.

1978-01-01

Results from the Reactor Safety Study (RSS) have shown that to cause significant impacts off-site, i.e., sufficient quantities of biologically important radionuclides released, it is necessary to have a core melt accident. To mitigate the impact of such potential accidents, the design of appropriate emergency response actions requires information as to the relative merit of publicly available protective measures. In order to provide this information, a study using the consequence model developed for the RSS is being conducted to evaluate (in terms of reduced public health effects and dose exposure) potential off-site protective strategies. The paper describes the methods being used in the study as well as the results and conclusions obtained

Redox dependent behaviour of molybdenum during magmatic processes in the terrestrial and lunar mantle: Implications for the Mo/W of the bulk silicate Moon

Science.gov (United States)

Leitzke, F. P.; Fonseca, R. O. C.; Sprung, P.; Mallmann, G.; Lagos, M.; Michely, L. T.; Münker, C.

2017-09-01

We present results of high-temperature olivine-melt, pyroxene-melt and plagioclase-melt partitioning experiments aimed at investigating the redox transition of Mo in silicate systems. Data for a series of other minor and trace elements (Sc, Ba, Sr, Cr, REE, Y, HFSE, U, Th and W) were also acquired to constrain the incorporation of Mo in silicate minerals. All experiments were carried out in vertical tube furnaces at 1 bar and temperatures ranging from ca. 1220 to 1300 °C. Oxygen fugacity was controlled via CO-CO2 gas mixtures and varied systematically from 5.5 log units below to 1.9 log units above the fayalite-magnetite-quartz (FMQ) redox buffer thereby covering the range in oxygen fugacities of terrestrial and lunar basalt genesis. Molybdenum is shown to be volatile at oxygen fugacities above FMQ and that its compatibility in pyroxene and olivine increases three orders of magnitude towards the more reducing conditions covered in this study. The partitioning results show that Mo is dominantly tetravalent at redox conditions below FMQ-4 and dominantly hexavalent at redox conditions above FMQ. Given the differences in oxidation states of the terrestrial (oxidized) and lunar (reduced) mantles, molybdenum will behave significantly differently during basalt genesis in the Earth (i.e. highly incompatible; average DMoperidotite/melt ∼ 0.008) and Moon (i.e. moderately incompatible/compatible; average DMoperidotite/melt ∼ 0.6). Thus, it is expected that Mo will strongly fractionate from W during partial melting in the lunar mantle, given that W is broadly incompatible at FMQ-5. Moreover, the depletion of Mo and the Mo/W range in lunar samples can be reproduced by simply assuming a primitive Earth-like Mo/W for the bulk silicate Moon. Such a lunar composition is in striking agreement with the Moon being derived from the primitive terrestrial mantle after core formation on Earth.

Characterization of inclusions in terrestrial impact formed zircon: Constraining the formation conditions of Hadean zircon from Jack Hills, Western Australia

Science.gov (United States)

Faltys, J. P.; Wielicki, M. M.; Sizemore, T. M.

2017-12-01

Due to the discovery and subsequent geochemical analysis of Hadean terrestrial material (e.g. detrital zircon from Jack Hills, Western Australia), a dramatic paradigm shift has occurred in the hypothesized near surface conditions of the first 500 million years of Earth's evolution. From a hellish setting riddled with impactors and not fit for life to a much milder environment that may have been uniquely suitable for the origin of life. Geochemical analyses of these ancient materials have been used to suggest the presence of water at or near the surface as well as the existence of continental crust during the Hadean, both of which have been suggested as necessary for the origin of life. However, the intensity of extraterrestrial bombardment during the Hadean and the effects of such events on the origin of life remains poorly understood. Clearly, as evidenced by Phanerozoic impact events, extraterrestrial impactors have the potential to dramatically effect the environment, particularly the biosphere. Early Earth likely experienced multiple large impact events, as evidenced by the lunar record, however whether those impacts were sufficient to frustrate the origin of life remains an open question. Although multiple lines of evidence, including the inclusion population, suggest the formation of Hadean zircon from Jack Hills as crystallizing in an under-thrust environment from S-type magmas, a recent study has suggested their formation in an impact melt environment analogous to a portion of the Sudbury Igneous Complex at the Sudbury impact structure. To determine between these two formation scenarios we have under-taken an inclusion study of terrestrial impact formed zircon from four of the largest terrestrial impact structures (Sudbury, Canada; Manicouagan, Canada; Vredefort, South Africa; Morokweng, South Africa), to compare to the vast inclusion dataset that exists for Jack Hills zircon. Preliminary data suggests a different inclusion population, from Hadean zircon

The modeling of core melting and in-vessel corium relocation in the APRIL code

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim. S.W.; Podowski, M.Z.; Lahey, R.T. [Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY (United States)] [and others

1995-09-01

This paper is concerned with the modeling of severe accident phenomena in boiling water reactors (BWR). New models of core melting and in-vessel corium debris relocation are presented, developed for implementation in the APRIL computer code. The results of model testing and validations are given, including comparisons against available experimental data and parametric/sensitivity studies. Also, the application of these models, as parts of the APRIL code, is presented to simulate accident progression in a typical BWR reactor.

Melt-Dilute Spent Nuclear Fuel Form Criticality Summary Report; FINAL

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vinson, D.W.

2002-01-01

Criticality analysis of the proposed Melt-Dilute (MD) form of aluminum-based spent nuclear fuel (SNF), under geologic repository conditions, was performed following the methodology, documented in the Disposal Criticality Analysis Methodology Topical Report. This methodology evaluates the potential for nuclear criticality as determined by the composition of the waste and its geometry, namely waste form configuration, including presence of moderator, reflecting structural material, and neutron absorbers. The initial emplaced configuration of the SNF form is a dry package placed in a mined repository passageway. Criticality calculations show that even with waste package failure, followed by degradation of material within the waste package and potential loss of neutron absorber materials, sub-critical conditions can be maintained

Melting in super-earths.

Science.gov (United States)

Stixrude, Lars

2014-04-28

We examine the possible extent of melting in rock-iron super-earths, focusing on those in the habitable zone. We consider the energetics of accretion and core formation, the timescale of cooling and its dependence on viscosity and partial melting, thermal regulation via the temperature dependence of viscosity, and the melting curves of rock and iron components at the ultra-high pressures characteristic of super-earths. We find that the efficiency of kinetic energy deposition during accretion increases with planetary mass; considering the likely role of giant impacts and core formation, we find that super-earths probably complete their accretionary phase in an entirely molten state. Considerations of thermal regulation lead us to propose model temperature profiles of super-earths that are controlled by silicate melting. We estimate melting curves of iron and rock components up to the extreme pressures characteristic of super-earth interiors based on existing experimental and ab initio results and scaling laws. We construct super-earth thermal models by solving the equations of mass conservation and hydrostatic equilibrium, together with equations of state of rock and iron components. We set the potential temperature at the core-mantle boundary and at the surface to the local silicate melting temperature. We find that ancient (∼4 Gyr) super-earths may be partially molten at the top and bottom of their mantles, and that mantle convection is sufficiently vigorous to sustain dynamo action over the whole range of super-earth masses.

Studies of Behavior Melting Temperature Characteristics for Multi Thermocouple In-Core Instrument Assembly

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shin, Donghyup; Chae, Myoungeun; Kim, Sungjin; Lee, Kyulim [Woojin inc, Hwasung (Korea, Republic of)

2015-05-15

Bottom-up type in-core instruments (ICIs) are used for the pressurized water reactors of OPR-1000, APR- 1400 in order to measure neutron flux and temperature in the reactor. It is a well-known technique and a proven design using years in the nuclear field. ICI consists of one pair of K-type thermocouple, five self-powered neutron detectors (SPNDs) and one back ground detector. K-type thermocouple's purpose is to measure the core exit temperature (CET) in the reactor. The CET is a very important factor for operating nuclear power plants and it is 327 .deg. C when generally operating the reactor in the nuclear power plant(NPP) in case of OPR- 1000. If the CET will exceed 650 .deg. C, Operators in the main control room should be considered to be an accident situation in accordance with a severe accident management guidance(SAMG). The Multi Thermocouple ICI is a new designed ICI assuming severe accident conditions. It consists of four more thermocouples than the existing design, so it has five Ktype thermocouples besides the thermocouple measuring CET is located in the same elevation as the ICI. Each thermocouple is able to be located in the desired location as required. The Multi Thermocouple ICI helps to measure the temperature distribution of the entire reactor. In addition, it will measure certain point of melted core because of the in-vessel debris of nuclear fuel when an accident occurs more seriously. In this paper, to simulate a circumstance such as a nuclear reactor severe accident was examined. In this study, the K-type thermocouples of Multi Thermocouple ICI was confirmed experimentally to be able to measure up to 1370 .deg. C before the thermocouples have been melted. And after the thermocouples were melted by debris, it was able to be monitored that the signal of EMF directed the infinite value of voltage. Therefore through the results of the test, it can be assumed that if any EMF data among the Multi Thermocouple ICI will direct the infinite value

Studies of Behavior Melting Temperature Characteristics for Multi Thermocouple In-Core Instrument Assembly

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shin, Donghyup; Chae, Myoungeun; Kim, Sungjin; Lee, Kyulim

2015-01-01

Bottom-up type in-core instruments (ICIs) are used for the pressurized water reactors of OPR-1000, APR- 1400 in order to measure neutron flux and temperature in the reactor. It is a well-known technique and a proven design using years in the nuclear field. ICI consists of one pair of K-type thermocouple, five self-powered neutron detectors (SPNDs) and one back ground detector. K-type thermocouple's purpose is to measure the core exit temperature (CET) in the reactor. The CET is a very important factor for operating nuclear power plants and it is 327 .deg. C when generally operating the reactor in the nuclear power plant(NPP) in case of OPR- 1000. If the CET will exceed 650 .deg. C, Operators in the main control room should be considered to be an accident situation in accordance with a severe accident management guidance(SAMG). The Multi Thermocouple ICI is a new designed ICI assuming severe accident conditions. It consists of four more thermocouples than the existing design, so it has five Ktype thermocouples besides the thermocouple measuring CET is located in the same elevation as the ICI. Each thermocouple is able to be located in the desired location as required. The Multi Thermocouple ICI helps to measure the temperature distribution of the entire reactor. In addition, it will measure certain point of melted core because of the in-vessel debris of nuclear fuel when an accident occurs more seriously. In this paper, to simulate a circumstance such as a nuclear reactor severe accident was examined. In this study, the K-type thermocouples of Multi Thermocouple ICI was confirmed experimentally to be able to measure up to 1370 .deg. C before the thermocouples have been melted. And after the thermocouples were melted by debris, it was able to be monitored that the signal of EMF directed the infinite value of voltage. Therefore through the results of the test, it can be assumed that if any EMF data among the Multi Thermocouple ICI will direct the infinite value

Melt quenching and coolability by water injection from below: Co-injection of water and non-condensable gas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cho, Dae H.; Page, Richard J.; Abdulla, Sherif H.; Anderson, Mark H.; Klockow, Helge B.; Corradini, Michael L.

2006-01-01

The interaction and mixing of high-temperature melt and water is the important technical issue in the safety assessment of water-cooled reactors to achieve ultimate core coolability. For specific advanced light water reactor (ALWR) designs, deliberate mixing of the core melt and water is being considered as a mitigative measure, to assure ex-vessel core coolability. The goal of our work is to provide the fundamental understanding needed for melt-water interfacial transport phenomena, thus enabling the development of innovative safety technologies for advanced LWRs that will assure ex-vessel core coolability. The work considers the ex-vessel coolability phenomena in two stages. The first stage is the melt quenching process and is being addressed by Argonne National Lab and University of Wisconsin in modified test facilities. Given a quenched melt in the form of solidified debris, the second stage is to characterize the long-term debris cooling process and is being addressed by Korean Maritime University via test and analyses. In this paper, experiments on melt quenching by the injection of water from below are addressed. The test section represented one-dimensional flow-channel simulation of the bottom injection of water into a core melt in the reactor cavity. The melt simulant was molten lead or a lead alloy (Pb-Bi). For the experimental conditions employed (i.e., melt depth and water flow rates), it was found that: (1) the volumetric heat removal rate increased with increasing water mass flow rate and (2) the non-condensable gas mixed with the injected water had no impairing effect on the overall heat removal rate. Implications of these current experimental findings for ALWR ex-vessel coolability are discussed

Nitrogen partitioning during core-mantle differentiation

Science.gov (United States)

Speelmanns, I. M.; Schmidt, M. W.; Liebske, C.

2016-12-01

This study investiagtes nitrogen partitioing between metal and silicate melts as relevant for core segregation during the accretion of planetesimals into the Earth. On present day Earth, N belongs to the most important elements, as it is one of the key constituents of our atmosphere and forms the basis of life. However, the geochemistry of N, i.e. its distribution and isotopic fractionation between Earth's deep reservoirs is not well constrained. In order to determine the partitioning behaviour of N, a centrifuging piston cylinder was used to euqilibrate and then gravitationally separate metal-silicate melt pairs at 1250 °C, 1 GPa over the range of oxygen fugacities thought to have prevailied druing core segreagtion (IW-4 to IW). Complete segregation of the two melts was reached within 3 hours at 1000 g, the interface showing a nice meniscus The applied double capsule technique, using an outer metallic and inner non-metallic (mostly graphite) capsule, minimizes volatile loss over the course of the experiment compared to single non-metallic capsules. The two quenched melts were cut apart, cleaned at the outside and N concentrations of the melts were analysed on bulk samples by an elemental analyser. Nevertheless, the low amount of sample material and the N yield in the high pressure experiments required the developement of new analytical routines. Despite these experimental and analytical difficulties, we were able to determine a DNmetal/silicateof 13±0.25 at IW-1, N partitioning into the core froming metal. The few availible literature data [1],[2] suggest that N changes its compatibility favoring the silicate melt or magma ocean at around IW-2.5. In order to asses how much N may effectively be contained in the core and the silicate Earth, experiments characterizing N behaviour over the entire range of core formation condtitions are well under way. [1] Kadik et al., (2011) Geochemistry International 49.5: 429-438. [2] Roskosz et al., (2013) GCA 121: 15-28.

Core degradation and fission product release

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wright, R.W.; Hagen, S.J.L.

1992-01-01

Experiments on core degradation and melt progression in severe LWR accidents have provided reasonable understanding of the principal processes involved in the early phase of melt progression that extends through core degradation and metallic material melting and relocation. A general but not a quantitative understanding of late phase melt progression that involves ceramic material melting and relocation has also been obtained, primarily from the TMI-2 core examination. A summary is given of the current state of knowledge on core degradation and melt progression obtained from these integral experiments and of the principal remaining significant uncertainties. A summary is also given of the principal results on in-vessel fission product release obtained from these experiments. (author). 8 refs, 5 figs, 3 tabs

Applications of liquid state physics to the earth's core

Science.gov (United States)

Stevenson, D. J.

1980-01-01

New results derived for application to the earth's outer core using the modern theory of liquids and the hard-sphere model of liquid structure are presented. An expression derived in terms of the incompressibility and pressure is valid for a high-pressure liquid near its melting point, provided that the pressure is derived from a strongly repulsive pair potential; a relation derived between the melting point and density leads to a melting curve law of essentially the same form as Lindemann's law. Finally, it is shown that the 'core paradox' of Higgins and Kennedy (1971) can occur only if the Gruneisen parameter is smaller than 2/3, and this constant is larger than this value in any liquid for which the pair potential is strongly repulsive.

16S rRNA Amplicon Sequencing Demonstrates that Indoor-Reared Bumblebees (Bombus terrestris Harbor a Core Subset of Bacteria Normally Associated with the Wild Host.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ivan Meeus

Full Text Available A MiSeq multiplexed 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing of the gut microbiota of wild and indoor-reared Bombus terrestris (bumblebees confirmed the presence of a core set of bacteria, which consisted of Neisseriaceae (Snodgrassella, Orbaceae (Gilliamella, Lactobacillaceae (Lactobacillus, and Bifidobacteriaceae (Bifidobacterium. In wild B. terrestris we detected several non-core bacteria having a more variable prevalence. Although Enterobacteriaceae are unreported by non next-generation sequencing studies, it can become a dominant gut resident. Furthermore the presence of some non-core lactobacilli were associated with the relative abundance of bifidobacteria. This association was not observed in indoor-reared bumblebees lacking the non-core bacteria, but having a more standardized microbiota compared to their wild counterparts. The impact of the bottleneck microbiota of indoor-reared bumblebees when they are used in the field for pollination purpose is discussed.

The matter of probability controlling melting of nuclear ship reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pihowicz, W.; Sobczyk, S.

2008-01-01

In the first part of this work beside description of split power, power of radioactivity disintegration and afterpower and its ability to extinguish, the genera condition of melting nuclear reactor core and its detailed versions were described. This paper also include the description of consequences melting nuclear reactor core both in case of stationary and mobile (ship) reactor and underline substantial differences. Next, fulfilled with succeed, control under melting of stationary nuclear reactor core was characterized.The middle part describe author's idea of controlling melting of nuclear ship reactor core. It is based on: - the suggestion of prevention pressure's untightness in safety tank of nuclear ship reactor by '' corium '' - and the suggestion of preventing walls of this tank from melting by '' corium ''. In the end the technological and construction barriers of the prevention from melting nuclear ship reactor and draw conclusions was presented. (author)

Fragility of superheated melts and glass-forming ability in Pr-based alloys

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meng, Q.G.; Zhou, J.K.; Zheng, H.X.; Li, J.G.

2006-01-01

The kinetic viscosity (η) of superheated melts, thermal properties (T x , T m , T L ) and X-ray diffraction analysis on the Pr-based bulk metallic glasses (BMG) are reported and discussed. A new refined concept, the superheated fragility defined as M' = E S δ x /k B , has been developed based on common solidification theory and the Arrhenius equation. The interrelationship between this kind of fragility and the glass-forming ability (GFA) is elaborated on and evaluated in Pr-based BMG and Al-based amorphous ribbon alloys. Using viscosity data of superheated melts, it is shown, theoretically and experimentally, that the fragility parameter M' may be used as a GFA indicator for metallic alloys

Effects of an inhibitor of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase on photosynthesis of the terrestrial forms of amphibious Eleocharis species.

Science.gov (United States)

Ueno, Osamu; Ishimaru, Ken

2002-01-01

The leafless amphibious sedge Eleocharis vivipara develops culms with C(4) traits and Kranz anatomy under terrestrial conditions, but develops culms with C(3) traits and non-Kranz anatomy under submerged conditions. The culms of the terrestrial form have high C(4) enzyme activities, while those of the submerged form have decreased C(4) enzyme activities. The culms accumulate ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) in the mesophyll cells (MC) and the bundle sheath cells. The Rubisco in the MC may be responsible for the operation of the C(3) pathway in the submerged form. To verify the presence of the C(3) cycle in the MC, we examined the effects of 3,3-dichloro-2-(dihydroxyphosphinoylmethyl) -propenoate (DCDP), an inhibitor of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC), on photosynthesis in culms of the terrestrial forms of E. vivipara and related amphibious species, E. baldwinii and E. retroflexa ssp. chaetaria. When 1 mM DCDP was fed via the transpiration stream to excised leaves, photosynthesis was inhibited completely in Fimbristylis dichotoma (C(4) control), but by only 20% in potato (C(3) control). In the terrestrial Eleocharis plants, the degree of inhibition of photosynthesis by DCDP was intermediate between those of the C(4) and C(3) plants, at 58-81%. These results suggest that photosynthesis under DCDP treatment in the terrestrial Eleocharis plants is due mainly to fixation of atmospheric CO(2) by Rubisco and probably the C(3) cycle in the MC. These features are reminiscent of those in C(4)-like plants. Differential effects of DCDP on photosynthesis of the 3 Eleocharis species are discussed in relation to differences in the degree of Rubisco accumulation and C(3) activity in the MC.

Rheology as a tool for evaluation of melt processability of innovative dosage forms

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Aho, Johanna Maaria; Boetker, Johan P; Baldursdottir, Stefania

2015-01-01

) printing, will have an increasingly important role when designing products for flexible dosing, since dosage forms based on compacting of a given powder mixture do not enable manufacturing of optimal pharmaceutical products for personalized treatments. The melt processability of polymers and API...

Simulation of steam explosion in stratified melt-coolant configuration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leskovar, Matjaž; Centrih, Vasilij; Uršič, Mitja

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Strong steam explosions may develop spontaneously in stratified configurations. • Considerable melt-coolant premixed layer formed in subcooled water with hot melts. • Analysis with MC3D code provided insight into stratified steam explosion phenomenon. • Up to 25% of poured melt was mixed with water and available for steam explosion. • Better instrumented experiments needed to determine dominant mixing process. - Abstract: A steam explosion is an energetic fuel coolant interaction process, which may occur during a severe reactor accident when the molten core comes into contact with the coolant water. In nuclear reactor safety analyses steam explosions are primarily considered in melt jet-coolant pool configurations where sufficiently deep coolant pool conditions provide complete jet breakup and efficient premixture formation. Stratified melt-coolant configurations, i.e. a molten melt layer below a coolant layer, were up to now believed as being unable to generate strong explosive interactions. Based on the hypothesis that there are no interfacial instabilities in a stratified configuration it was assumed that the amount of melt in the premixture is insufficient to produce strong explosions. However, the recently performed experiments in the PULiMS and SES (KTH, Sweden) facilities with oxidic corium simulants revealed that strong steam explosions may develop spontaneously also in stratified melt-coolant configurations, where with high temperature melts and subcooled water conditions a considerable melt-coolant premixed layer is formed. In the article, the performed study of steam explosions in a stratified melt-coolant configuration in PULiMS like conditions is presented. The goal of this analytical work is to supplement the experimental activities within the PULiMS research program by addressing the key questions, especially regarding the explosivity of the formed premixed layer and the mechanisms responsible for the melt-water mixing. To

Chemical heterogeneities in the interior of terrestrial bodies

Science.gov (United States)

Plesa, Ana-Catalina; Maurice, Maxime; Tosi, Nicola; Breuer, Doris

2016-04-01

Mantle chemical heterogeneities that can strongly influence the interior dynamics have been inferred for all terrestrial bodies of the Solar System and range from local to global scale. Seismic data for the Earth, differences in surface mineral compositions observed in data sets from space missions, and isotopic variations identified in laboratory analyses of meteorites or samples indicate chemically heterogeneous systems. One way to generate large scale geochemical heterogeneities is through the fractional crystallization of a liquid magma ocean. The large amount of energy available in the early stages of planetary evolution can cause melting of a significant part or perhaps even the entire mantle of a terrestrial body resulting in a liquid magma ocean. Assuming fractional crystallization, magma ocean solidification proceeds from the core-mantle boundary to the surface where dense cumulates tend to form due to iron enrichment in the evolving liquid. This process leads to a gravitationally unstable mantle, which is prone to overturn. Following cumulate overturn, a stable stratification may be reached that prevents efficient material transport. As a consequence, mantle reservoirs may be kept separate, possibly for the entire thermo-chemical evolution of a terrestrial body. Scenarios assuming fractional crystallization of a liquid magma ocean have been suggested to explain lavas with distinct composition on Mercury's surface [1], the generation of the Moon's mare basalts by sampling a reservoir consisting of overturned ilmenite-bearing cumulates [2], and the preservation of Mars' geochemical reservoirs as inferred by isotopic analysis of the SNC meteorites [3]. However, recent studies have shown that the style of the overturn as well as the subsequent density stratification are of extreme importance for the subsequent thermo-chemical evolution of a planetary body and may have a major impact on the later surface tectonics and volcanic history. The rapid formation of a

Corium melt researches at VESTA test facility

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hwan Yeol Kim

2017-10-01

Full Text Available VESTA (Verification of Ex-vessel corium STAbilization and VESTA-S (-small test facilities were constructed at the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute in 2010 to perform various corium melt experiments. Since then, several tests have been performed for the verification of an ex-vessel core catcher design for the EU-APR1400. Ablation tests of an impinging ZrO2 melt jet on a sacrificial material were performed to investigate the ablation characteristics. ZrO2 melt in an amount of 65–70 kg was discharged onto a sacrificial material through a well-designed nozzle, after which the ablation depths were measured. Interaction tests between the metallic melt and sacrificial material were performed to investigate the interaction kinetics of the sacrificial material. Two types of melt were used: one is a metallic corium melt with Fe 46%, U 31%, Zr 16%, and Cr 7% (maximum possible content of U and Zr for C-40, and the other is a stainless steel (SUS304 melt. Metallic melt in an amount of 1.5–2.0 kg was delivered onto the sacrificial material, and the ablation depths were measured. Penetration tube failure tests were performed for an APR1400 equipped with 61 in-core instrumentation penetration nozzles and extended tubes at the reactor lower vessel. ZrO2 melt was generated in a melting crucible and delivered down into an interaction crucible where the test specimen is installed. To evaluate the tube ejection mechanism, temperature distributions of the reactor bottom head and in-core instrumentation penetration were measured by a series of thermocouples embedded along the specimen. In addition, lower vessel failure tests for the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant are being performed. As a first step, the configuration of the molten core in the plant was investigated by a melting and solidification experiment. Approximately 5 kg of a mixture, whose composition in terms of weight is UO2 60%, Zr 10%, ZrO2 15%, SUS304 14%, and B4C 1%, was melted in a

The parent magma of the nakhlite meteorites - Clues from melt inclusions

Science.gov (United States)

Harvey, Ralph P.; Mcsween, Harry Y., Jr.

1992-01-01

Several forms of trapped liquid found within nakhlite meteorites have been examined, including interstitial melt and magmatic inclusions within the cores of large olivine grains. Differences in the mineralogy and texture between two types of trapped melt inclusions, and between these inclusions and the mesostasis, indicate that vitrophyric inclusions are most appropriate for estimating the composition of a nakhlite parental magma in equilibrium with early-forming olivine and augite. Parent liquids were calculated from the mineralogy of large inclusions in Nakhla and Governador Valadares, using a system of mass-balance equations solved by linear regression methods. The chosen parental liquids were cosaturated in olivine and augite and had Mg/Fe values consistent with measured augite/liquid Kds. These parental magma compositions are similar to other published compositions for Nakhla, Chassigny, and Shergotty parental melts, and may correspond to a significant magma type on Mars.

Radioactive contamination of Danish territory after core-melt accidents at the Barsebaeck power plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gjoerup, H.L.; Jensen, N.O.; Hedemann Jensen, P.; Kristensen, L.; Nielsen, O.J.; Petersen, E.L.; Petersen, T.; Roed, J.; Thykier-Nielsen, S.; Heikel Vinter, F.; Warming, L.; Aarkrog, A.

1982-03-01

An assessment is made of the radioactive contamination of Danish territory in the event of a core-melt accident at the Barsebaeck nuclear power plant in Sweden. Accidents including both core melt-down and containment failure are considered. Consequences are calculated for a BWR-3 release under common meteorological conditions and for a BWR-2 release under extreme meteorological conditions. Calculations are based on experiments and theoretical work relating to deposition velocities for different types of surface, shielding effect of structures, and weathering. The effects are described of different dose-reducing measures, e.g., decontamination, relocation, destruction of contaminated foodstuffs. The collective effective dose equivalent from external gamma radiation from deposited activity integrated over a time period of 30 years, is calculated to be 3.6 Megamanrem in the BWR-3 case without dose-reducing measures. For the BWR-2 case, the corresponding dose is approx. 41 Megamanrem. A combination of temporary relocation, hosing of roads etc. and digging of gardens is estimated to reduce these doses to approx. 2.5 Megamanrem and approx. 15 Megamanrem, respectively. The collective committed effective dose equivalent from the consumption of contaminated foodstuffs is calculated to 23 Megamanrem in the BWR-3 case without dose-reducing measures. This dose could be reduced to 0.2 Megamanrem if contaminated crops are destroyed during the first year after the accident and if changes are made in agricultural production in the contaminated area. The corresponding doses in the BWR-2 case would be 197 Megamanrem and 1.4 Megmanrem, respectively. (author)

Comparison of the effect of hazard and response/fragility uncertainties on core melt probability uncertainty

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mensing, R.W.

1985-01-01

This report proposes a method for comparing the effects of the uncertainty in probabilistic risk analysis (PRA) input parameters on the uncertainty in the predicted risks. The proposed method is applied to compare the effect of uncertainties in the descriptions of (1) the seismic hazard at a nuclear power plant site and (2) random variations in plant subsystem responses and component fragility on the uncertainty in the predicted probability of core melt. The PRA used is that developed by the Seismic Safety Margins Research Program

Crystal growth nucleation and Fermi energy equalization of intrinsic spherical nuclei in glass-forming melts

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Robert F Tournier

2009-01-01

Full Text Available The energy saving resulting from the equalization of Fermi energies of a crystal and its melt is added to the Gibbs free-energy change ΔG2ls associated with a crystal formation in glass-forming melts. This negative contribution being a fraction ε ls(T of the fusion heat is created by the electrostatic potential energy −U0 resulting from the electron transfer from the crystal to the melt and is maximum at the melting temperature Tm in agreement with a thermodynamics constraint. The homogeneous nucleation critical temperature T2, the nucleation critical barrier ΔG2ls*/kBT and the critical radius R*2ls are determined as functions of εls(T. In bulk metallic glass forming melts, εls(T and T2 only depend on the free-volume disappearance temperature T0l, and εls(Tm is larger than 1 (T0l>Tm/3; in conventional undercooled melts εls(Tm is smaller than 1 (T0l>Tm/3. Unmelted intrinsic crystals act as growth nuclei reducing ΔG2ls*/kBT and the nucleation time. The temperature-time transformation diagrams of Mg65Y10 Cu25, Zr41.2Ti13.8 Cu12.5Ni10Be22.5, Pd43Cu27 Ni10P20, Fe83B17 and Ni melts are predicted using classic nucleation models including time lags in transient nucleation, by varying the intrinsic nucleus contribution to the reduction of ΔG2ls*/kBT. The energy-saving coefficient ε nm(T of an unmelted crystal of radius Rnm is reduced when Rnm LtR*2ls; εnm is quantified and corresponds to the first energy level of one s-electron moving in vacuum in the same spherical attractive potential −U0 despite the fact that the charge screening is built by many-body effects.

The end of the iron-core age.

Science.gov (United States)

Lyttleton, R. A.

1973-01-01

The terrestrial planets aggregated essentially from small particles, to begin as solid cool bodies with the same general compositions, and there is no possibility of an iron-core developing within any of them at any stage. Their differing internal and surface properties receive ready explanation from their different masses which determine whether the pressures within are sufficient to bring about phase-changes. The claim that the terrestrial core can be identified by means of shock-wave data as nickel-iron is based on theoretical misconception, whereas the actual seismic data establish an uncompressed-density value much lower than any such mixture could have. The onset of the Ramsey phase-change in the earth takes the form of a rapid initial collapse to produce a large core in metallic state which thereafter continues to grow secularly as a result of radioactive heating and leads to reduction of surface-area at long last adequate to account for folded and thrusted mountain-building.

Analysis of core degradation and relocation phenomena and scenarios in a Nordic-type BWR

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Galushin, Sergey, E-mail: galushin@kth.se; Kudinov, Pavel, E-mail: pkudinov@kth.se

2016-12-15

Highlights: • A data base of the debris properties in lower plenum generated using MELCOR code. • The timing of safety systems has significant effect on the relocated debris properties. • Loose coupling between core relocation and vessel failure analyses was established. - Abstract: Severe Accident Management (SAM) in Nordic Boiling Water Reactors (BWR) employs ex-vessel cooling of core melt debris. The melt is released from the failed vessel and poured into a deep pool of water located under the reactor. The melt is expected to fragment, quench, and form a debris bed, coolable by a natural circulation and evaporation of water. Success of the strategy is contingent upon melt release conditions from the vessel and melt-coolant interaction that determine (i) properties of the debris bed and its coolability (ii) potential for energetic melt-coolant interactions (steam explosions). Risk Oriented Accident Analysis Methodology (ROAAM+) framework is currently under development for quantification of the risks associated with formation of non-coolable debris bed and occurrence of steam explosions, both presenting a credible threats to containment integrity. The ROAAM+ framework consist of loosely coupled models that describe each stage of the accident progression. Core relocation analysis framework provides initial conditions for melt vessel interaction, vessel failure and melt release frameworks. The properties of relocated debris and melt release conditions, including in-vessel and ex-vessel pressure, lower drywell pool depth and temperature, are sensitive to the accident scenarios and timing of safety systems recovery and operator actions. This paper illustrates a methodological approach and relevant data for establishing a connection between core relocation and vessel failure analysis in ROAAM+ approach. MELCOR code is used for analysis of core degradation and relocation phenomena. Properties of relocated debris are obtained as functions of the accident scenario

Dropwise additive manufacturing of pharmaceutical products for melt-based dosage forms.

Science.gov (United States)

Içten, Elçin; Giridhar, Arun; Taylor, Lynne S; Nagy, Zoltan K; Reklaitis, Gintaras V

2015-05-01

The US Food and Drug Administration introduced the quality by design approach and process analytical technology guidance to encourage innovation and efficiency in pharmaceutical development, manufacturing, and quality assurance. As part of this renewed emphasis on the improvement of manufacturing, the pharmaceutical industry has begun to develop more efficient production processes with more intensive use of online measurement and sensing, real-time quality control, and process control tools. Here, we present dropwise additive manufacturing of pharmaceutical products (DAMPP) as an alternative to conventional pharmaceutical manufacturing methods. This mini-manufacturing process for the production of pharmaceuticals utilizes drop on demand printing technology for automated and controlled deposition of melt-based formulations onto edible substrates. The advantages of drop-on-demand technology, including reproducible production of small droplets, adjustable drop sizing, high placement accuracy, and flexible use of different formulations, enable production of individualized dosing even for low-dose and high-potency drugs. In this work, DAMPP is used to produce solid oral dosage forms from hot melts of an active pharmaceutical ingredient and a polymer. The dosage forms are analyzed to show the reproducibility of dosing and the dissolution behavior of different formulations. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. and the American Pharmacists Association.

Nitrogen fractionation in high-mass star-forming cores across the Galaxy

Science.gov (United States)

Colzi, L.; Fontani, F.; Rivilla, V. M.; Sánchez-Monge, A.; Testi, L.; Beltrán, M. T.; Caselli, P.

2018-04-01

The fractionation of nitrogen (N) in star-forming regions is a poorly understood process. To put more stringent observational constraints on the N-fractionation, we have observed with the IRAM-30m telescope a large sample of 66 cores in massive star-forming regions. We targeted the (1-0) rotational transition of HN13C, HC15N, H13CN and HC15N, and derived the 14N/15N ratio for both HCN and HNC. We have completed this sample with that already observed by Colzi et al. (2018), and thus analysed a total sample of 87 sources. The 14N/15N ratios are distributed around the Proto-Solar Nebula value with a lower limit near the terrestrial atmosphere value (˜272). We have also derived the 14N/15N ratio as a function of the Galactocentric distance and deduced a linear trend based on unprecedented statistics. The Galactocentric dependences that we have found are consistent, in the slope, with past works but we have found a new local 14N/15N value of ˜400, i.e. closer to the Prosolar Nebula value. A second analysis was done, and a parabolic Galactocentric trend was found. Comparison with Galactic chemical evolution models shows that the slope until 8 kpc is consistent with the linear analysis, while the flattening trend above 8 kpc is well reproduced by the parabolic analysis.

Melt-Dilute Form of AI-Based Spent Nuclear Fuel Disposal Criticality Summary Report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

D. Vinson; A. Serika

2002-01-01

Criticality analysis of the proposed melt-dilute (MD) form of aluminum-based spent nuclear fuel (SNF), under geologic repository conditions, was performed [1] following the methodology documented in the Disposal Criticality Analysis Methodology Topical Report [2]. This methodology evaluates the potential for nuclear criticality for a waste form in a waste package. Criticality calculations show that even with waste package failure, followed by degradation of material within the waste package and potential loss of neutron absorber materials, sub-critical conditions can be readily demonstrated for the MD form of aluminum-based SNF

CFD to modeling molten core behavior simultaneously with chemical phenomena

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vladimir V Chudanov; Anna E Aksenova; Valerii A Pervichko

2005-01-01

Full text of publication follows: This paper deals with the basic features of a computing procedure, which can be used for modeling of destruction and melting of a core with subsequent corium retaining into the reactor vessel. The destruction and melting of core mean the account of the following phenomena: a melting, draining (moving of the melt through a porous layer of core debris), freezing with release of an energy, change of geometry, formation of the molten pool, whose convective intermixing and distribution influence on a mechanism of borders destruction. It is necessary to take into account that during of heating molten pool and development in it of convective fluxes a stratification of a multi-component melt on two layers of metal light and of oxide heavy components is observed. These layers are in interaction, they can exchange by the separate components as result of diffusion or oxidizing reactions. It can have an effect considerably on compositions, on a specific weight, and on properties of molten interacting phases, and on a structure of the molten stratified pool. In turn, the retaining of the formed molten masses in reactor vessel requires the solution of a matched heat exchange problem, namely, of a natural convection in a heat generating fluid in partially or completely molten corium and of heat exchange problem with taking into account of a melting of the reactor vessel. In addition, it is necessary to take into account phase segregation, caused by influence of local and of global natural convective flows and thermal lag of heated up boundaries. The mathematical model for simulation of the specified phenomena is based on the Navier-Stokes equations with variable properties together with the heat transfer equation. For modeling of a corium moving through a porous layer of core debris, the special computing algorithm to take into account density jump on interface between a melt and a porous layer of core debris is designed. The model was

Prediction of thermoplastic failure of a reactor pressure vessel under a postulated core melt accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Duijvestijn, G.; Birchley, J.; Reichlin, K.

1997-01-01

This paper presents the lower head failure calculations performed for a postulated accident scenario in a commercial nuclear power plant. A postulated one inch break in the primary coolant circuit leads to dryout and subsequent meltdown of the core. The reference plant is a pressurized water reactor without penetrations in the reactor vessel lower head. The molten core material accumulates in the lower head, eventually causing failure of the vessel. The analysis investigates flow conditions in the melt pool, temperature evolution in the reactor vessel wall, and structure mechanical evaluation of the vessel under strong thermal loads and a range of internal pressures. The calculations were performed using the ADINA finite element codes. The analysis focusses on the failure processes, time and mode of failure. The most likely mode of failure at low pressure is global rupture due to gradual accumulation of creep strain over a large part of the heated area. In contrast, thermoplasticity becomes important at high pressure or following a pressure spike and can lead to earlier local failure. In situations in which part of the heat load is concentrated over a small area, resulting in a hot spot, local failure occurs, but not until the temperatures are close to the melting point. At low pressure, in particular, the hot spot area remains intact until the structure is molten across more than half of the thickness. (author) 14 figs., 16 refs

Hydrogen isotopic fractionation during crystallization of the terrestrial magma ocean

Science.gov (United States)

Pahlevan, K.; Karato, S. I.

2016-12-01

Models of the Moon-forming giant impact extensively melt and partially vaporize the silicate Earth and deliver a substantial mass of metal to the Earth's core. The subsequent evolution of the terrestrial magma ocean and overlying vapor atmosphere over the ensuing 105-6 years has been largely constrained by theoretical models with remnant signatures from this epoch proving somewhat elusive. We have calculated equilibrium hydrogen isotopic fractionation between the magma ocean and overlying steam atmosphere to determine the extent to which H isotopes trace the evolution during this epoch. By analogy with the modern silicate Earth, the magma ocean-steam atmosphere system is often assumed to be chemically oxidized (log fO2 QFM) with the dominant atmospheric vapor species taken to be water vapor. However, the terrestrial magma ocean - having held metallic droplets in suspension - may also exhibit a much more reducing character (log fO2 IW) such that equilibration with the overlying atmosphere renders molecular hydrogen the dominant H-bearing vapor species. This variable - the redox state of the magma ocean - has not been explicitly included in prior models of the coupled evolution of the magma ocean-steam atmosphere system. We find that the redox state of the magma ocean influences not only the vapor speciation and liquid-vapor partitioning of hydrogen but also the equilibrium isotopic fractionation during the crystallization epoch. The liquid-vapor isotopic fractionation of H is substantial under reducing conditions and can generate measurable D/H signatures in the crystallization products but is largely muted in an oxidizing magma ocean and steam atmosphere. We couple equilibrium isotopic fractionation with magma ocean crystallization calculations to forward model the behavior of hydrogen isotopes during this epoch and find that the distribution of H isotopes in the silicate Earth immediately following crystallization represents an oxybarometer for the terrestrial

Non-chondritic iron isotope ratios in planetary mantles as a result of core formation

Science.gov (United States)

Elardo, Stephen M.; Shahar, Anat

2017-02-01

Information about the materials and conditions involved in planetary formation and differentiation in the early Solar System is recorded in iron isotope ratios. Samples from Earth, the Moon, Mars and the asteroid Vesta reveal significant variations in iron isotope ratios, but the sources of these variations remain uncertain. Here we present experiments that demonstrate that under the conditions of planetary core formation expected for the Moon, Mars and Vesta, iron isotopes fractionate between metal and silicate due to the presence of nickel, and enrich the bodies' mantles in isotopically light iron. However, the effect of nickel diminishes at higher temperatures: under conditions expected for Earth's core formation, we infer little fractionation of iron isotopes. From our experimental results and existing conceptual models of magma ocean crystallization and mantle partial melting, we find that nickel-induced fractionation can explain iron isotope variability found in planetary samples without invoking nebular or accretionary processes. We suggest that near-chondritic iron isotope ratios of basalts from Mars and Vesta, as well as the most primitive lunar basalts, were achieved by melting of isotopically light mantles, whereas the heavy iron isotope ratios of terrestrial ocean floor basalts are the result of melting of near-chondritic Earth mantle.

THE FRAGMENTATION OF MAGNETIZED, MASSIVE STAR-FORMING CORES WITH RADIATIVE FEEDBACK

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Myers, Andrew T.; McKee, Christopher F. [Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720 (United States); Cunningham, Andrew J. [Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, P.O. Box 808, L-23, Livermore, CA 94550 (United States); Klein, Richard I. [Department of Astronomy, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720 (United States); Krumholz, Mark R., E-mail: atmyers@berkeley.edu [Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064 (United States)

2013-04-01

We present a set of three-dimensional, radiation-magnetohydrodynamic calculations of the gravitational collapse of massive (300 M{sub Sun }), star-forming molecular cloud cores. We show that the combined effects of magnetic fields and radiative feedback strongly suppress core fragmentation, leading to the production of single-star systems rather than small clusters. We find that the two processes are efficient at suppressing fragmentation in different regimes, with the feedback most effective in the dense, central region and the magnetic field most effective in more diffuse, outer regions. Thus, the combination of the two is much more effective at suppressing fragmentation than either one considered in isolation. Our work suggests that typical massive cores, which have mass-to-flux ratios of about 2 relative to critical, likely form a single-star system, but that cores with weaker fields may form a small star cluster. This result helps us understand why the observed relationship between the core mass function and the stellar initial mass function holds even for {approx}100 M{sub Sun} cores with many thermal Jeans masses of material. We also demonstrate that a {approx}40 AU Keplerian disk is able to form in our simulations, despite the braking effect caused by the strong magnetic field.

Penetration of a heated pool into a melting miscible substrate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eck, G.; Werle, H.

1986-01-01

Core-catchers have been proposed, which, after a core disruptive accident in a nuclear reactor, prevent containment failure caused by contact of the molten debris with the underlying ex-vessel structural materials. Most of these core-catchers are provided with sacrificial layers which on melting consume some fraction of the decay heat and dilute the heat sources and the fissionable material as the core masses are dissolved by the molten sacrificial material. Dilution of the core masses results in relatively low heat fluxes and temperatures at the wall of the core-catcher and, in addition, reduces the probability of recriticality. An experimental study was conducted on melting systems consisting of a liquid over-lying a solid substrate, which after melting of the solid, are mutually miscible. To initiate melting, the liquid was heated either by a planar heater from above or internally by an ac current. The density of the liquid was varied systematically, and it was found that downward heat transfer increases strongly with this parameter. In addition to heat transfer, mass transfer was studied by measuring the local concentration of the molten material in the liquid. A few experiments were performed in which sideward melting and two-dimensional pool growth were investigated

Forming of High-strength Steels Using a Hot-melt Dry Lubricant

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hörnström, Sven-Erik; Karlsson, Erik; Olsson, Mikael

2008-01-01

during forming resulting in seizure of the tool/steel sheet contact and extensive scratching of the steel sheet surface. As a result, a number of concepts have been developed in order to reduce the tendency to galling in metal forming, including the development of new dry lubricants, new forming tool...... steel grades and improved surface engineering treatments such as the deposition of low friction CVD and PVD coatings. In the present study the performance of a hot-melt dry lubricant in the forming of hot and cold rolled and hot-dip galvanized high strength steel has been evaluated and compared...... with a conventional rust protection oil using four different tests methods, i.e. a strip reduction test, a bending under tension test, a stretch-forming test and a pin-on disc test. In the tests, two different cold work tool steels, a conventional steel grade and a nitrogen alloyed PM steel grade were evaluated...

Assessment of mass fraction and melting temperature for the application of limestone concrete and siliceous concrete to nuclear reactor basemat considering molten core-concrete interaction

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Ho Jae; Kim, Do Gyeum [Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology, Goyang (Korea, Republic of); Cho, Jae Leon [Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power Co., Ulsan (Korea, Republic of); Yoon, Eui Sik [Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Cho, Myung Suk [Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power Co., Central Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2016-04-15

Severe accident scenarios in nuclear reactors, such as nuclear meltdown, reveal that an extremely hot molten core may fall into the nuclear reactor cavity and seriously affect the safety of the nuclear containment vessel due to the chain reaction caused by the reaction between the molten core and concrete. This paper reports on research focused on the type and amount of vapor produced during the reaction between a high-temperature molten core and concrete, as well as on the erosion rate of concrete and the heat transfer characteristics at its vicinity. This study identifies the mass fraction and melting temperature as the most influential properties of concrete necessary for a safety analysis conducted in relation to the thermal interaction between the molten core and the basemat concrete. The types of concrete that are actually used in nuclear reactor cavities were investigated. The H2O content in concrete required for the computation of the relative amount of gases generated by the chemical reaction of the vapor, the quantity of CO2 necessary for computing the cooling speed of the molten core, and the melting temperature of concrete are evaluated experimentally for the molten core-concrete interaction analysis.

Nitrogen partitioning during Earth's accretion and core-mantle differentiation

Science.gov (United States)

Speelmanns, I. M.; Schmidt, M. W.; Liebske, C.

2017-12-01

On present day Earth, N is one of the key constituents of our atmosphere and forms the basis of life. However, the deep Earth geochemistry of N, i.e. its distribution and isotopic fractionation between Earth's deep reservoirs is not well constrained. This study investigates nitrogen partitioning between metal and silicate melts as relevant for core segregation during the accretion of planetesimals into the Earth. We have determined N-partitioning coefficients over a wide range of temperatures (1250-2000 °C), pressures (15-35 kbar) and oxygen fugacity's, the latter in the relevant range of core segregation (IW-5 to IW). Centrifuging piston cylinders were used to equilibrate and then gravitationally separate metal-silicate melt pairs. Separation of the two melts is necessary to avoid micro nugget contamination in the silicate melt at reducing conditions double capsule technique in all experiments, using an outer metallic (Pt) and inner non-metallic capsule (graphite or Al2O3), minimizes N-loss over the course of the experiments compared to single non-metallic capsules. The two quenched melts were cut apart mechanically, cleaned at the outside, their N concentrations were then analysed on bulk samples by an elemental analyser, the low abslute masses requiring careful development of analytical routines. Despite these difficulties, we were able to determine a DNmetal/silicate of 13±0.3 at IW-1 decreasing to 2.0±0.2 at IW-5.5, at 1250°C and 15 kbar, N partitioning into the core forming metal. Increasing temperature dramatically lowers the DNmetal/silicate to e.g. 0.5±0.15 at IW-4, during early core formation N was hence mildly incompatible in the metal. The results suggest that under magma ocean conditions (> 2000 oC and fO2 IW-2.5), N-partition coefficents were within a factor of 2 of unity. Hence, N did not partition into the core, which should contain negliligible quantities of N. The few available literature data [1],[2],[3] support N changing compatibility with

Modelling of RPV lower head under core melt severe accident condition using OpenFOAM

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Madokoro, Hiroshi; Kretzschmar, Frank; Miassoedov, Alexei

2017-01-01

Although six years have been passed since the tragic severe accident at Fukushima Daiichi, still large uncertainties exist in modeling of core degradation and reactor pressure vessel (RPV) failure. It is extremely important to obtain a better understanding of complex phenomena in the lower head in order to improve accident management measures. The possible failure mode of reactor pressure vessel and its failure time are especially a matter of importance. Thermal behavior of the molten pool can be simulated by the Phase-change Effective Convectivity Model (PECM), which is a distributed-parameter model developed in the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), Sweden. The model calculates convective currents not using a pure CFD approach but based on so called “characteristic velocities” that are determined by empirical correlations depending on the geometry and physical properties of the molten pool. At the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), the PECM has been implemented in the open-source CFD software OpenFOAM in order to receive detailed predictions of a core melt behavior in the RPV lower head under severe accident conditions. An advantage of using OpenFOAM is that it is very flexible to add and modify models and physical properties. In the current work, the solver is extended to couple PECM with a structure analysis model of the vessel wall. The model considers thermal expansion, plasticity, creep and damage. The model and physical properties are based on those implemented in ANSYS. Although the previous implementation had restriction that the amount of and geometry of the melt cannot be changed, our coupled model allows flexibility of the melt amount and geometry. The extended solver was used to simulate the LIVE-L1 and -L7V experiments and has demonstrated good prediction of the temperature distribution in the molten pool and heat flux distribution through the vessel wall. Regarding the vessel failure the model was applied to one of the FOREVER tests

Experimental results for TiO2 melting and release using cold crucible melting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hong, S. W.; Min, B. T.; Park, I. G.; Kim, H. D.

2000-01-01

To simulate the severe accident phenomena using the real reactor material which melting point is about 2,800K, the melting and release method for materials with high melting point should be developed. This paper discusses the test results for TiO 2 materials using the cold crucible melting method to study the melting and release method of actual corium. To melt and release of few kg of TiO2, the experimental facility is manufactured through proper selection of design parameters such as frequency and capacity of R.F generator, crucible size and capacity of coolant. The melting and release of TiO 2 has been successfully performed in the cold crucible of 15cm in inner diameter and 30cm in height with 30kW RF power generator of 370 KHz. In the melt delivery experiment, about 2.6kg of molten TiO2, 60% of initial charged mass, is released. Rest of it is remained in the watercage in form of the rubble crust formed at the top of crucible and melt crust formed at the interface between the water-cage and melt. Especially, in the melt release test, the location of the working coil is important to make the thin crust at the bottom of the crucible

Correlation for downward melt penetration into a miscible low-density substrate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fang, L.J.; Cheung, F.B.; Pedersen, D.R.; Linehan, J.H.

1984-01-01

Downward penetration of a sacrificial bed material or a concrete basemat structure by an overlying layer of core melt resulting from a hypothetical core disruptive accident has been a major issue in post accident heat removal studies. One characteristic feature of this problem is that the solid substrate, when molten, is miscible with and lighter than the core melt so that the rate of penetration is strongly dependent upon the motion of natural convection in the melt layer driven by the density difference between the core melt and the molten substrate. This fundamentally interesting and technologically important problem has been investigated by a number of researchers. Significantly different melting rates, however, were observed in these studies. Questions concerning the occurrence of flow transition and its effect on melt penetration remain to be answered. To promote the understanding of the phenomena and to strengthen the data base of melt penetration, simulation experiments were conducted using various kinds of salt solutions (KI, NaCl, CaCl 2 , and MgCl 2 solutions) as the working fluid and an air-bubble-free ice slab as the solid substrate

Zircon (Hf, O isotopes) as melt indicator: Melt infiltration and abundant new zircon growth within melt rich layers of granulite-facies lenses versus solid-state recrystallization in hosting amphibolite-facies gneisses (central Erzgebirge, Bohemian Massif)

Science.gov (United States)

Tichomirowa, Marion; Whitehouse, Martin; Gerdes, Axel; Schulz, Bernhard

2018-03-01

In the central Erzgebirge within the Bohemian Massif, lenses of high pressure and ultrahigh pressure felsic granulites occur within meta-sedimentary and meta-igneous amphibolite-facies felsic rocks. In the felsic granulite, melt rich parts and restite form alternating layers, and were identified by petrology and bulk rock geochemistry. Mineral assemblages representing the peak P-T conditions were best preserved in melanocratic restite layers. In contrast, in the melt rich leucocratic layers, garnet and related HP minerals as kyanite are almost completely resorbed. Both layers display differences in accessory minerals: melanosomes have frequent and large monazite and Fe-Ti-minerals but lack xenotime and apatite; leucosomes have abundant apatite and xenotime while monazite is rare. Here we present a detailed petrographic study of zircon grains (abundance, size, morphology, inclusions) in granulite-facies and amphibolite-facies felsic gneisses, along with their oxygen and hafnium isotope compositions. Our data complement earlier Usbnd Pb ages and trace element data (REE, Y, Hf, U) on zircons from the same rocks (Tichomirowa et al., 2005). Our results show that the degree of melting determines the behaviour of zircon in different layers of the granulites and associated amphibolite-facies rocks. In restite layers of the granulite lenses, small, inherited, and resorbed zircon grains are preserved and new zircon formation is very limited. In contrast, new zircons abundantly grew in the melt rich leucocratic layers. In these layers, the new zircons (Usbnd Pb age, trace elements, Hf, O isotopes) best preserve the information on peak metamorphic conditions due to intense corrosion of other metamorphic minerals. The new zircons often contain inherited cores. Compared to cores, the new zircons and rims show similar or slightly lower Hf isotope values, slightly higher Hf model ages, and decreased oxygen isotope ratios. The isotope compositions (Hf, O) of new zircons indicate

Methane emissions form terrestrial plants

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bergamaschi, P.; Dentener, F.; Grassi, G.; Leip, A.; Somogyi, Z.; Federici, S.; Seufert, G.; Raes, F. [European Commission, DG Joint Research Centre, Institute for Environment and Sustainability, Ispra (Italy)

2006-07-01

In a recent issue of Nature Keppler et al. (2006) report the discovery that terrestrial plants emit CH4 under aerobic conditions. Until now it was thought that bacterial decomposition of plant material under anaerobic conditions, such as in wetlands and water flooded rice paddies, is the main process leading to emissions from terrestrial ecosystems. In a first attempt to upscale these measurements, the authors estimate that global total emissions may be 149 Tg CH4/yr (62-236 Tg CH4/yr), with the main contribution estimated from tropical forests and grasslands (107 Tg CH4/yr with a range of 46-169 Tg CH4/yr). If confirmed, this new source of emission would constitute a significant fraction of the total global methane sources (estimated 500-600 Tg CH4/yr for present day total natural and anthropogenic sources) and have important implications for the global CH4 budget. To accommodate it within the present budget some sources would need to be re-assessed downwards and/or some sinks re-assessed upwards. Furthermore, also considering that methane is a {approx}23 times more powerful greenhouse gas than CO2, the possible feedbacks of these hitherto unknown CH4 emissions on global warming and their impacts on greenhouse gases (GHG) mitigation strategies need to be carefully evaluated. The merit of the paper is without doubt related to the remarkable discovery of a new process of methane emissions active under aerobic conditions. However, we think that the applied approach of scaling up emissions from the leaf level to global totals by using only few measured data (mainly from herbaceous species) and the Net Primary Productivity of the main biomes is scientifically questionable and tends to overestimate considerably the global estimates, especially for forest biomes. Furthermore, some significant constraints on the upper limit of the global natural CH4 emissions arise from the pre-industrial CH4 budget. Pre-industrial atmospheric CH4 mixing ratios have been measured

Generalized Thermohydraulics Module GENFLO for Combining With the PWR Core Melting Model, BWR Recriticality Neutronics Model and Fuel Performance Model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miettinen, Jaakko; Hamalainen, Anitta; Pekkarinen, Esko

2002-01-01

Thermal hydraulic simulation capability for accident conditions is needed at present in VTT in several programs. Traditional thermal hydraulic models are too heavy for simulation in the analysis tasks, where the main emphasis is the rapid neutron dynamics or the core melting. The GENFLO thermal hydraulic model has been developed at VTT for special applications in the combined codes. The basic field equations in GENFLO are for the phase mass, the mixture momentum and phase energy conservation equations. The phase separation is solved with the drift flux model. The basic variables to be solved are the pressure, void fraction, mixture velocity, gas enthalpy, liquid enthalpy, and concentration of non-condensable gas fractions. The validation of the thermohydraulic solution alone includes large break LOCA reflooding experiments and in specific for the severe accident conditions QUENCH tests. In the recriticality analysis the core neutronics is simulated with a two-dimensional transient neutronics code TWODIM. The recriticality with one rapid prompt peak is expected during a severe accident scenario, where the control rods have been melted and ECCS reflooding is started after the depressurization. The GENFLO module simulates the BWR thermohydraulics in this application. The core melting module has been developed for the real time operator training by using the APROS engineering simulators. The core heatup, oxidation, metal and fuel pellet relocation and corium pool formation into the lower plenum are calculated. In this application the GENFLO model simulates the PWR vessel thermohydraulics. In the fuel performance analysis the fuel rod transient behavior is simulated with the FRAPTRAN code. GENFLO simulates the subchannel around a single fuel rod and delivers the heat transfer on the cladding surface for the FRAPTRAN. The transient boundary conditions for the subchannel are transmitted from the system code for operational transient, loss of coolant accidents and

Fe-based nanocrystalline powder cores with ultra-low core loss

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, Xiangyue, E-mail: wangxiangyue1986@163.com [China Iron and Steel Research Institute Group, Beijing 100081 (China); Center of Advanced Technology and Materials Co., Ltd., Beijing 100081 (China); Lu, Zhichao; Lu, Caowei; Li, Deren [China Iron and Steel Research Institute Group, Beijing 100081 (China); Center of Advanced Technology and Materials Co., Ltd., Beijing 100081 (China)

2013-12-15

Melt-spun amorphous Fe{sub 73.5}Cu{sub 1}Nb{sub 3}Si{sub 15.5}B{sub 7} alloy strip was crushed to make flake-shaped fine powders. The passivated powders by phosphoric acid were mixed with organic and inorganic binder, followed by cold compaction to form toroid-shaped bonded powder-metallurgical magnets. The powder cores were heat-treated to crystallize the amorphous structure and to control the nano-grain structure. Well-coated phosphate-oxide insulation layer on the powder surface decreased the the core loss with the insulation of each powder. FeCuNbSiB nanocrystalline alloy powder core prepared from the powder having phosphate-oxide layer exhibits a stable permeability up to high frequency range over 2 MHz. Especially, the core loss could be reduced remarkably. At the other hand, the softened inorganic binder in the annealing process could effectively improve the intensity of powder cores. - Highlights: • Fe-based nanocrystalline powder cores were prepared with low core loss. • Well-coated phosphate-oxide insulation layer on the powder surface decreased the core loss. • Fe-based nanocrystalline powder cores exhibited a stable permeability up to high frequency range over 2 MHz. • The softened inorganic binder in the annealing process could effectively improve the intensity of powder cores.

Metamorphism and partial melting of ordinary chondrites: Calculated phase equilibria

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, T. E.; Benedix, G. K.; Bland, P. A.

2016-01-01

Constraining the metamorphic pressures (P) and temperatures (T) recorded by meteorites is key to understanding the size and thermal history of their asteroid parent bodies. New thermodynamic models calibrated to very low P for minerals and melt in terrestrial mantle peridotite permit quantitative investigation of high-T metamorphism in ordinary chondrites using phase equilibria modelling. Isochemical P-T phase diagrams based on the average composition of H, L and LL chondrite falls and contoured for the composition and abundance of olivine, ortho- and clinopyroxene, plagioclase and chromite provide a good match with values measured in so-called equilibrated (petrologic type 4-6) samples. Some compositional variables, in particular Al in orthopyroxene and Na in clinopyroxene, exhibit a strong pressure dependence when considered over a range of several kilobars, providing a means of recognising meteorites derived from the cores of asteroids with radii of several hundred kilometres, if such bodies existed at that time. At the low pressures (recorders of peak conditions. The intersection of isopleths of these variables may allow pressures to be quantified, even at low P, permitting constraints on the minimum size of parent asteroid bodies. The phase diagrams predict the onset of partial melting at 1050-1100 °C by incongruent reactions consuming plagioclase, clinopyroxene and orthopyroxene, whose compositions change abruptly as melting proceeds. These predictions match natural observations well and support the view that type 7 chondrites represent a suprasolidus continuation of the established petrologic types at the extremes of thermal metamorphism. The results suggest phase equilibria modelling has potential as a powerful quantitative tool in investigating, for example, progressive oxidation during metamorphism, the degree of melting and melt loss or accumulation required to produce the spectrum of differentiated meteorites, and whether the onion shell or rubble pile

Simulation of melt spreading in consideration of phase transitions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Spengler, C. [Gesellschaft fuer Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit (GRS) mbH, Koeln (Germany)

2002-07-01

The analysis of melt spreading and relocation phenomena in the containment of LWR power plants in case of hypothetical severe accidents leading to core melting is an important issue for reactor safety investigations. For the simulation of melt spreading the code LAVA has been developed on the basis of a method from the related subject of volcanology by adding more detailed models for heat transfer phenomena and flow rheology. The development is supported by basic analysis of the spreading of gravity currents as well as experimental investigations of the rheology of solidifying melts. These exhibit strong non-Newtonian effects in case of a high content of solids in the freezing melt. The basic model assumption in LAVA is the ideal Bingham plastic approach to the non-Newtonian, shear-thinning characteristic of solidifying melts. For the recalculation of melt spreading experiments, the temperature-dependent material properties for solidifying melt mixtures have been calculated using correlations from the literature. With the parameters and correlations for the rheological material properties approached by results from literature, it was possible to recalculate successfully recent spreading experiments with simulant materials and prototypic reactor core materials. An application to the behaviour of core melt in the reactor cavity assumed a borderline case for the issue of spreading. This limit is represented by melt conditions (large solid fraction, low volume flux), under which the melt is hardly spreadable. Due to the persistent volume flux the reactor cavity is completely, but inhomogeneously filled with melt. The degree of inhomogeneity is rather small, so it is concluded, that for the long-term coolability of a melt pool in narrow cavities the spreading of melt will probably have only negligible influence. (orig.)

New insight into lunar impact melt mobility from the LRO camera

Science.gov (United States)

Bray, Veronica J.; Tornabene, Livio L.; Keszthelyi, Laszlo P.; McEwen, Alfred S.; Hawke, B. Ray; Giguere, Thomas A.; Kattenhorn, Simon A.; Garry, William B.; Rizk, Bashar; Caudill, C.M.; Gaddis, Lisa R.; van der Bogert, Carolyn H.

2010-01-01

The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) is systematically imaging impact melt deposits in and around lunar craters at meter and sub-meter scales. These images reveal that lunar impact melts, although morphologically similar to terrestrial lava flows of similar size, exhibit distinctive features (e.g., erosional channels). Although generated in a single rapid event, the post-impact mobility and morphology of lunar impact melts is surprisingly complex. We present evidence for multi-stage influx of impact melt into flow lobes and crater floor ponds. Our volume and cooling time estimates for the post-emplacement melt movements noted in LROC images suggest that new flows can emerge from melt ponds an extended time period after the impact event.

Differentiating pedogenesis from diagenesis in early terrestrial paleoweathering surfaces formed on granitic composition parent materials

Science.gov (United States)

Driese, S.G.; Medaris, L.G.; Ren, M.; Runkel, Anthony C.; Langford, R.P.

2007-01-01

Unconformable surfaces separating Precambrian crystalline basement and overlying Proterozoic to Cambrian sedimentary rocks provide an exceptional opportunity to examine the role of primitive soil ecosystems in weathering and resultant formation of saprolite (weathered rock retaining rock structure) and regolith (weathered rock without rock structure), but many appear to have been affected by burial diagenesis and hydrothermal fluid flow, leading some researchers to discount their suitability for such studies. We examine one modern weathering profile (Cecil series), four Cambrian paleoweathering profiles from the North American craton (Squaw Creek, Franklin Mountains, Core SQ-8, and Core 4), one Neoproterozoic profile (Sheigra), and one late Paleoproterozoic profile (Baraboo), to test the hypothesis that these paleoweathering profiles do provide evidence of primitive terrestrial weathering despite their diagenetic and hydrothermal overprinting, especially additions of potassium. We employ an integrated approach using (1) detailed thin-section investigations to identify characteristic pedogenic features associated with saprolitization and formation of well-drained regoliths, (2) electron microprobe analysis to identify specific weathered and new mineral phases, and (3) geochemical mass balance techniques to characterize volume changes during weathering and elemental gains and losses of major and minor elements relative to the inferred parent materials. There is strong pedogenic evidence of paleoweathering, such as clay illuviation, sepic-plasmic fabrics, redoximorphic features, and dissolution and alteration of feldspars and mafic minerals to kaolinite, gibbsite, and Fe oxides, as well as geochemical evidence, such as whole-rock losses of Na, Ca, Mg, Si, Sr, Fe, and Mn greater than in modern profiles. Evidence of diagenesis includes net additions of K, Ba, and Rb determined through geochemical mass balance, K-feldspar overgrowths in overlying sandstone sections, and

Shear viscosity of glass-forming melts in the liquid-glass transition region

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sanditov, D. S.

2010-01-01

A new approach to interpreting the hole-activation model of a viscous flow of glass-forming liquids is proposed. This model underlies the development of the concept on the exponential temperature dependence of the free energy of activation of a flow within the range of the liquid-glass transition in complete agreement with available experimental data. The 'formation of a fluctuation hole' in high-heat glass-forming melts is considered as a small-scale low-activation local deformation of a structural network, i.e., the quasi-lattice necessary for the switching of the valence bond, which is the main elementary event of viscous flow of glasses and their melts. In this sense, the hole formation is a conditioned process. A drastic increase in the activation free energy of viscous flow in the liquid-glass transition region is explained by a structural transformation that is reduced to a limiting local elastic deformation of the structural network, which, in turn, originates from the excitation (critical displacement) of a bridging atom like the oxygen atom in the Si-O-Si bridge. At elevated temperatures, as a rule, a necessary amount of excited bridging atoms (locally deformed regions of the structural network) always exists, and the activation free energy of viscous flow is almost independent of temperature. The hole-activation model is closely connected with a number of well-known models describing the viscous flow of glass-forming liquids (the Avramov-Milchev, Nemilov, Ojovan, and other models).

Olivine/melt transition metal partitioning, melt composition, and melt structure—Melt polymerization and Qn-speciation in alkaline earth silicate systems

Science.gov (United States)

Mysen, Bjorn O.

2008-10-01

The two most abundant network-modifying cations in magmatic liquids are Ca 2+ and Mg 2+. To evaluate the influence of melt structure on exchange of Ca 2+ and Mg 2+ with other geochemically important divalent cations ( m-cations) between coexisting minerals and melts, high-temperature (1470-1650 °C), ambient-pressure (0.1 MPa) forsterite/melt partitioning experiments were carried out in the system Mg 2SiO 4-CaMgSi 2O 6-SiO 2 with ⩽1 wt% m-cations (Mn 2+, Co 2+, and Ni 2+) substituting for Ca 2+ and Mg 2+. The bulk melt NBO/Si-range ( NBO/Si: nonbridging oxygen per silicon) of melt in equilibrium with forsterite was between 1.89 and 2.74. In this NBO/Si-range, the NBO/Si(Ca) (fraction of nonbridging oxygens, NBO, that form bonds with Ca 2+, Ca 2+- NBO) is linearly related to NBO/Si, whereas fraction of Mg 2+- NBO bonds is essentially independent of NBO/Si. For individual m-cations, rate of change of KD( m-Mg) with NBO/Si(Ca) for the exchange equilibrium, mmelt + Mg olivine ⇌ molivine + Mg melt, is linear. KD( m-Mg) decreases as an exponential function of increasing ionic potential, Z/ r2 ( Z: formal electrical charge, r: ionic radius—here calculated with oxygen in sixfold coordination around the divalent cations) of the m-cation. The enthalpy change of the exchange equilibrium, Δ H, decreases linearly with increasing Z/ r2 [Δ H = 261(9)-81(3)· Z/ r2 (Å -2)]. From existing information on (Ca,Mg)O-SiO 2 melt structure at ambient pressure, these relationships are understood by considering the exchange of divalent cations that form bonds with nonbridging oxygen in individual Qn-species in the melts. The negative ∂ KD( m-Mg) /∂( Z/ r2) and ∂(Δ H)/∂( Z/ r2) is because increasing Z/ r2 is because the cations forming bonds with nonbridging oxygen in increasingly depolymerized Qn-species where steric hindrance is decreasingly important. In other words, principles of ionic size/site mismatch commonly observed for trace and minor elements in crystals, also

The Evolution of High-Mass Star-Forming Cores in the Nessie Nebula

Science.gov (United States)

Jackson, James; Rathborne, Jill; Sanhueza, Patricio; Whitaker, John Scott; Camarata, Matthew

2013-04-01

We aim to deduce the evolution of the ensemble properties of high-mass star-forming cores within a cluster-forming molecular clump. Two different theories of high-mass star-formation, "competitive accretion" and "monolithic collapse" make very different predictions for this evolution. In "competitive accretion" the clump will contain only low-mass cores in the early phases, and high-mass cores will be found in the later stages. In "monolithic collapse" high-mass cores are found early on, and the mass distribution of the cores will remain essentially unchanged. Both models predict cores to increase in temperature. We can classify evolutionary stage from Spitzer mid-IR images. We choose to study 6 cores in the Nessie nebula that span the complete range of protostellar evolution. Nessie is an ideal laboratory because all the cores are at the same distance and in the same Galactic environment.

Nuclear Power Reactor Core Melt Accidents. Current State of Knowledge

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bentaib, Ahmed; Bonneville, Herve; Clement, Bernard; Cranga, Michel; Fichot, Florian; Koundy, Vincent; Meignen, Renaud; Corenwinder, Francois; Leteinturier, Denis; Monroig, Frederique; Nahas, Georges; Pichereau, Frederique; Van-Dorsselaere, Jean-Pierre; Cenerino, Gerard; Jacquemain, Didier; Raimond, Emmanuel; Ducros, Gerard; Journeau, Christophe; Magallon, Daniel; Seiler, Jean-Marie; Tourniaire, Bruno

2013-01-01

For over thirty years, IPSN and subsequently IRSN has played a major international role in the field of nuclear power reactor core melt accidents through the undertaking of important experimental programmes (the most significant being the Phebus- FP programme), the development of validated simulation tools (the ASTEC code that is today the leading European tool for modelling severe accidents), and the coordination of the SARNET (Severe Accident Research Network) international network of excellence. These accidents are described as 'severe accidents' because they can lead to radioactive releases outside the plant concerned, with serious consequences for the general public and for the environment. This book compiles the sum of the knowledge acquired on this subject and summarises the lessons that have been learnt from severe accidents around the world for the prevention and reduction of the consequences of such accidents, without addressing those from the Fukushima accident, where knowledge of events is still evolving. The knowledge accumulated by the Institute on these subjects enabled it to play an active role in informing public authorities, the media and the public when this accident occurred, and continues to do so to this day

Nuclear reactor melt-retention structure to mitigate direct containment heating

Science.gov (United States)

Tutu, Narinder K.; Ginsberg, Theodore; Klages, John R.

1991-01-01

A light water nuclear reactor melt-retention structure to mitigate the extent of direct containment heating of the reactor containment building. The structure includes a retention chamber for retaining molten core material away from the upper regions of the reactor containment building when a severe accident causes the bottom of the pressure vessel of the reactor to fail and discharge such molten material under high pressure through the reactor cavity into the retention chamber. In combination with the melt-retention chamber there is provided a passageway that includes molten core droplet deflector vanes and has gas vent means in its upper surface, which means are operable to deflect molten core droplets into the retention chamber while allowing high pressure steam and gases to be vented into the upper regions of the containment building. A plurality of platforms are mounted within the passageway and the melt-retention structure to direct the flow of molten core material and help retain it within the melt-retention chamber. In addition, ribs are mounted at spaced positions on the floor of the melt-retention chamber, and grid means are positioned at the entrance side of the retention chamber. The grid means develop gas back pressure that helps separate the molten core droplets from discharged high pressure steam and gases, thereby forcing the steam and gases to vent into the upper regions of the reactor containment building.

Core-melting accidents in Chernobyl and Harrisburg

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Loon, A.J. van; Vonderen, A.C.M. van

1987-01-01

This publication deals with the essences of the reactor accident in Chernobylsk and the conclusions to be drawn from these with regard to reactor safety. Therein the technical differences between the reactor types in the West and the East play an important role. Also attention is spent to the now generally accepted philosophy that by simplification and making use of proven technologies, a further deminishing of the risks can be achieved step by step. In ch.'s 2 and 4 the origin and course of the accidents in respectively Chernobylsk and Harrisburg are analyzed; in the analysis of the Chernobylsk accident also date have been used which were provided by the Sovjet-Union, supplied with results of studies of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). In ch. 3 this information is compared with the insights which have grown at KEMA about these on the base of reactor physical and thermohydraulic considerations and of computer calculations reproducing the course of the accident. An important question is if, and if so: to which extent, an accident such as the one in Chernobylsk also can take place in the West. In order to answer that question as accurate as possible the consequences of core meltings accidents and the risk for such an accident taking place are pursued. In ch. 6 the legal frameworks are indicated by which the risk may be limited and by which eventually yet occurring damage may be arranged. Ch. 7 finally deals with the lessons which the accidents in Chernobylsk and Harrisburg have learnt us and with the possible consequences of these for the further application of nuclear power in the Netherlands. (H.W.). 105 refs.; 42 figs.; 17 refs

Frictional melt generated by the 2008 Mw 7.9 Wenchuan earthquake and its faulting mechanisms

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, H.; Li, H.; Si, J.; Sun, Z.; Zhang, L.; He, X.

2017-12-01

Fault-related pseudotachylytes are considered as fossil earthquakes, conveying significant information that provide improved insight into fault behaviors and their mechanical properties. The WFSD project was carried out right after the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake, detailed research was conducted in the drilling cores. 2 mm rigid black layer with fresh slickenlines was observed at 732.6 m in WFSD-1 cores drilled at the southern Yingxiu-Beichuan fault (YBF). Evidence of optical microscopy, FESEM and FIB-TEM show it's frictional melt (pseudotachylyte). In the northern part of YBF, 4 mm fresh melt was found at 1084 m with similar structures in WFSD-4S cores. The melts contain numerous microcracks. Considering that (1) the highly unstable property of the frictional melt (easily be altered or devitrified) under geological conditions; (2) the unfilled microcracks; (3) fresh slickenlines and (4) recent large earthquake in this area, we believe that 2-4 mm melt was produced by the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake. This is the first report of fresh pseudotachylyte with slickenlines in natural fault that generated by modern earthquake. Geochemical analyses show that fault rocks at 732.6 m are enriched in CaO, Fe2O3, FeO, H2O+ and LOI, whereas depleted in SiO2. XRF results show that Ca and Fe are enriched obviously in the 2.5 cm fine-grained fault rocks and Ba enriched in the slip surface. The melt has a higher magnetic susceptibility value, which may due to neoformed magnetite and metallic iron formed in fault frictional melt. Frictional melt visible in both southern and northern part of YBF reveals that frictional melt lubrication played a major role in the Wenchuan earthquake. Instead of vesicles and microlites, numerous randomly oriented microcracks in the melt, exhibiting a quenching texture. The quenching texture suggests the frictional melt was generated under rapid heat-dissipation condition, implying vigorous fluid circulation during the earthquake. We surmise that during

Core catcher concepts future PWR-Plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alsmeyer, H.; Werle, H.

1994-01-01

Light water reactors of the next generation should have still greater passive safety, even in the most serious accidents. This includes the long term safe inclusion of the core inventory in the case of core meltdown accidents. The three concepts for cooling the liquefied core outside the reactor pressure vessel examined by KfK should remove the post-shutdown heat by direct contact of the melt with water. The geometric distribution of the melt increases its surface area, so that favourable conditions for heat removal from the poorly thermally-conducting melt are created and complete quick solidification occurs. The experiments examine both the relocation and distribution mechanisms of the melt and the reactions occurring when water enters. As strong interaction is possible on direct contact of the melt with water, an important aim is experimental determination and limitation of any resulting mechanical stresses. (orig./HP) [de

Investigation on Melt-Structure-Water Interactions (MSWI) during severe accidents

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sehgal, B.R.; Yang, Z.L.; Dinh, T.N.; Nourgaliev, R.R.; Bui, V.A.; Haraldsson, H.O.; Li, H.X.; Konovakhin, M.; Paladino, D.; Leung, W.H [Royal Inst. of Tech., Stockholm (Sweden). Div. of Nuclear Power Safety

1999-08-01

This report is the final report for the work performed in 1998 in the research project Melt Structure Water Interactions (MSWI), under the auspices of the APRI Project, jointly funded by SKI, HSK, USNRC and the Swedish and Finnish power companies. The present report describes results of advanced analytical and experimental studies concerning melt-water-structure interactions during the course of a hypothetical severe core meltdown accident in a light water reactor (LWR). Emphasis has been placed on phenomena and properties which govern the fragmentation and breakup of melt jets and droplets, melt spreading and coolability, and thermal and mechanical loadings of a pressure vessel during melt-vessel interaction. Many of the investigations performed in support of this project have produced papers which have been published in the proceedings of technical meetings. A short summary of the results achieved in these papers is provided in this overview. Both experimental and analytical studies were performed to improve knowledge about phenomena of melt-structure-water interactions. We believe that significant technical advances have been achieved during the course of these studies. It was found that: the solidification has a strong effect on the drop deformation and breakup. Initially appearing at the drop surface and, later, thickening inwards, the solid crust layer dampens the instability waves on the drop surface and, therefore, hinders drop deformation and breakup. The drop thermal properties also affect the thermal behavior of the drop and, therefore, have impact on its deformation behavior. The jet fragmentation process is a function of many related phenomena. The fragmentation rate depends not only on the traditional parameters, e.g. the Weber number, but also on the melt physical properties, which change as the melt cools down from the liquidus to the solidus temperature. Additionally, the crust formed on the surface of the melt jet will also reduce the propensity

Investigation on Melt-Structure-Water Interactions (MSWI) during severe accidents

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sehgal, B.R.; Yang, Z.L.; Dinh, T.N.; Nourgaliev, R.R.; Bui, V.A.; Haraldsson, H.O.; Li, H.X.; Konovakhin, M.; Paladino, D.; Leung, W.H

1999-08-01

This report is the final report for the work performed in 1998 in the research project Melt Structure Water Interactions (MSWI), under the auspices of the APRI Project, jointly funded by SKI, HSK, USNRC and the Swedish and Finnish power companies. The present report describes results of advanced analytical and experimental studies concerning melt-water-structure interactions during the course of a hypothetical severe core meltdown accident in a light water reactor (LWR). Emphasis has been placed on phenomena and properties which govern the fragmentation and breakup of melt jets and droplets, melt spreading and coolability, and thermal and mechanical loadings of a pressure vessel during melt-vessel interaction. Many of the investigations performed in support of this project have produced papers which have been published in the proceedings of technical meetings. A short summary of the results achieved in these papers is provided in this overview. Both experimental and analytical studies were performed to improve knowledge about phenomena of melt-structure-water interactions. We believe that significant technical advances have been achieved during the course of these studies. It was found that: the solidification has a strong effect on the drop deformation and breakup. Initially appearing at the drop surface and, later, thickening inwards, the solid crust layer dampens the instability waves on the drop surface and, therefore, hinders drop deformation and breakup. The drop thermal properties also affect the thermal behavior of the drop and, therefore, have impact on its deformation behavior. The jet fragmentation process is a function of many related phenomena. The fragmentation rate depends not only on the traditional parameters, e.g. the Weber number, but also on the melt physical properties, which change as the melt cools down from the liquidus to the solidus temperature. Additionally, the crust formed on the surface of the melt jet will also reduce the propensity

Na, Rb and Cs partitioning between metal, silicate and sulfide: Implications for volatile depletion in terrestrial planets

Science.gov (United States)

Boujibar, A.; Fei, Y.; Du, Z.; Righter, K.; Bullock, E. S.

2017-12-01

Inner Solar System materials are known for their depletion in volatile elements, including the moderately volatile alkalis: Na, K, Rb, and Cs. The origin of this depletion is still uncertain, as several processes could have been involved, during the nebular condensation or planetary accretion. Volatile depletion is commonly estimated through comparison of alkali concentrations relatively to those of chondrites, assuming they remain in planetary mantles during core segregation. However, experimental studies show that substantial K can partition into metals that are enriched in sulfur and oxygen. Several models have also suggested that sulfides may have played an important role during episodes of sulfide segregation from a crystallizing magma ocean (sulfide matte) or accretion of S-rich planetary embryos. For Mercury, a sulfide layer could be present between core and mantle, due to immiscibility between Si-rich and S-rich metals. Therefore, here we investigate whether alkali elements (Na, Cs and Rb) could be partly sequestered in planetary cores during their differentiation. We conducted experiments at high pressure and temperature (1 to 5 GPa and up to 1900 °C) to determine partition coefficients of Na, Rb and Cs between metal and silicate. Our results show that pressure, temperature, sulfur and oxygen in metals enhance the partitioning of Na, Rb and Cs into metals, as previously found for K. For all three investigated alkalis (Na, Rb and Cs), we found a maximum partition coefficient of 1 between sulfides containing 13 wt% O and silicate melt. Therefore, S-rich cores or sulfide layers formed due to immiscibility in Fe-S-O systems could have acted as important geochemical reservoirs for alkali elements. Using our experimental data and different assumptions on initial bulk abundances, we evaluate volatile depletion in terrestrial planets, by comparing resulting mantle alkali concentrations after core segregation, with actual concentrations in the Earth's mantle.

Final results of the XR2-1 BWR metallic melt relocation experiment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gauntt, R.O.; Humphries, L.L.

1997-08-01

This report documents the final results of the XR2-1 boiling water reactor (BWR) metallic melt relocation experiment, conducted at Sandia National Laboratories for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The objective of this experiment was to investigate the material relocation processes and relocation pathways in a dry BWR core following a severe nuclear reactor accident such as an unrecovered station blackout accident. The imposed test conditions (initial thermal state and the melt generation rates) simulated the conditions for the postulated accident scenario and the prototypic design of the lower core test section (in composition and in geometry) ensured that thermal masses and physical flow barriers were modeled adequately. The experiment has shown that, under dry core conditions, the metallic core materials that melt and drain from the upper core regions can drain from the core region entirely without formation of robust coherent blockages in the lower core. Temporary blockages that suspended pools of molten metal later melted, allowing the metals to continue draining downward. The test facility and instrumentation are described in detail. The test progression and results are presented and compared to MERIS code analyses. 6 refs., 55 figs., 4 tabs

Experiments and analyses on melt jet impingement during severe accidents

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sehgal, B.R.; Green, J.A.; Dinh, T.N.; Dong, W.

1997-01-01

Relocation of melt from the core region, during a nuclear reactor severe accident, presents the potential for erosion of the reactor pressure vessel (RPV) wall as a result of melt jet impingement. The extent of vessel erosion will depend upon a variety of parameters, including jet diameter, velocity, composition, superheat, angle of inclination, and the presence of an overlying water or melt pool. Experiments have been conducted at the Royal Institute of Technology Division of Nuclear Power Safety (RIT/NPS) which employ a variety of melt and pressure vessel simulant materials, such as water, salt-ice, Cerrobend alloy and molten salt. These experiments have revealed that the erosion depth of the vessel simulant in the jet stagnation zone can be adequately predicted by the Saito correlation, which is based on turbulent heat transfer, while initial erosion rates are seen to be in line with the laminar-stagnation-zone model. A transition between the laminar and turbulent regimes was realized in most cases and is attributed to the roughness of the surface in the eroded cavity formed

OECD MCCI project Melt Eruption Test (MET) design report, Rev. 2. April 15, 2003

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Farmer, M.T.; Lomperski, S.; Kilsdonk, D.J.; Aeschlimann, R.W.; Basu, S.

2011-01-01

The Melt Attack and Coolability Experiments (MACE) program at Argonne National Laboratory addressed the issue of the ability of water to cool and thermally stabilize a molten core-concrete interaction when the reactants are flooded from above. These tests provided data regarding the nature of corium interactions with concrete, the heat transfer rates from the melt to the overlying water pool, and the role of noncondensable gases in the mixing processes that contribute to melt quenching. The Melt Coolability and Concrete Interaction (MCCI) program is pursuing separate effect tests to examine the viability of the melt coolability mechanisms identified as part of the MACE program. These mechanisms include bulk cooling, water ingression, volcanic eruptions, and crust breach. At the second PRG meeting held at ANL on 22-23 October 2002, a preliminary design1 for a separate effects test to investigate the melt eruption cooling mechanism was presented for PRG review. At this meeting, NUPEC made several recommendations on the experiment approach aimed at optimizing the chances of achieving a floating crust boundary condition in this test. The principal recommendation was to incorporate a mortar sidewall liner into the test design, since data from the COTELS experiment program indicates that corium does not form a strong mechanical bond with this material. Other recommendations included: (i) reduction of the electrode elevation to well below the melt upper surface elevation (since the crust may bond to these solid surfaces), and (ii) favorably taper the mortar liner to facilitate crust detachment and relocation during the experiment. Finally, as a precursor to implementing these modifications, the PRG recommended the development of a design for a small-scale scoping test intended to verify the ability of the mortar liner to preclude formation of an anchored bridge crust under core-concrete interaction conditions. This revised Melt Eruption Test (MET) plan is intended to

Coolability of severely degraded CANDU cores. Revised

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meneley, D.A.; Blahnik, C.; Rogers, J.T.; Snell, V.G.; Nijhawan, S.

1996-01-01

Analytical and experimental studies have shown that the separately cooled moderator in a CANDU reactor provides an effective heat sink in the event of a loss-of-coolant accident (LOCA) accompanied by total failure of the emergency core cooling system (ECCS). The moderator heat sink prevents fuel melting and maintains the integrity of the fuel channels, therefore terminating this severe accident short of severe core damage. Nevertheless, there is a probability, however low, that the moderator heat sink could fail in such an accident. The pioneering work of Rogers (1984) for such a severe accident using simplified models showed that the fuel channels would fail and a bed of dry, solid debris would be formed at the bottom of the calandria which would heat up and eventually melt. However, the molten pool of core material would be retained in the calandria vessel, cooled by the independently cooled shield-tank water, and would eventually resolidify. Thus, the calandria vessel would act inherently as a 'core-catcher' as long as the shield tank integrity is maintained. The present paper reviews subsequent work on the damage to a CANDU core under severe accident conditions and describes an empirically based mechanistic model of this process. It is shown that, for such severe accident sequences in a CANDU reactor, the end state following core disassembly consists of a porous bed of dry solid, coarse debris, irrespective of the initiating event and the core disassembly process. (author)

Coolability of severely degraded CANDU cores

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meneley, D.A.; Blahnik, C.; Rogers, J.T.; Snell, V.G.; Mijhawan, S.

1995-07-01

Analytical and experimental studies have shown that the separately cooled moderator in a CANDU reactor provides an effective heat sink in the event of a loss-of-coolant accident (LOCA) accompanied by total failure of the emergency core cooling system (ECCS). The moderator heat sink prevents fuel melting and maintains the integrity of the fuel channels, therefore terminating this severe accident short of severe core damage. Nevertheless, there is a probability, however low, that the moderator heat sink could fail in such an accident. The pioneering work of Rogers (1984) for such a severe accident using simplified models showed that the fuel channels would fail and a bed of dry, solid debris would be formed at the bottom of the calandria which would heat up and eventually melt. However, the molten pool of core material would be retained in the calandria vessel, cooled by the independently cooled shield-tank water, and would eventually re solidify. Thus, the calandria vessel would act inherently as a core-catcher as long as the shield tank integrity is maintained. The present paper reviews subsequent work on the damage to a CANDU core under severe accident conditions and describes an empirically based mechanistic model of this process. It is shown that, for such severe accident sequences in a CANDU reactor, the end state following core disassembly consists of a porous bed of dry solid, coarse debris, irrespective of the initiating event and the core disassembly process. (author). 48 refs., 3 tabs., 18 figs

Methods to prevent the source term of methyl lodide during a core melt accident

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Karhu, A. [VTT Energy (Finland)

1999-11-01

The purpose of this literature review is to gather available information of the methods to prevent a source term of methyl iodide during a core melt accident. The most widely studied methods for nuclear power plants include the impregnated carbon filters and alkaline additives and sprays. It is indicated that some deficiencies of these methods may emerge. More reactive impregnants and additives could make a great improvement. As a new method in the field of nuclear applications, the potential of transition metals to decompose methyl iodide, is introduced in this review. This area would require an additional research, which could elucidate the remaining questions of the reactions. The ionization of the gaseous methyl iodide by corona-discharge reactors is also shortly described. (au)

Numerical analysis of the induction melting process of oxide fuel material

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kondala Rao, R.; Mangarjuna Rao, P.; Nashine, B.K.; Selvaraj, P.

2015-01-01

For the experimental simulation of Molten Fuel-Coolant Interaction (MFCI) phenomenon under hypothetical core meltdown accident scenario in a nuclear reactor, it is required to generate the molten pool of core materials. For this purpose, a laboratory scale Cold wall Crucible induction melting system has been developed. To optimize the system for efficient and reliable melting process, it is required to have comprehensive knowledge on the heat and mass transfer processes along with electromagnetic process that occur during the melting of core materials. Hence, a 2D axi-symmetric numerical model has been developed using a multiphysics software to simulate the induction melting process. The phase change phenomenon is taken into account by using enthalpy formulation. The experimental data available in literature for magnetic field and flow field are used for model validation. The model predicted temperatures are also in good agreement with experimentally measured values. The validated model has been used to study the induction melting behavior of UO_2 fuel material. (author)

An assessment of Class-9 (core-melt) accidents for PWR dry-containment systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Theofanous, T.G.; Saito, M.

1981-01-01

The phenomenology of core-melt accidents in dry containments was examined for the purpose of identifying the margins of safety in such Class-9 situations. The scale (geometry) effects appear to crucially limit the extent (severity) of steam explosions. This together with the established reduced explosivity of the corium-A/water system, and the inherently high capability of dry containments (redinforced concrete, and shields in some cases, seismic design etc.) lead to the conclusion that failure due to steam explosions may be considered essentially incredible. These premixture scaling considerations also impact ultimate debris disposition and coolability and need additional development. A water-flooded reactor cavity would have beneficial effects in limiting (but not necessarily eliminating) melt-concrete interactions. Independently of the initial degree of quenching and/or scale of fragmentation, mechanisms exist that drive the system towards ultimate stability (coolability). Additional studies, with intermediate-scale prototypic materials are recommended to better explore these mechanisms. Containment heat removal systems must provide the crucial capability of mitigating such accidents. Passive systems should be explored and assessed against currently available and/or improved active systems taking into account the rather loose time constraints required for activation. It appears that containment margins for accommodating the hydrogen problem are limited. This problem appears to stand out not only in terms of potential consequences but also in terms of lack of any readily available and clear cut solutions at this time. (orig.)

Petrological Geodynamics of Mantle Melting II. AlphaMELTS + Multiphase Flow: Dynamic Fractional Melting

Science.gov (United States)

Tirone, Massimiliano

2018-03-01

In this second installment of a series that aims to investigate the dynamic interaction between the composition and abundance of the solid mantle and its melt products, the classic interpretation of fractional melting is extended to account for the dynamic nature of the process. A multiphase numerical flow model is coupled with the program AlphaMELTS, which provides at the moment possibly the most accurate petrological description of melting based on thermodynamic principles. The conceptual idea of this study is based on a description of the melting process taking place along a 1-D vertical ideal column where chemical equilibrium is assumed to apply in two local sub-systems separately on some spatial and temporal scale. The solid mantle belongs to a local sub-system (ss1) that does not interact chemically with the melt reservoir which forms a second sub-system (ss2). The local melt products are transferred in the melt sub-system ss2 where the melt phase eventually can also crystallize into a different solid assemblage and will evolve dynamically. The main difference with the usual interpretation of fractional melting is that melt is not arbitrarily and instantaneously extracted from the mantle, but instead remains a dynamic component of the model, hence the process is named dynamic fractional melting (DFM). Some of the conditions that may affect the DFM model are investigated in this study, in particular the effect of temperature, mantle velocity at the boundary of the mantle column. A comparison is made with the dynamic equilibrium melting (DEM) model discussed in the first installment. The implications of assuming passive flow or active flow are also considered to some extent. Complete data files of most of the DFM simulations, four animations and two new DEM simulations (passive/active flow) are available following the instructions in the supplementary material.

Permeability and 3-D melt geometry in shear-induced high melt fraction conduits

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, W.; Cordonnier, B.; Qi, C.; Kohlstedt, D. L.

2017-12-01

Observations of dunite channels in ophiolites and uranium-series disequilibria in mid-ocean ridge basalt suggest that melt transport in the upper mantle beneath mid-ocean ridges is strongly channelized. Formation of high melt fraction conduits could result from mechanical shear, pyroxene dissolution, and lithological partitioning. Deformation experiments (e.g. Holtzman et al., 2003) demonstrate that shear stress causes initially homogeneously distributed melt to segregate into an array of melt-rich bands, flanked by melt-depleted regions. At the same average melt fraction, the permeability of high melt fraction conduits could be orders of magnitude higher than that of their homogenous counterparts. However, it is difficult to determine the permeability of melt-rich bands. Using X-ray synchrotron microtomography, we obtained high-resolution images of 3-dimensional (3-D) melt distribution in a partially molten rock containing shear-induced high melt fraction conduits. Sample CQ0705, an olivine-alkali basalt aggregate with a nominal melt fraction of 4%, was deformed in torsion at a temperature of 1473 K and a confining pressure of 300 MPa to a shear strain of 13.3. A sub-volume of CQ0705 encompassing 3-4 melt-rich bands was imaged. Microtomography data were reduced to binary form so that solid olivine is distinguishable from basalt glass. At a spatial resolution of 160 nm, the 3-D images reveal the shape and connectedness of melt pockets in the melt-rich bands. Thin melt channels formed at grain edges are connected at large melt nodes at grain corners. Initial data analysis shows a clear preferred orientation of melt pockets alignment subparallel to the melt-rich band. We use the experimentally determined geometrical parameters of melt topology to create a digital rock with identical 3-D microstructures. Stokes flow simulations are conducted on the digital rock to obtain the permeability tensor. Using this digital rock physics approach, we determine how deformation

Stability and erosion of melt layers formed during plasma disruptions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hassanein, A.M.

1989-01-01

Melting and vaporization of metallic reactor components such as the first wall and the limiter/divertor may be expected in fusion reactors due to the high energy deposition resulting from plasma instabilities occuring during both normal and off-normal operating conditions. Off-normal operating conditions result from plasma disruptions where the plasma losses confinement and dumps its energy on parts of reactor components. High heat flux may also result during normal operating conditions due to fluctuations in plasma edge conditions. Of particular significance is the stability and erosion of the resulting melt layer which directly impacts the total expected lifetime of the reactor. The loss of the melt layer during the disruption could have a serious impact on the required safe and economic operation of the reactor. A model is developed to describe the behavior of the melt layer during the time evolution of the disruption. The analysis is done parametrically for a range of disruption times, energy densities and various acting forces

Experimental studies on melt spreading, bubbling heat transfer, and coolant layer boiling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Greene, G.A.; Finfrock, C.; Klages, J.; Schwarz, C.E.; Burson, S.B.

1988-01-01

Melt spreading studies have been undertaken to investigate the extent to which molten core debris may be expected to spread under gravity forces in a BWR drywell geometry. The objectives are to determine the extent of melt spreading as a function of melt mass,melt superheat, and water depth. These studies will enable an objective determination of whether or not core debris can spread up to and contact containment structures or boundaries upon vessel failure. Results indicate that the most important variables are the melt superheat and the water depth. Studies have revealed five distinct regimes of melt spreading ranging from hydrodynamically-limited to heat transfer-limited. A single parameter dimensionless correlation is presented which identified the spreading regime and allows for mechanistic calculation of the average thickness to which the melt will spread. 7 refs., 12 figs

Thermal-hydraulic studies on molten core-concrete interactions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Greene, G.A.

1986-10-01

This report discusses studies carried out in connection with light water power reactor accidents. Recent assessments have indicated that the consequences of molten-core concrete interactions dominate the considerations of severe accidents. The two areas of interest that have been investigated are interlayer heat and mass transfer and liquid-liquid boiling. Interlayer heat and mass transfer refers to processes that occur within a core melt between the stratified, immiscible phases of core oxides and metals. Liquid-liquid boiling refers to processes that occur at the melt-concrete on melt-coolant interface

Oxidation effect on steel corrosion and thermal loads during corium melt in-vessel retention

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Granovsky, V.S.; Khabensky, V.B.; Krushinov, E.V.; Vitol, S.A.; Sulatsky, A.A.; Almjashev, V.I. [Alexandrov Scientific-Research Technology Institute (NITI), Sosnovy Bor (Russian Federation); Bechta, S.V. [KTH, Stockholm (Sweden); Gusarov, V.V. [SPb State Technology University (SPbGTU), St. Petersburg (Russian Federation); Barrachin, M. [Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN), St Paul lez Durance (France); Bottomley, P.D., E-mail: paul.bottomley@ec.europa.eu [EC-Joint Research Centre, Institute for Transuranium Elements (ITU), Karlsruhe (Germany); Fischer, M. [AREVA GmbH, Erlangen (Germany); Piluso, P. [Commissariat à l’Energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives (CEA), Cadarache, St Paul lez Durance (France)

2014-10-15

Highlights: • The METCOR facility simulates vessel steel corrosion in contact with corium. • Steel corrosion rates in UO{sub 2+x}–ZrO{sub 2}–FeO{sub y} coria accelerate above 1050 K. • However corrosion rates can also be limited by melt O{sub 2} supply. • The impact of this on in-vessel retention (IVR) strategy is discussed. - Abstract: During a severe accident with core meltdown, the in-vessel molten core retention is challenged by the vessel steel ablation due to thermal and physicochemical interaction of melt with steel. In accidents with oxidizing atmosphere above the melt surface, a low melting point UO{sub 2+x}–ZrO{sub 2}–FeO{sub y} corium pool can form. In this case ablation of the RPV steel interacting with the molten corium is a corrosion process. Experiments carried out within the International Scientific and Technology Center's (ISTC) METCOR Project have shown that the corrosion rate can vary and depends on both surface temperature of the RPV steel and oxygen potential of the melt. If the oxygen potential is low, the corrosion rate is controlled by the solid phase diffusion of Fe ions in the corrosion layer. At high oxygen potential and steel surface layer temperature of 1050 °C and higher, the corrosion rate intensifies because of corrosion layer liquefaction and liquid phase diffusion of Fe ions. The paper analyzes conditions under which corrosion intensification occurs and can impact on in-vessel melt retention (IVR)

Effect of Feed Forms on the Results of Melting of Fly Ash by a DC Plasma Arc Furnace

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen Mingzhou; Meng Yuedong; Shi Jiabiao; Ni Guohua; Jiang Yiman; Yu Xinyao; Zhao Peng

2009-01-01

Fly ash from a municipal solid waste incinerator (MSWI) without preprocessing (original fly ash, OFA) was melted by a direct current (DC) plasma arc furnace to investigate how the feed forms governed the results. Dioxins in flue gas from stack and bag-filter ash (BFA) were detected. The distribution of heavy metals of Pb, Cd, As, and Cr along the flue gas process system was analyzed. Through a comparison of the results for dioxins and heavy metals in this study and previous work, carrying-over of fly ash particles with the flue gas stream can be deduced. Based on the magnetic induction equation and Navier-Stokes equations, a magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) model for the plasma arc was developed to describe the particle-carrying effect. The results indicate that, a. when melted, the feed forms of MSWI fly ash affect the results significantly; b. it is not preferable to melt MSWI fly ash directly, and efforts should be made to limit the mass transfer of OFA from the plasma furnace. (plasma technology)

Effect of Feed Forms on the Results of Melting of Fly Ash by a DC Plasma Arc Furnace

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Mingzhou; Meng, Yuedong; Shi, Jiabiao; Ni, Guohua; Jiang, Yiman; Yu, Xinyao; ZHAO, Peng

2009-10-01

Fly ash from a municipal solid waste incinerator (MSWI) without preprocessing (original fly ash, OFA) was melted by a direct current (DC) plasma arc furnace to investigate how the feed forms governed the results. Dioxins in flue gas from stack and bag-filter ash (BFA) were detected. The distribution of heavy metals of Pb, Cd, As, and Cr along the flue gas process system was analyzed. Through a comparison of the results for dioxins and heavy metals in this study and previous work, carrying-over of fly ash particles with the flue gas stream can be deduced. Based on the magnetic induction equation and Navier-Stokes equations, a magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) model for the plasma arc was developed to describe the particle-carrying effect. The results indicate that, a. when melted, the feed forms of MSWI fly ash affect the results significantly; b. it is not preferable to melt MSWI fly ash directly, and efforts should be made to limit the mass transfer of OFA from the plasma furnace.

Fracture resistance improvement of polypropylene by joint action of core-shell particles and nucleating agent

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang Gang; Han Liang; Ding Haifeng; Wu Haiyan; Huang Ting; Li Xiaoxi; Wang Yong

2011-01-01

Research highlights: →The core-shell particles, which were prepared from melt blending of POE and nano-CaCO 3 , and different nucleating agents (α-form NA or β-form NA) were first introduced into PP to prepare the super toughened PP materials. →NAs control the crystalline structures of PP matrix including the spherulites diameter and the crystal form. →NAs and core-shell particles exhibit apparent joint effect in improving the fracture resistance of PP. - Abstract: As a serial work about the fracture resistance improvement of polypropylene (PP), this work reports the joint effect of core-shell particles and nucleating agent (NA) on the microstructure and fracture resistance of PP. Core-shell particles were prepared through melt blending of ethylene-octene copolymer (POE) and calcium carbonate (CaCO 3 ). Different NA, i.e. α-form NA (P-tert-butylbenzoic acid-Al, MD-NA-28) and β-form NA (aryl amides compound, TMB-5) were introduced into PP matrix to control the crystalline structure. The phase morphology of POE and the distribution of CaCO 3 were characterized by using scanning electron microscope (SEM), and the crystallization behavior of PP matrix were investigated by using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), wide angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) and polarization optical microscope (POM). The mechanical properties were obtained through universal tensile measurement and notched Izod impact measurement. Surprisingly, the results show that through addition of so-called core-shell particles and NA simultaneously, the fracture resistance of PP can be dramatically improved.

Plasma core reactor applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Latham, T.S.; Rodgers, R.J.

1976-01-01

Analytical and experimental investigations are being conducted to demonstrate the feasibility of fissioning uranium plasma core reactors and to characterize space and terrestrial applications for such reactors. Uranium hexafluoride (UF 6 ) fuel is injected into core cavities and confined away from the surface by argon buffer gas injected tangentially from the peripheral walls. Power, in the form of thermal radiation emitted from the high-temperature nuclear fuel, is transmitted through fused-silica transparent walls to working fluids which flow in axial channels embedded in segments of the cavity walls. Radiant heat transfer calculations were performed for a six-cavity reactor configuration; each cavity is approximately 1 m in diameter by 4.35 m in length. Axial working fluid channels are located along a fraction of each cavity peripheral wall

The WECHSL-Mod2 code: A computer program for the interaction of a core melt with concrete including the long term behavior

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reimann, M.; Stiefel, S.

1989-06-01

The WECHSL-Mod2 code is a mechanistic computer code developed for the analysis of the thermal and chemical interaction of initially molten LWR reactor materials with concrete in a two-dimensional, axisymmetrical concrete cavity. The code performs calculations from the time of initial contact of a hot molten pool over start of solidification processes until long term basemat erosion over several days with the possibility of basemat penetration. The code assumes that the metallic phases of the melt pool form a layer at the bottom overlayed by the oxide melt atop. Heat generation in the melt is by decay heat and chemical reactions from metal oxidation. Energy is lost to the melting concrete and to the upper containment by radiation or evaporation of sumpwater possibly flooding the surface of the melt. Thermodynamic and transport properties as well as criteria for heat transfer and solidification processes are internally calculated for each time step. Heat transfer is modelled taking into account the high gas flux from the decomposing concrete and the heat conduction in the crusts possibly forming in the long term at the melt/concrete interface. The WECHSL code in its present version was validated by the BETA experiments. The test samples include a typical BETA post test calculation and a WECHSL application to a reactor accident. (orig.) [de

Eutectic melting temperature of the lowermost Earth's mantle

Science.gov (United States)

Andrault, D.; Lo Nigro, G.; Bolfan-Casanova, N.; Bouhifd, M.; Garbarino, G.; Mezouar, M.

2009-12-01

Partial melting of the Earth's deep mantle probably occurred at different stages of its formation as a consequence of meteoritic impacts and seismology suggests that it even continues today at the core-mantle boundary. Melts are important because they dominate the chemical evolution of the different Earth's reservoirs and more generally the dynamics of the whole planet. Unfortunately, the most critical parameter, that is the temperature profile inside the deep Earth, remains poorly constrained accross the planet history. Experimental investigations of the melting properties of materials representative of the deep Earth at relevant P-T conditions can provide anchor points to refine past and present temperature profiles and consequently determine the degree of melting at the different geological periods. Previous works report melting relations in the uppermost lower mantle region, using the multi-anvil press [1,2]. On the other hand, the pyrolite solidus was determined up to 65 GPa using optical observations in the laser-heated diamond anvil cell (LH-DAC) [3]. Finally, the melting temperature of (Mg,Fe)2SiO4 olivine is documented at core-mantle boundary (CMB) conditions by shock wave experiments [4]. Solely based on these reports, experimental data remain too sparse to draw a definite melting curve for the lower mantle in the relevant 25-135 GPa pressure range. We reinvestigated melting properties of lower mantle materials by means of in-situ angle dispersive X-ray diffraction measurements in the LH-DAC at the ESRF [5]. Experiments were performed in an extended P-T range for two starting materials: forsterite and a glass with chondrite composition. In both cases, the aim was to determine the onset of melting, and thus the eutectic melting temperatures as a function of pressure. Melting was evidenced from drastic changes of diffraction peak shape on the image plate, major changes in diffraction intensities in the integrated pattern, disappearance of diffraction rings

KATS experiments to simulate corium spreading in the EPR core catcher concept

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eppinger, B.; Fieg, G.; Schuetz, W.; Stegmaier, U.

2001-01-01

In future Light Water Reactors special devices (core catchers) might be required to prevent containment failure by basement erosion after reactor pressure vessel melt-through during a core meltdown accident. Quick freezing of the molten core masses is desirable to reduce release of radioactivity. Several concepts of core catcher de-vices have been proposed based on the spreading of corium melt onto flat surfaces with subsequent cooling by flooding with water. Therefore a series of experiments to investigate high temperature melt spreading on flat surfaces has been carried out using alumina-iron thermite melts as a simulant. The oxidic thermite melt is conditioned by adding other oxides to simulate a realistic corium melt as close as possible. Spreading of oxidic and metallic melts have been performed in one- and two-dimensional geometry. Substrates were chemically inert ceramic layers, dry concrete and concrete with a shallow water layer on top. (authors)

Phase behavior and reactive transport of partial melt in heterogeneous mantle model

Science.gov (United States)

Jordan, J.; Hesse, M. A.

2013-12-01

The reactive transport of partial melt is the key process that leads to the chemical and physical differentiation of terrestrial planets and smaller celestial bodies. The essential role of the lithological heterogeneities during partial melting of the mantle is increasingly recognized. How far can enriched melts propagate while interacting with the ambient mantle? Can the melt flow emanating from a fertile heterogeneity be localized through a reactive infiltration feedback in a model without exogenous factors or contrived initial conditions? A full understanding of the role of heterogeneities requires reactive melt transport models that account for the phase behavior of major elements. Previous work on reactive transport in the mantle focuses on trace element partitioning; we present the first nonlinear chromatographic analysis of reactive melt transport in systems with binary solid solution. Our analysis shows that reactive melt transport in systems with binary solid solution leads to the formation of two separate reaction fronts: a slow melting/freezing front along which enthalpy change is dominant and a fast dissolution/precipitation front along which compositional changes are dominated by an ion-exchange process over enthalpy change. An intermediate state forms between these two fronts with a bulk-rock composition and enthalpy that are not necessarily bounded by the bulk-rock composition and enthalpy of either the enriched heterogeneity or the depleted ambient mantle. The formation of this intermediate state makes it difficult to anticipate the porosity changes and hence the stability of reaction fronts. Therefore, we develop a graphical representation for the solution that allows identification of the intermediate state by inspection, for all possible bulk-rock compositions and enthalpies of the heterogeneity and the ambient mantle. We apply the analysis to the partial melting of an enriched heterogeneity. This leads to the formation of moving precipitation

FARO tests corium-melt cooling in water pool: Roles of melt superheat and sintering in sediment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hwang, Gisuk [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Wichita State University, Wichita, KS 67260 (United States); Kaviany, Massoud [Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 (United States); Division of Advance Nuclear Engineering, POSTECH, Pohang, Gyeongbuk 790-784 (Korea, Republic of); Moriyama, Kiyofumi [Division of Advance Nuclear Engineering, POSTECH, Pohang, Gyeongbuk 790-784 (Korea, Republic of); Park, Hyun Sun, E-mail: hejsunny@postech.ac.kr [Division of Advance Nuclear Engineering, POSTECH, Pohang, Gyeongbuk 790-784 (Korea, Republic of); Hwang, Byoungcheol; Lee, Mooneon; Kim, Eunho; Park, Jin Ho [Division of Advance Nuclear Engineering, POSTECH, Pohang, Gyeongbuk 790-784 (Korea, Republic of); Nasersharifi, Yahya [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Wichita State University, Wichita, KS 67260 (United States)

2016-08-15

Highlights: • The numerical approach for FARO experimental data is suggested. • The cooling mechanism of ex-vessel corium is suggested. • The predicted minimum pool depth for no cake formation is suggested. - Abstract: The FARO tests have aimed at understanding an important severe accident mitigation action in a light water reactor when the accident progresses from the reactor pressure vessel boundary. These tests have aimed to measure the coolability of a molten core material (corium) gravity dispersed as jet into a water pool, quantifying the loose particle diameter distribution and fraction converted to cake under range of initial melt superheat and pool temperature and depth. Under complete hydrodynamic breakup of corium and consequent sedimentation in the pool, the initially superheated corium can result in debris bed consisting of discrete solid particles (loose debris) and/or a solid cake at the bottom of the pool. The success of the debris bed coolability requires cooling of the cake, and this is controlled by the large internal resistance. We postulate that the corium cake forms when there is a remelting part in the sediment. We show that even though a solid shell forms around the melt particles transiting in the water pool due to film-boiling heat transfer, the superheated melt allows remelting of the large particles in the sediment (depending on the water temperature and the transit time) using the COOLAP (Coolability Analysis with Parametric fuel-cooant interaction models) code. With this remelting and its liquid-phase sintering of the non-remelted particles, we predict the fraction of the melt particles converting to a cake through liquid sintering. Our predictions are in good agreement with the existing results of the FARO experiments. We address only those experiments with pool depths sufficient/exceeding the length required for complete breakup of the molten jet. Our analysis of the fate of molten corium aimed at devising the effective

The melting curve of iron to 250 gigapascals - A constraint on the temperature at earth's center

Science.gov (United States)

Williams, Quentin; Jeanloz, Raymond; Bass, Jay; Svendsen, Bob; Ahrens, Thomas J.

1987-01-01

The melting curve of iron, the primary constituent of earth's core, has been measured to pressures of 250 gigapascals with a combination of static and dynamic techniques. The melting temperature of iron at the pressure of the core-mantle boundary (136 GPa) is 4800 + or - 200 K, whereas at the inner core-outer core boundary (330 GPa), it is 7600 + or - 500 K. A melting temperature for iron-rich alloy of 6600 K at the inner core-outer core boundary and a maximum temperature of 6900 K at earth's center are inferred. This latter value is the first experimental upper bound on the temperature at earth's center, and these results imply that the temperature of the lower mantle is significantly less than that of the outer core.

Simulant melt experiments on performance of the in-vessel core catcher

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kang, Kyoung-Ho; Park, Rae-Joon; Kim, Sang-Baik; Suh, K.Y.; Cheung, F.B.; Rempe, J.L.

2007-01-01

In order to enhance the feasibility of in-vessel retention (IVR) of molten core material during a severe accident for high-power reactors, an in-vessel core catcher (IVCC) was designed and evaluated as part of a joint United States-Korean International Nuclear Energy Research Initiative (INERI). The proposed IVCC is expected to increase the thermal margin for success of IVR by providing an 'engineered gap' for heat transfer from materials that relocate during a severe accident and potentially serving as a sacrificial material under a severe accident. In this study, LAVA-GAP experiments were performed to investigate the thermal and mechanical performance of the IVCC using the alumina melt as simulant. The LAVA-GAP experiments aim to examine the feasibility and sustainability of the IVCC under the various test conditions using 1/8th scale hemispherical test sections. As a feasibility test of the proposed IVCC in this INERI project, the effects of IVCC base steel materials, internal coating materials, and gap size between the IVCC and the vessel lower head were examined. The test results indicated that the internally coated IVCC has high thermal performance compared with the uncoated IVCC. In terms of integrity of the base steel, carbon steel is superior to stainless steel and the effect of bond coat is found to be trivial for the tests performed in this study. The thermal load is mitigated via boiling heat removal in the gap between the IVCC and the vessel lower head. The current test results imply that gaps less than 10 mm are not enough to guarantee effective cooling induced by water ingression and steam venting there through. Selection of endurable material and pertinent gap size is needed to implement the proposed IVCC concept into advanced reactor designs

Structure of the terrestrial planets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lyttleton, R.A.

1977-01-01

Recent reviews (cf. Runcorn, 1968; or Cook, 1972, 1975) on the structure of the planets omit reference to the phase-change hypothesis for the nature of the terrestrial core, despite that numerous prior predictions of the theory based on this hypothesis have subsequently been borne out as correct. These reviews also ignore the existence of theoretical calculations of the internal structure of Venus which can be computed with high accuracy by use of the terrestrial seismic data. Several examples of numerous mistakes committed in these reviews are pointed out. (Auth.)

Fluvial fingerprints in northeast Pacific sediments: Unravelling terrestrial-ocean climate linkages

Science.gov (United States)

Vanlaningham, S. J.; Duncan, R.; Pisias, N.

2004-12-01

As the earth's climate history becomes better understood, it becomes clear that the terrestrial and oceanic systems interact in complex ways. This is seen in core sites offshore the Pacific Northwest (PNW) of North America. A correlation can be seen in oceanic biostratigraphic assemblages and down-core changes in terrestrial pollen types. However, it is difficult to determine whether this relationship is the result of a coupled migration of terrestrial vegetation and oceanic fauna on millennial timescales or the result of changes in ocean circulation patterns that create more complex pollen pathways to the core sites. This research begins to unravel the answers to this problem by examining down-core changes in sediment provenance on millennial timescales. Preliminary data characterize sediment of 24 rivers from ten geologic provinces between latitudes 36° N - 47° N. Through clay mineralogy, major and trace element geochemistry and Ar-Ar "province" ages, ten of the 24 rivers can be uniquely identified, while six of the ten geologic provinces can be uniquely constrained geochemically. With further Nd, Sr and Pb isotopic analyses, we hope to constrain the non-unique sediment sources. We will also be presenting initial down-core geochemical results from cores EW 9504-17PC and EW9504-13PC, offshore southern Oregon and central California, respectively.

Laboratory studies of the meltfront propagation in a borax core-catcher

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dalle Donne, M.; Werle, H.

1980-08-01

A series of seven laboratory experiments concerning the meltdown of a borax core catcher have been performed. By the selection of the simulant materials the most important thermophysical properties of the core catcher materials were taken into account. Fission product heating of the molten core masses was simulated by electrolytically heating of the molten region. The experiments reveal interesting details of the phenomena to be expected during melt-down of a borax core catcher, especially on the flow pattern, the mixing processes of molten materials and the layer formation the melt. The most interesting result is that the ratio of downward to sideward melting rate is heavily reduced by high melting barriers and that a cubic structure of barriers will not equalize downward and sideward melting rates. A super 8 film is available as additional information. (orig.) [de

Differentiation of Asteroid 4 Vesta: Core Formation by Iron Rain in a Silicate Magma Ocean

Science.gov (United States)

Kiefer, Walter S.; Mittlefehldt, David W.

2017-01-01

Geochemical observations of the eucrite and diogenite meteorites, together with observations made by NASA's Dawn spacecraft while orbiting asteroid 4 Vesta, suggest that Vesta resembles H chondrites in bulk chemical composition, possible with about 25 percent of a CM-chondrite like composition added in. For this model, the core is 15 percent by mass (or 8 percent by volume) of the asteroid, with a composition of 73.7 percent by weight Fe, 16.0 percent by weight S, and 10.3 percent by weight Ni. The abundances of moderately siderophile elements (Ni, Co, Mo, W, and P) in eucrites require that essentially all of the metallic phase in Vesta segregated to form a core prior to eucrite solidification. The combination of the melting phase relationships for the silicate and metal phases, together with the moderately siderophile element concentrations together require that complete melting of the metal phase occurred (temperature is greater than1350 degrees Centigrade), along with substantial (greater than 40 percent) melting of the silicate material. Thus, core formation on Vesta occurs as iron rain sinking through a silicate magma ocean.

Ar-Ar dating techniques for terrestrial meteorite impacts

Science.gov (United States)

Kelley, S. P.

2003-04-01

The ages of the largest (>100 km) known impacts on Earth are now well characterised. However the ages of many intermediate sized craters (20-100 km) are still poorly known, often the only constraints are stratigraphic - the difference between the target rock age and the age of crater filling sediments. The largest impacts result in significant melt bodies which cool to form igneous rocks and can be dated using conventional radiometric techniques. Smaller impacts give rise to thin bands of melted rock or melt clasts intimately mixed with country rock clasts in breccia deposits, and present much more of a challenge to dating. The Ar-Ar dating technique can address a wide variety of complex and heterogeneous samples associated with meteorite impacts and obtain reasonable ages. Ar-Ar results will be presented from a series of terrestrial meteorite impact craters including Boltysh (65.17±0.64 Ma, Strangways (646±42 Ma), and St Martin (220±32 Ma) and a Late Triassic spherule bed, possibly representing distal deposits from Manicouagan (214±1 Ma) crater. Samples from the Boltysh and Strangways craters demonstrate the importance of rapid cooling upon the retention of old ages in glassy impact rocks. A Late Triassic spherule bed in SW England is cemented by both carbonate and K-feldspar cements allowing Ar-Ar dating of fine grained cement to place a mimimum age upon the age of the associated impact. An age of 214.7±2.5 Ma places the deposit with errors of the age of the Manicouagan impact, raising the possibility that it may represent a distal deposit (the deposit lay around 2000 km away from the site of the Manicouagan crater during the Late Triassic). Finally the limits of the technique will be demonstrated using an attempt to date melt rocks from the St Martin Crater in Canada.

Turbulence model for melt pool natural convection heat transfer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kelkar, K.M.; Patankar, S.V.

1994-01-01

Under severe reactor accident scenarios, pools of molten core material may form in the reactor core or in the hemispherically shaped lower plenum of the reactor vessel. Such molten pools are internally heated due to the radioactive decay heat that gives rise to buoyant flows in the molten pool. The flow in such pools is strongly influenced by the turbulent mixing because the expected Rayleigh numbers under accidents scenarios are very high. The variation of the local heat flux over the boundaries of the molten pools are important in determining the subsequent melt progression behavior. This study reports results of an ongoing effort towards providing a well validated mathematical model for the prediction of buoyant flow and heat transfer in internally heated pool under conditions expected in severe accident scenarios

Load histories from steam explosions during core melt accidents

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jacobs, H.; Kolev, N.I.

1992-01-01

For the analysis of steam explosions a multicomponent multiphase thermohydraulic code is required which describes at least the motions of melt, water, and steam by separate velocity fields. One example of these very rare codes is the IVA3 code the development of which was brought to an interim close in 1991. As an example of a typical application of this code, precalculations of the FARO LWR Scoping Test 2 performed at Ispra are discussed. Unfortunately, the calculation results cannot be compared directly to the test results because of important differences between planned and achieved test parameters. Above all, only about one third of the planned melt mass actually entered the water. The test was performed in a closed vessel at an initial pressure of 50 bar. The water was saturated at this temperature and its level was at 1 m height. The simulation starts with the release of 50 kg of simulated corium from an intermediate catcher at about 3.2 m height. The calculation predicts a gradual pressure rise without fast transients worth mentioning from 50 to about 76 bar within roughly one second and stabilizes slightly below the maximum. Also described are the material distributions predicted during the process and the 'mixed' masses according to two different criteria. The former indicate that the melt jet penetrates the water without desintegrating while being surrounded by a thick vapor layer. Subsequently the melt collects at the level bottom and much of the liquid water is blown upwards by the steam being produced. The amounts of mass being 'mixed' with liquid water (and thus are thought to potentially participate in a steam explosion) remain below 10% for the known Theofanous criterion and below 30% for a more conservative criterion. It is however more important that the calculation demonstrates that further mixing could be the result of the onset of a steam explosion. This may strongly limit the usefulness of local mixing criteria. (orig./DG)

An assessment of the radiological consequences of releases to groundwater following a core-melt accident at the Sizewell PWR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maul, P.R.

1984-03-01

In the extremely unlikely event of a degraded core accident at the proposed Sizewell PWR it is theoretically possible for the core to melt through the containment, after which activity could enter groundwater directly or as a result of subsequent leaching of the core in the ground. The radiological consequences of such an event are analysed and compared with the analysis undertaken by the NRPB for the corresponding releases to atmosphere. It is concluded that the risks associated with the groundwater route are much less important than those associated with the atmospheric route. The much longer transport times in the ground compared with those in the atmosphere enable countermeasures to be taken, if necessary, to restrict doses to members of the public to very low levels in the first few years following the accident. The entry of long-lived radionuclides into the sea over very long timescales results in the largest contribution to population doses, but these are delivered at extremely low dose rates which would be negligible compared with background exposure. (author)

Crustal development in the terrestrial planets

Science.gov (United States)

Taylor, S. R.

1985-01-01

The development of planetary crusts may be divided into primary, resulting from melting during accretion, and secondary crusts developed by partial melting from planetary mantles. The Mercurian crust is probably primary with no compelling evidence of later basaltic extrusions. Reflectance spectral evidence for the existence Fe2(+) is equivocal. The Viking Lander XRF data on Mars indicate basaltic material at both sites 4,000 km apart. Surface aeolian processes would be expected to provide a homogeneous average of the crust, but no evidence of more siliceous material is present. This conclusion is weakly supported by the Russian gamma ray data. No evidence for granite appears from the Russian Venera XRF data which indicates MORB-type and alkali basalt (4% K2O) surface compositions. The highlands of Ishtar Terra and Aphrodite probably owe their elevation to tectonic processes rather than compositional effects. Venus may thus resemble the early Archean Earth. The terrestrial granitic continental crust is a product of episodic multiple partial melting events, probably a consequence of the presence of surface water.

Chemical interactions of reactor core materials up to very high temperatures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hofmann, P.; Hagen, S.; Schanz, G.; Skokan, A.

1989-01-01

The paper describes which chemical interactions may occur in a LWR fuel rod bundle containing (Ag, In, Cd) absorber rods or (Al 2 O 3 /B 4 C) burnable poison rods with increasing temperature up to the complete melting of the components and the formed reaction products. The kinetics of the most important chemical interactions has been investigated and the results are described. In most cases the reaction products have lower melting points or ranges than the original components. This results in a relocation of liquefied components often far below their melting points. There exist three distinct temperature regimes in which liquid phases can form in the core in differently large quantities. These temperature regimes are described in detail. The phase relations in the important ternary (U, Zr, O) system have been extensively studied. The effect of steel constituents on the phase relations is given in addition. All the considerations are focused on PWR conditions only. (orig.) [de

An investigation of Martian and terrestrial dust devils

Science.gov (United States)

Ringrose, Timothy John

2004-10-01

It is the purpose of this work to provide an insight into the theoretical and practical dynamics of dust devils and how they are detected remotely from orbit or in situ on planetary surfaces. There is particular interest in the detection of convective vortices on Mars; this has been driven by involvement in the development of the Beagle 2 Environmental Sensor Suite. This suite of sensors is essentially a martian weather station and will be the first planetary lander experiment specifically looking for the presence of dust devils on Mars. Dust devils are characterised by their visible dusty core and intense rotation. The physics of particle motion, including dust lofting and the rotational dynamics within convective vortices are explained and modelled. This modelling has helped in identifying dust devils in meteorological data from both terrestrial and martian investigations. An automated technique for dust devil detection using meteorological data has been developed. This technique searches data looking for the specific vortex signature as well as detecting other transient events. This method has been tested on both terrestrial and martian data with surprising results. 38 possible convective vortices were detected in the first 60 sols of the Viking Lander 2 meteorological data. Tests were also carried out on data from a terrestrial dust devil campaign, which provided conclusive evidence from visual observations of the reliability of this technique. A considerable amount of this work does focus on terrestrial vortices. This is to aid in the understanding of dust devils, specifically how, why and when they form. Both laboratory and terrestrial fieldwork is investigated, providing useful data on the general structure of dust devils.

Acoustic detection of melt particles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Costley, R.D. Jr.

1988-01-01

The Reactor Safety Research Department at Sandia National Laboratories is investigating a type of Loss of Coolant Accident (LOCA). In this particular type of accident, core meltdown occurs while the pressure within the reactor pressure vessel (RPV) is high. If one of the instrument tube penetrations in the lower head fails, melt particles stream through the cavity and into the containment vessel. This experiment, which simulates this type accident, was performed in the Surtsev Direct Heating Test Facility which is approximately a 1:10 linear scaling of a large dry containment volume. A 1:10 linear scale model of the reactor cavity was placed near the bottom of the Surtsey vessel so that the exit of the cavity was at the vertical centerline of the vessel. A pressure vessel used to create the simulated molten core debris was located at the scaled height of the RPV. In order to better understand how the melt leaves the cavity and streams into the containment an array of five acoustic sensors was placed directly in the path of the melt particles about 30 feet from the exit of the sealed cavity. Highly damped, broadband sensors were chosen to minimize ringing so that individual particle hits could be detected. The goal was to count the signals produced by the individual particle hits to get some idea of how the melt particles left the cavity. This document presents some of the results of the experiment. 9 figs

Histories of terrestrial planets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Benes, K.

1981-01-01

The uneven historical development of terrestrial planets - Mercury, Venus, Earth, Moon and Mars - is probably due to the differences in their size, weight and rotational dynamics in association with the internal planet structure, their distance from the Sun, etc. A systematic study of extraterrestrial planets showed that the time span of internal activity was not the same for all bodies. It is assumed that the initial history of all terrestrial planets was marked with catastrophic events connected with the overall dynamic development of the solar system. In view of the fact that the cores of small terrestrial bodies cooled quicker, their geological development almost stagnated after two or three thousand million years. This is what probably happened to the Mercury and the Moon as well as the Mars. Therefore, traces of previous catastrophic events were preserved on the surface of the planets. On the other hand, the Earth is the most metamorphosed terrestrial planet and compared to the other planets appears to be atypical. Its biosphere is significantly developed as well as the other shell components, its hydrosphere and atmosphere, and its crust is considerably differentiated. (J.P.)

Mercury in the Canadian Arctic terrestrial environment: an update.

Science.gov (United States)

Gamberg, Mary; Chételat, John; Poulain, Alexandre J; Zdanowicz, Christian; Zheng, Jiancheng

2015-03-15

Contaminants in the Canadian Arctic have been studied over the last twenty years under the guidance of the Northern Contaminants Program. This paper provides the current state of knowledge on mercury (Hg) in the Canadian Arctic terrestrial environment. Snow, ice, and soils on land are key reservoirs for atmospheric deposition and can become sources of Hg through the melting of terrestrial ice and snow and via soil erosion. In the Canadian Arctic, new data have been collected for snow and ice that provide more information on the net accumulation and storage of Hg in the cryosphere. Concentrations of total Hg (THg) in terrestrial snow are highly variable but on average, relatively low (Porcupine caribou herd vary among years but there has been no significant increase or decrease over the last two decades. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The melting mechanism in binary Pd0.25Ni0.75 nanoparticles: molecular dynamics simulations

Science.gov (United States)

Domekeli, U.; Sengul, S.; Celtek, M.; Canan, C.

2018-02-01

The melting mechanism for Pd0.25Ni0.75 alloy nanoparticles (NPs) was investigated using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations with quantum Sutton-Chen many-body potentials. NPs of six different sizes ranging from 682 to 22,242 atoms were studied to observe the effect of size on the melting point. The melting temperatures of the NPs were estimated by following the changes in both the thermodynamic and structural quantities such as the total energy, heat capacity and Lindemann index. We also used a thermodynamics model to better estimate the melting point and to check the accuracy of MD simulations. We observed that the melting points of the NPs decreased as their sizes decreased. Although the MD simulations for the bulk system yielded higher melting temperatures because of the lack of a seed for the liquid phase, the melting temperatures determined for both the bulk material and the NPs are in good agreement with those predicted from the thermodynamics model. The melting mechanism proceeds in two steps: firstly, a liquid-like shell is formed in the outer regions of the NP with increasing temperature. The thickness of the liquid-like shell increases with increasing temperature until the shell reaches a critical thickness. Then, the entire Pd-Ni NP including core-related solid-like regions melts at once.

Impact-melt hygrometer for Mars: The case of shergottite Elephant Moraine (EETA) 79001

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Yang; Chen, Yang; Guan, Yunbin; Ma, Chi; Rossman, George R.; Eiler, John M.; Zhang, Youxue

2018-05-01

We report volatile concentrations and hydrogen isotope compositions of impact melts and minerals in EETA 79001. We observed chemical changes in pyroxene, maskelynite (or feldspathic glass), and merrillite in contact with or inside impact melts. All pyroxene grains analyzed here are inside or close to impact melt pockets and contain 10-41 ppm H2O and enriched in D (δD = + 1729 to + 3707 ‰), with the highest values found in a grain enclosed in an impact melt pocket. Maskelynite or feldspathic glass contains 6.3 to 98 ppm H2O with δD values of +1604 to + 3938 ‰. The high H2O and δD values were obtained in those enclosed inside or in contact with the impact melts, whereas low H2O content (4 ppm) and terrestrial-like D/H value (δD of - 90 ± 82 ‰) were found in one maskelynite grain away from impact melts contains. Rims of ∼5 μm thickness of merrillite grains next to impact melts display Na-depletion by ∼0.9 wt%, and the sides in contact with impact melts show Mg-enrichment by ∼0.5 wt%. However, the H2O and δD values of merrillite interiors (39-242 ppm H2O and δD of +1682 to + 3884 ‰) do not show correlation with their proximity to the impact melts. Rather, δD and 1/H2O of merrillite form a negative trend different from that of impact melt pockets and maskelynite, suggesting post-crystallization or late-crystallization interactions with the crustal fluids. The impact melt pockets in EETA 79001 contain 121-646 ppm H2O, 4.3-13 ppm F, 13-50 ppm Cl, 707-2702 ppm S, and the δD values of +3368 to + 4639 ‰. The correlations between H2O, F, Cl, P2O5, and δD values of impact melts and feldspathic glass are consistent with mixing between a volatile-rich and high δD (+3000 to + 5000 ‰) endmember and a volatile-poor and low δD endmember. The volatile-poor and low δD endmember is consistent with magmatic volatiles stored in silicates. The volatile-rich and high δD endmember represents pre-impact alteration materials by subsurface water. Alteration

Meltdown reactor core cooling facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matsuoka, Tsuyoshi.

1992-01-01

The meltdown reactor core cooling facility comprises a meltdown reactor core cooling tank, a cooling water storage tank situates at a position higher than the meltdown reactor core cooling tank, an upper pipeline connecting the upper portions of the both of the tanks and a lower pipeline connecting the lower portions of them. Upon occurrence of reactor core meltdown, a high temperature meltdown reactor core is dropped on the cooling tank to partially melt the tank and form a hole, from which cooling water is flown out. Since the water source of the cooling water is the cooling water storage tank, a great amount of cooling water is further dropped and supplied and the reactor core is submerged and cooled by natural convection for a long period of time. Further, when the lump of the meltdown reactor core is small and the perforated hole of the meltdown reactor cooling tank is small, cooling water is boiled by the high temperature lump intruding into the meltdown reactor core cooling tank and blown out from the upper pipeline to the cooling water storage tank to supply cooling water from the lower pipeline to the meltdown reactor core cooling tank. Since it is constituted only with simple static facilities, the facility can be simplified to attain improvement of reliability. (N.H.)

State of the Art Report for the In-Vessel Late Core Melt Progression

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Hee Dong; Kang, Kyoung Ho; Park, Rae Joon

2009-04-01

The formation of corium pool in the reactor vessel lower head and its behavior is still an important issue. This issue is closely related to understanding of the core melting, its course, critical phases and timing during severe accidents and the influence of these processes on the accident progression, especially the evaluation of in-vessel retention by external reactor vessel cooling (IVR-ERVC) as a severe accident management strategy. The previous researches focused on the quisi-steady state behavior of molten corium pool in the lower head and related in-vessel retention problem. However, questions of the feasibility of the in-vessel retention concept for high power density reactor and uncertainties due to layering effect require further studies. These researches are rather essential to consider the whole evolution of the accident including formation and growth of the molten pool and the characteristic of corium arrival in the lower head and molten pool behavior after the core debris remelting. The general objective of the LIVE program performed at FzK is to study the corium pool formation and behavior with emphasis on the transient behavior through the large scale 3-D experiments. In this report, description of LIVE experimental facility and results of performance test are briefly summarized and the process to select the simulant is depicted. Also, the results of LIVE L1 and L2 tests and analytical models are included. These experimental results are very useful to development and verification of the model of molten corium pool behavior

Constraints on The Coupled Thermal Evolution of the Earth's Core and Mantle, The Age of The Inner Core, And The Origin of the 186Os/188Os Core(?) Signal in Plume-Derived Lavas

Science.gov (United States)

Lassiter, J. C.

2005-12-01

-14 TW. In the absence of heat-producing elements in the core, such high heat flow rates require an inner core younger than ~1 Ga and preclude the development of significant 186Os enrichment in the outer core. Experimental studies suggest that potassium may partition into Fe-S-O liquids during core formation. Radioactive decay of potassium in the core could provide an additional heat source and reconcile geophysical evidence for high core/mantle heat flow with apparent geochemical evidence for an ancient inner core. However, high concentrations of chalcophile elements such as Cu in the mantle are inconsistent with significant segregation of a S-rich liquid during core formation, precluding K partitioning into the core by this mechanism. Furthermore, core formation scenarios that would lead to high K content in the core (e.g., core formation prior to terrestrial volatile depletion) also result in high core Pb concentrations. Core/mantle interaction would then produce strong negative correlations between 186Os/188Os and 207Pb/204Pb ratios, but such correlations are not observed. In summary, elevated 186Os/188Os ratios in some plume-derived lavas are unlikely to reflect core/mantle interaction because the inner core is too young for this isotopic signature to have developed in the outer core. Melt generation from pyroxenite or fractionation of PGEs between sulfide melts and monosulfide solid solutions provide alternative mechanisms for generating ancient mantle reservoirs with elevated Pt/Os and 186Os/188Os.

100,000-year-long terrestrial record of millennial-scale linkage between eastern North American mid-latitude paleovegetation shifts and Greenland ice-core oxygen isotope trends

Science.gov (United States)

Litwin, Ronald J.; Smoot, Joseph P.; Pavich, Milan J.; Markewich, Helaine Walsh; Brook, George; Durika, Nancy J.

2013-01-01

We document frequent, rapid, strong, millennial-scale paleovegetation shifts throughout the late Pleistocene, within a 100,000+ yr interval (~ 115–15 ka) of terrestrial sediments from the mid-Atlantic Region (MAR) of North America. High-resolution analyses of fossil pollen from one core locality revealed a continuously shifting sequence of thermally dependent forest assemblages, ranging between two endmembers: subtropical oak-tupelo-bald cypress-gum forest and high boreal spruce-pine forest. Sedimentary textural evidence indicates fluvial, paludal, and loess deposition, and paleosol formation, representing sequential freshwater to subaerial environments in which this record was deposited. Its total age"depth model, based on radiocarbon and optically stimulated luminescence ages, ranges from terrestrial oxygen isotope stages (OIS) 6 to 1. The particular core sub-interval presented here is correlative in trend and timing to that portion of the oxygen isotope sequence common among several Greenland ice cores: interstades GI2 to GI24 (≈ OIS2–5 d). This site thus provides the first evidence for an essentially complete series of "Dansgaard"Oeschger" climate events in the MAR. These data reveal that the ~ 100,000 yr preceding the Late Glacial and Holocene in the MAR of North America were characterized by frequently and dynamically changing climate states, and by vegetation shifts that closely tracked the Greenland paleoclimate sequence.

Investigating the translation of Earth's inner core

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Day, Elizabeth A; Cormier, Vernon F; Geballe, Zachary M

2012-01-01

The Earth’s inner core provides unique insights into processes that are occurring deep within our Earth today, as well as processes that occurred in the past. The seismic structure of the inner core is complex, and is dominated by anisotropic and isotropic differences between the Eastern...... for models of a translating inner core. Additionally, we investigate the structure at the base of the outer core and the inner core boundary by analyzing PKP-Cdiff waves. The search for observable PKP-Cdiff is particularly concentrated in regions that are predicted to be actively freezing and melting...... and Western ‘hemispheres’ of the inner core. Recent geodynamical models suggest that this hemispherical dichotomy can be explained by a fast translation of the inner core. In these models one side of the inner core is freezing, while the other side is melting, leading to the development of different seismic...

Heatup of the TMI-2 lower head during core relocation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, S.K.; Sienicki, J.J.; Spencer, B.W.

1989-01-01

An analysis has been carried out to assess the potential of a melting attack upon the reactor vessel lower head and incore instrument nozzle penetration weldments during the TMI core relocation event at 224 minutes. Calculations were performed to determine the potential for molten corium to undergo breakup into droplets which freeze and form a debris bed versus impinging upon the lower head as one or more coherent streams. The effects of thermal-hydraulic interactions between corium streams and water inside the lower plenum, the effects of the core support assembly structure upon the corium, and the consequences of corium relocation by way of the core former region were examined. 19 refs., 24 figs

Investigating the impact of temporal and spatial variation in spring snow melt on summer soil respiration

Science.gov (United States)

John, G. P.; Papuga, S. A.; Wright, C. L.; Nelson, K.; Barron-Gafford, G. A.

2010-12-01

While soil respiration - the flux of carbon dioxide from the soil surface to the atmosphere - is the second largest terrestrial carbon flux, it is the least well constrained component of the terrestrial carbon cycle. This is in part because of its high variability in space and time that can become amplified under certain environmental conditions. Under current climate change scenarios, both summer and winter precipitation are expected to be altered in terrestrial ecosystems of the southwestern US. Precipitation magnitude and intensity influence soil moisture, which is a key control on ecosystem-scale respiration rates. Therefore understanding how changes in snow and rainfall translate to changes in soil moisture is critical to understanding climate change impacts on soil respiration processes. Our study took place within the footprint of a semiarid mixed-conifer flux measurement system on Mount Bigelow just north of Tucson, AZ. We analyzed images from three understory phenology cameras (pheno-cams) to identify areas that represented early and late snowmelt. Within the field of view of each of the three pheno-cams we established three early-melt and three late-melt soil respiration measurement “sites”. To understand the persistence of snowmelt conditions on summer soil respiration, we measured soil respiration, soil moisture, and soil temperature at all six sites on four days representing different summer periods (i.e. pre-monsoon, early monsoon, mid-monsoon, and late monsoon). Throughout the entire study period, at both early- and late-melt sites soil respiration was strongly correlated with amount of soil moisture, and was less responsive to temperature. Soil respiration generally increased throughout the rainy season, peaking by mid-monsoon at both early- and late-melt sites. Interestingly, early-melt sites were wetter than late-melt sites following rainfall occurring in the pre- and early monsoon. However, following rainfall occurring in the mid- to late

Molten core material holding device in a nuclear reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nakamura, Hisashi; Tanaka, Nobuo; Takahashi, Katsuro.

1985-01-01

Purpose: To improve the function of cooling to hold molten core materials in a molten core material holding device. Constitution: Plenum structures are formed into a pan-like configuration, in which liners made of metal having high melting point and relatively high heat conductivity such as tantalum, tungsten, rhenium or alloys thereof are integrally appended to hold and directly cool the molten reactor core materials. Further, a plurality of heat pipes, passing through the plenum structures, facing the cooling portion thereof to the coolants at the outer side and immersing the heating portion into the molten core materials fallen to deposit in the inner liners are disposed radially. Furthermore, heat pipes embodded in the plenum structure are disposed in the same manner below the liners. Thus, the plenum structures and the molten reactor core materials can be cooled at a high efficiency. (Seki, T.)

Development of the inductive ring susceptor technique for sustaining oxide melts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Copus, E.R.

1983-09-01

A method for melting and sustaining large volumes of UO 2 has been developed at Sandia. This capability will greatly enhance reactor safety studies in the areas of ex-vessel interactions and degraded core retention by providing out-of-pile simulation for the decay heat process that is inherent to reactor core debris. The method, referred to as the Inductive Ring Susceptor Technique, melts UO 2 powder via inductively heated susceptor rings fashioned from highly conductive refractory metal. These rings are embedded in the non-conductive charge material. Placement of the rings is designed for optimum heat transfer and a controlled pool-type geometry. The technique has been demonstrated by a series of sustained oxide melt experiments

Iron Abundances in Lunar Impact Basin Melt Sheets From Orbital Magnetic Field Data

Science.gov (United States)

Oliveira, Joana S.; Wieczorek, Mark A.; Kletetschka, Gunther

2017-12-01

Magnetic field data acquired from orbit shows that the Moon possesses many magnetic anomalies. Though most of these are not associated with known geologic structures, some are found within large impact basins within the interior peak ring. The primary magnetic carrier in lunar rocks is metallic iron, but indigenous lunar rocks are metal poor and cannot account easily for the observed field strengths. The projectiles that formed the largest impact basins must have contained a significant quantity of metallic iron, and a portion of this iron would have been retained on the Moon's surface within the impact melt sheet. Here we use orbital magnetic field data to invert for the magnetization within large impact basins using the assumption that the crust is unidirectionally magnetized. We develop a technique based on laboratory thermoremanent magnetization acquisition to quantify the relationship between the strength of the magnetic field at the time the rock cooled and the abundance of metal in the rock. If we assume that the magnetized portion of the impact melt sheet is 1 km thick, we find average abundances of metallic iron ranging from 0.11% to 0.45 wt %, with an uncertainty of a factor of about 3. This abundance is consistent with the metallic iron abundances in sampled lunar impact melts and the abundance of projectile contamination in terrestrial impact melts. These results help constrain the composition of the projectile, the impact process, and the time evolution of the lunar dynamo.

Large-scale melting and impact mixing on early-formed asteroids

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Greenwood, Richard; Barrat, J.-A.; Scott, Edward Robert Dalton

Large-scale melting of asteroids and planetesimals is now known to have taken place ex-tremely early in solar system history [1]. The first-generation bodies produced by this process would have been subject to rapid collisional reprocessing, leading in most cases to fragmentation and/or accretion...... the relationship between the different groups of achondrites [3, 4]. Here we present new oxygen isotope evidence con-cerning the role of large-scale melting and subsequent impact mixing in the evolution of three important achondrite groups: the main-group pallasites, meso-siderites and HEDs....

Sol-gel processing to form doped sol-gel monoliths inside hollow core optical fiber and sol-gel core fiber devices made thereby

Science.gov (United States)

Shaw, Harry C. (Inventor); Ott, Melanie N. (Inventor); Manuel, Michele V. (Inventor)

2002-01-01

A process of fabricating a fiber device includes providing a hollow core fiber, and forming a sol-gel material inside the hollow core fiber. The hollow core fiber is preferably an optical fiber, and the sol-gel material is doped with a dopant. Devices made in this manner includes a wide variety of sensors.

Fast and slow crystal growth kinetics in glass-forming melts

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Orava, J.; Greer, A. L., E-mail: alg13@cam.ac.uk [WPI-Advanced Institute for Materials Research (WPI-AIMR), Tohoku University, 2-1-1 Katahira, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8577, Japan and Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy, 27 Charles Babbage Road, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB3 0FS (United Kingdom)

2014-06-07

Published values of crystal growth rates are compared for supercooled glass-forming liquids undergoing congruent freezing at a planar crystal-liquid interface. For the purposes of comparison pure metals are considered to be glass-forming systems, using data from molecular-dynamics simulations. For each system, the growth rate has a maximum value U{sub max} at a temperature T{sub max} that lies between the glass-transition temperature T{sub g} and the melting temperature T{sub m}. A classification is suggested, based on the lability (specifically, the propensity for fast crystallization), of the liquid. High-lability systems show “fast” growth characterized by a high U{sub max}, a low T{sub max} / T{sub m}, and a very broad peak in U vs. T / T{sub m}. In contrast, systems showing “slow” growth have a low U{sub max}, a high T{sub max} / T{sub m}, and a sharp peak in U vs. T / T{sub m}. Despite the difference of more than 11 orders of magnitude in U{sub max} seen in pure metals and in silica, the range of glass-forming systems surveyed fit into a common pattern in which the lability increases with lower reduced glass-transition temperature (T{sub g} / T{sub m}) and higher fragility of the liquid. A single parameter, a linear combination of T{sub g} / T{sub m} and fragility, can show a good correlation with U{sub max}. For all the systems, growth at U{sub max} is coupled to the atomic/molecular mobility in the liquid. It is found that, across the diversity of glass-forming systems, T{sub max} / T{sub g} = 1.48 ± 0.15.

Spray forming: A numerical investigation of the influence of the gas to melt ratio on the billet surface temperature

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pryds, Nini; Hattel, Jesper

2005-01-01

atomisation taking thermal coupling into consideration and the deposition of material at the surface of the billet taking geometrical aspects such as shading into account. The coupling between these two models is accomplished by ensuring that the total droplet size distribution of the spray is the summation......The relationship between the Gas to Melt Ratio (GMR) and the surface temperature of an evolving billet surface in spray forming is investigated numerically. The basis for the analysis is an integrated approach for modelling the entire spray forming process. This model includes the droplet...... of "local" droplet size distributions along the r-axis of the spray cone. The criterion for a successful process has been a predefined process window characterised by a desired fraction solid range at a certain distance from the atomizer. Inside this process window, the gas and melt flows have been varied...

DEPENDENCY OF SULFATE SOLUBILITY ON MELT COMPOSITION AND MELT POLYMERIZATION

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

JANTZEN, CAROL M.

2004-01-01

Sulfate and sulfate salts are not very soluble in borosilicate waste glass. When sulfate is present in excess it can form water soluble secondary phases and/or a molten salt layer (gall) on the melt pool surface which is purported to cause steam explosions in slurry fed melters. Therefore, sulfate can impact glass durability while formation of a molten salt layer on the melt pool can impact processing. Sulfate solubility has been shown to be compositionally dependent in various studies, (e.g. , B2O3, Li2O, CaO, MgO, Na2O, and Fe2O3 were shown to increase sulfate solubility while Al2O3 and SiO2 decreased sulfate solubility). This compositional dependency is shown to be related to the calculated melt viscosity at various temperatures and hence the melt polymerization

Materials problems related to the core catcher of sodium cooled reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goetzmann, O.

1975-05-01

There are in principal two possible solutions for the external core catcher as far as materials are concerned. 1) A barrier consisting of a material with a high melting point, 2) a tray of comparatively low melting material with a high solubility for the fuel. In case of the first concept one has to look for materials whose melting temperatures are above the temperature of the molten core. Based on metallurgical reasons it seems very likely that the molten core does not exceed a temperature in the range between 2,500 and 2,800 0 C. Due to the compatibility situation with the molten core only a few high melting oxides will be suitable as liner materials for a core catcher. In the second case basalt or concrete, if free of water and lime, are suitable materials. Graphite is a high melting material, however, due to its behaviour with the molten core it should be listed under the second group. By the reaction of graphite with the core materials the melt can be kept liquid down to temperatures of around 1,100 0 C. The evolution of CO by this reaction should be supportable. It is an endothermal reaction. Experiments on the behaviour of core catcher materials have shown that sodium is capable of penetrating into sintered bodies of UO 2 with densities of 90% TD at temperatures higher than 200 0 C. This may lead to the desintegration of these bodies. The exposure to moist air has not done much harm to UO 2 pellets of densities from 80 to 90% TD. Even after one year of exposure, swelling or desintegration could not be observed. Sodium is also capable of penetrating into bodies of synthetic carbon and graphite. Only well graphitized material will not be destroyed. (orig.) [de

Overturn of magma ocean ilmenite cumulate layer: Implications for lunar magmatic evolution and formation of a lunar core

Science.gov (United States)

Hess, P. C.; Parmentier, E. M.

1993-01-01

We explore a model for the chemical evolution of the lunar interior that explains the origin and evolution of lunar magmatism and possibly the existence of a lunar core. A magma ocean formed during accretion differentiates into the anorthositic crust and chemically stratified cumulate mantle. The cumulative mantle is gravitationally unstable with dense ilmenite cumulate layers overlying olivine-orthopyroxene cumulates with Fe/Mg that decreases with depth. The dense ilmenite layer sinks to the center of the moon forming the core. The remainder of the gravitationally unstable cumulate pile also overturns. Any remaining primitive lunar mantle rises to its level of neutral buoyancy in the cumulate pile. Perhaps melting of primitive lunar mantle due to this decompression results in early lunar Mg-rich magmatism. Because of its high concentration of incompatible heat producing elements, the ilmenite core heats the overlying orthopyroxene-bearing cumulates. As a conductively thickening thermal boundary layer becomes unstable, the resulting mantle plumes rise, decompress, and partially melt to generate the mare basalts. This model explains both the timing and chemical characteristics of lunar magmatism.

Evidence for a sulfur-undersaturated lunar interior from the solubility of sulfur in lunar melts and sulfide-silicate partitioning of siderophile elements

Science.gov (United States)

Steenstra, E. S.; Seegers, A. X.; Eising, J.; Tomassen, B. G. J.; Webers, F. P. F.; Berndt, J.; Klemme, S.; Matveev, S.; van Westrenen, W.

2018-06-01

Sulfur concentrations at sulfide saturation (SCSS) were determined for a range of low- to high-Ti lunar melt compositions (synthetic equivalents of Apollo 14 black and yellow glass, Apollo 15 green glass, Apollo 17 orange glass and a late-stage lunar magma ocean melt, containing between 0.2 and 25 wt.% TiO2) as a function of pressure (1-2.5 GPa) and temperature (1683-1883 K). For the same experiments, sulfide-silicate partition coefficients were derived for elements V, Cr, Mn, Co, Cu, Zn, Ga, Ge, As, Se, Mo, Sn, Sb, Te, W and Pb. The SCSS is a strong function of silicate melt composition, most notably FeO content. An increase in temperature increases the SCSS and an increase in pressure decreases the SCSS, both in agreement with previous work on terrestrial, lunar and martian compositions. Previously reported SCSS values for high-FeO melts were combined with the experimental data reported here to obtain a new predictive equation to calculate the SCSS for high-FeO lunar melt compositions. Calculated SCSS values, combined with previously estimated S contents of lunar low-Ti basalts and primitive pyroclastic glasses, suggest their source regions were not sulfide saturated. Even when correcting for the currently inferred maximum extent of S degassing during or after eruption, sample S abundances are still > 700 ppm lower than the calculated SCSS values for these compositions. To achieve sulfide saturation in the source regions of low-Ti basalts and lunar pyroclastic glasses, the extent of degassing of S in lunar magma would have to be orders of magnitude higher than currently thought, inconsistent with S isotopic and core-to-rim S diffusion profile data. The only lunar samples that could have experienced sulfide saturation are some of the more evolved A17 high-Ti basalts, if sulfides are Ni- and/or Cu rich. Sulfide saturation in the source regions of lunar melts is also inconsistent with the sulfide-silicate partitioning systematics of Ni, Co and Cu. Segregation of

Possible Role of Hydrogen in the Earth Core

Science.gov (United States)

Takahashi, E.; Imai, T.

2011-12-01

Possible role of hydrogen in the Earth core has been discussed by Stevenson (1977) and demonstrated experimentally by Fukai (1984), Okuchi (1997) and others. Planetary theory proposes a possibility of hydrogen incorporation in Earth's magma ocean from ambient solar nebula gas (Ikoma & Genda 2005, Genda & Ikoma 2008). More recently, migration of snow line during planet formation was examined (Min et al., 2010; Oka et al, 2011) and it was proposed that the Earth building material originally contained abundant water as ice and hydrous minerals. Therefore, it is very important to investigate the fate of water in the planet building process and clarify the role of hydrogen in the planetary core. Using SPring-8 synchrotron (NaCl capsule, LiAlH4 as hydrogen source), we determined the melting curve of FeH up to 20 GPa under hydrogen saturated conditions (Sakamaki, Takahashi et al, 2009). Observed melting point is below 1300C and has a very small dT/dP slope. By extrapolating the melting curve using Lindeman's law, we proposed that hydrogen could lower the melting temperature of the Earth core by more than 1500K than current estimate. Here we report our new experiments using SPring-8 synchrotron (single crystal diamond capsule, water as hydrogen source). Hydrogen concentration and melting temperature of FeHx that coexists with hydrous mantle minerals were determined at 15-20GPa and 1000-1600C. We show that 1) hydrogen concentration in FeHx at 1000C, coexisting with hydrous-B and ringwoodite is approximately X=0.6. 2) Upon heating, hydrous-B decomposes and hydrogen strongly partitions into FeHx (X=0.8~1.0) than ringwoodite. 3) FeHx that coexists with ringwoodite melts between ~1300C (solidus) and ~1600C (liquidus). Combined our new experiments with those by Sakamaki et al (2009) and Shibazaki et al (2009), partitioning of hydrogen between proto-core and primitive mantle is discussed. We propose that >90% of water in the source material may have entered the Earth core. Given

Ferric iron partitioning between pyroxene and melt during partial melting of the Earth's upper mantle

Science.gov (United States)

Rudra, A.; Hirschmann, M. M.

2017-12-01

The oxidation state of the Earth's mantle influences melt production, volatile behavior, partitioning of key trace elements and possible saturation of alloy at depth. Average Fe3+/FeT ratios in MORBs indicate oxygen fugacitiy of the source regions is close to QFM, in contrast to a 3 log unit variation of fO2 recorded by abyssal peridotites. Quantification of the relationship between basalt and source Fe3+/FeT, oxygen fugacity, and melting requires constraints on Fe3+ partitioning between melt and mantle minerals and in particular the principal Fe3+ host, pyroxene. McCanta et al. (2004) investigated valence dependent partitioning of Fe between Martian ferroan pigeonites and melt, but behavior in terrestrial pyroxene compositions relevant to MORB petrogenesis has not been investigated. We are conducting 1 atm controlled fO2 experiments over 4 log unit variation of fO2 between ΔQFM = 2.5 to -1.5 to grow pyroxenes of variable tetrahedral and octahedral cationic population from andesitic melts of varying Mg#, alumina and alkali content. Dynamic crystallization technique facilitates growth of pyroxene crystals (100-200 um) that EPMA analyses show to be compositionally homogeneous and in equilibrium with the melt. Fe3+/FeT ratio of the synthetic pyroxenes have been analyzed by XAFS spectroscopy at the APS (GSECARS) synchrotron. To quantify the x-ray anisotropy in pyroxenes, we collected Fe K-edge XAFS spectra of oriented natural single crystals for a wide range compositions whose Fe3+/FeT ratios we determined by Mossbauer spectroscopy. We have collected both XANES and EXAFS spectral regions spanning from 7020-7220 eV to explore predictive capabilities of different spectral regions about ferric iron concentration and site occupancy. Our results will document the Fe3+ compatibility in pyroxenes of different compositions under a variety of fO2 conditions, which in turn will better constrain the interrelationship between mantle redox and melting.

Scoping Analysis on Core Disruptive Accident in PGSFR (2015 Results)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Seung Won; Chang, Won-Pyo; Ha, Kwi-Seok; Ahn, Sang June; Kang, Seok Hun; Choi, Chi-Woong; Lee, Kwi Lim; Jeong, Jae-Ho; Kim, Jin Su; Jeong, Taekyeong [KAERI, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2016-05-15

In general, the severe accident is classified by three phases. The first phase is the initiation (pre-disassembly) phase that occurs the gradual core meltdown from accident initiation to the point of neutronic shutdown with an intact geometry. The second phase is the transition phase that happens the fuel transition from a solid to a liquid phase. Fuel and cladding can melt to form a molten pool and core can boil, then criticality conditions can recur. The third phase is the disassembly phase. In other words, this phase is Core Disruptive Accident (CDA). Power excursion is followed until the core is disassembled in this phase. In the early considerations of Liquid Metal Fast Breeder Reactor (LMFBR) energetics, the term Hypothetical Core Disruptive Accidents (HCDAs) was in common use. This was not only to connote the extremely low probability of initiation of such accidents, but also the tentative nature of our understanding of their behavior and resulting consequences. A numerical analysis is conducted to estimate the energy release, pressure behavior and core expansion behavior induced by CDA of PGSFR using CDA-ER and CDA-CEME codes. Conservatively, the calculated results of energy release and pressure behavior induced by CDA without Doppler effect in PGSFR when whole cores were melted (100 $/s) were 7.844 GJ and 4.845 GPa, respectively. With Doppler effect, the analyzed maximum energy release and pressure were 6.696 GJ and 3.449 GPa, respectively. The calculated results of the core expansion behavior during 0.015 seconds after the explosion without Doppler effect in PGSFR when whole cores were melted (100 $/s) were as follows: The total energy is calculated to be 1.87 GJ. At 0.01 s, the kinetic energy of the sodium is 1.85 GJ, while the expansion work and internal energy of the bubble are 19.7 MJ and 0.98 J, respectively. With Doppler effect, the total energy is calculated to be 1.33 GJ. At 0.01 s, the kinetic energy of the sodium is 1.31 GJ, while the expansion

Behavior of a corium jet in high pressure melt ejection from a reactor pressure vessel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Frid, W.

1988-04-01

Discharge of the molten core debris from a pressurized reactor vessel has been recognized as an important accident scenario for pressurized water reactors. Recent high-pressure melt streaming experiments conducted at Sandia National Laboratories, designed to study cavity and containment events related to melt ejection, have resulted in two important observations: (1) Expansion and breakup of the ejected molten jet. (2) Significant aerosol generation during the ejection process. The expansion and breakup of the jet in the experiments are attributed to rapid evolution of the pressurizing gas (nitrogen or hydrogen) dissolved in the melt. It has been concluded that aerosol particles may be formed by condensation of melt vapor and mechanical breakup of the melt and generation. It was also shown that the above stated phenomena are likely to occur in reactor accidents. This report provides results from analytical and experimental investigations on the behavior of a gas supersaturated molten jet expelled from a pressurized vessel. Aero-hydrodynamic stability of liquid jets in gas, stream degassing of molten metals, and gas bubble nucleation in molten metals are relevant problems that are addressed in this work

Size-dependent melting modes and behaviors of Ag nanoparticles: a molecular dynamics study

Science.gov (United States)

Liang, Tianshou; Zhou, Dejian; Wu, Zhaohua; Shi, Pengpeng

2017-12-01

The size-dependent melting behaviors and mechanisms of Ag nanoparticles (NPs) with diameters of 3.5-16 nm were investigated by molecular dynamics (MD). Two distinct melting modes, non-premelting and premelting with transition ranges of about 7-8 nm, for Ag NPs were demonstrated via the evolution of distribution and transition of atomic physical states during annealing. The small Ag NPs (3.5-7 nm) melt abruptly without a stable liquid shell before the melting point, which is characterized as non-premelting. A solid-solid crystal transformation is conducted through the migration of adatoms on the surface of Ag NPs with diameters of 3.5-6 nm before the initial melting, which is mainly responsible for slightly increasing the melting point of Ag NPs. On the other hand, surface premelting of Ag NPs with diameters of 8-16 nm propagates from the outer shell to the inner core with initial anisotropy and late isotropy as the temperature increases, and the close-packed facets {111} melt by a side-consumed way which is responsible for facets {111} melting in advance relative to the crystallographic plane {111}. Once a stable liquid shell is formed, its size-independent minimum thickness is obtained, and a three-layer structure of atomic physical states is set up. Lastly, the theory of point defect-pair (vacancy-interstitial) severing as the mechanism of formation and movement of the solid-liquid interface was also confirmed. Our study provides a basic understanding and theoretical guidance for the research, production and application of Ag NPs.

Dysprosium-free melt-spun permanent magnets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brown, D N; Wu, Z; He, F; Miller, D J; Herchenroeder, J W

2014-01-01

Melt-spun NdFeB powders can be formed into a number of different types of permanent magnet for a variety of applications in electronics, automotive and clean technology industries. The melt-spinning process produces flake powder with a fine uniform array of nanoscale Nd 2 Fe 14 B grains. These powders can be net-shape formed into isotropic polymer-bonded magnets or hot formed into fully dense magnets. This paper discusses the influence of heavy rare earth elements and microstructure on the magnetic performance, thermal stability and material cost of NdFeB magnets. Evidence indicates that melt-spun nanocrystalline NdFeB magnets are less dependent on heavy rare earth elements for high-temperature performance than the alternative coarser-grained sintered NdFeB magnets. In particular, hot-pressed melt-spun magnets are an attractive low-cost solution for applications that require thermal stability up to 175–200 °C. (paper)

Dysprosium-free melt-spun permanent magnets.

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, D N; Wu, Z; He, F; Miller, D J; Herchenroeder, J W

2014-02-12

Melt-spun NdFeB powders can be formed into a number of different types of permanent magnet for a variety of applications in electronics, automotive and clean technology industries. The melt-spinning process produces flake powder with a fine uniform array of nanoscale Nd2Fe14B grains. These powders can be net-shape formed into isotropic polymer-bonded magnets or hot formed into fully dense magnets. This paper discusses the influence of heavy rare earth elements and microstructure on the magnetic performance, thermal stability and material cost of NdFeB magnets. Evidence indicates that melt-spun nanocrystalline NdFeB magnets are less dependent on heavy rare earth elements for high-temperature performance than the alternative coarser-grained sintered NdFeB magnets. In particular, hot-pressed melt-spun magnets are an attractive low-cost solution for applications that require thermal stability up to 175-200 °C.

Depth and degree of melting of komatiites

Science.gov (United States)

Herzberg, Claude

1992-04-01

High pressure melting experiments have permitted new constraints to be placed on the depth and degree of partial melting of komatiites. Komatiites from Gorgona Island were formed by relatively low degrees of pseudoinvariant melting involving L + Ol + Opx + Cpx + Gt on the solidus at 40 kbar, about 130 km depth. Munro-type komatiites were separated from a harzburgite residue (L + Ol + Opx) at pressures that were poorly constrained, but were probably around 50 kbar, about 165 km depth; the degree of partial melting was less than 40 percent. Secular variations in the geochemistry of komatiites could have formed in response to a reduction in the temperature and pressure of melting with time. The 3.5 Ga Barberton komatiites and the 2.7 Ga Munro-type komatiities could have formed in plumes that were hotter than the present-day mantle by 500 deg and 300 deg, respectively. When excess temperatures are this size, melting is deeper and volcanism changes from basaltic to momatiitic. The komatiities from Gorgona Island, which are Mesozoic in age, may be representative of komatiities that are predicted to occur in oceanic plateaus of Cretaceous age throughout the Pacific (Storey et al., 1991).

Chemical and X-ray diffraction analysis on selected samples from the TMI-2 reactor core

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kleykamp, H.; Pejsa, R.

1991-05-01

Selected samples from different positions of the damaged TMI-2 reactor core were investigated by X-ray microanalysis and X-ray diffraction. The measurements yield the following resolidified phases after cooling: Cd and In depleted Ag absorber material, intermetallic Zr-steel compounds, fully oxidized Zircaloy, UO 2 -ZrO 2 solid solutions and their decomposed phases, and Fe-Al-Cr-Zr spinels. The composition of the phases and their lattice parameters as well as the eutectic and monotectic character can serve as indicators of local temperatures of the core. The reaction sequences are estimated from the heterogeneous equilibria of these phases. The main conclusions are: (1) Liquefaction onset is locally possible by Inconel-Zircaloy and steel-Zircaloy reactions of spacers and absorber guide tubes at 930deg C. However, increased rates of dissolution occur above 1200deg C. (2) UO 2 dissolution in the Inconel-steel-Zircaloy melt starts at 1300deg C with increased rates above 1900deg C. (3) Fuel temperatures in the core centre are increased above 2550deg C, liquid (U,Zr)O 2 is generated. (4) Square UO 2 particles are reprecipitated from the Incoloy-steel-Zircaloy-UO 2 melt during cooling, the remaining metallic melt is oxygen poor; two types of intermetallic phases are formed. (5) Oxidized Fe and Zr and Al 2 O 3 from burnable absorber react to spinels which form a low melting eutectic with the fuel at 1500deg C. The spinel acts as lubricant for fuel transport to the lower reactor plenum above 1500deg C. (6) Ruthenium (Ru-106) is dissolved in the steel phase, antimony (Sb-125) in the α-Ag absorber during liquefaction. (7) Oxidation of the Zircaloy-steel phases takes place mainly in the reflood stage 3 of the accident scenario. (orig.) [de

Models and correlations of the DEBRIS Late-Phase Melt Progression Model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schmidt, R.C.; Gasser, R.D.

1997-09-01

The DEBRIS Late Phase Melt Progression Model is an assembly of models, embodied in a computer code, which is designed to treat late-phase melt progression in dry rubble (or debris) regions that can form as a consequence of a severe core uncover accident in a commercial light water nuclear reactor. The approach is fully two-dimensional, and incorporates a porous medium modeling framework together with conservation and constitutive relationships to simulate the time-dependent evolution of such regions as various physical processes act upon the materials. The objective of the code is to accurately model these processes so that the late-phase melt progression that would occur in different hypothetical severe nuclear reactor accidents can be better understood and characterized. In this report the models and correlations incorporated and used within the current version of DEBRIS are described. These include the global conservation equations solved, heat transfer and fission heating models, melting and refreezing models (including material interactions), liquid and solid relocation models, gas flow and pressure field models, and the temperature and compositionally dependent material properties employed. The specific models described here have been used in the experiment design analysis of the Phebus FPT-4 debris-bed fission-product release experiment. An earlier DEBRIS code version was used to analyze the MP-1 and MP-2 late-phase melt progression experiments conducted at Sandia National Laboratories for the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission

Calculation of individual and population doses on Danish territory resulting from hypothetical core-melt accidents at the Barsebaeck reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1977-01-01

Individual and population doses within Danish territory are calculated from hypothetical, severe core-melt accidents at the Swedish nuclear plant at Barsebaeck. The fission product inventory of the Barsebaeck reactor is calculated. The release fractions for the accidents are taken from WASH-1400. Based on parametric studies, doses are calculated for very unfavourable, but not incredible weather conditions. The probability of such conditions in combination with wind direction towards Danish territory is estimated. Doses to bone marrow, lungs, GI-tract and thyroid are calculated based on dose models developed at Risoe. These doses are found to be consistent with doses calculated with the models used in WASH-1400. (author)

Melt-quenched glasses of metal-organic frameworks

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bennett, T.D.; Yue, Yuanzheng; Li, P.

2016-01-01

Crystalline solids dominate the field of metal−organic frameworks (MOFs), with access to the liquid and glass states of matter usually prohibited by relatively low temperatures of thermal decomposition. In this work, we give due consideration to framework chemistry and topology to expand...... of other MOFs. The glasses formed upon vitrification are chemically and structurally distinct from the three other existing categories of melt-quenched glasses (inorganic nonmetallic, organic, and metallic), and retain the basic metal−ligand connectivity of crystalline MOFs, which connects their mechanical...... the phenomenon of the melting of 3D MOFs, linking crystal chemistry to framework melting temperature and kinetic fragility of the glass-forming liquids. Here we show that melting temperatures can be lowered by altering the chemistry of the crystalline MOF state, which provides a route to facilitate the melting...

Archaean ultra-depleted komatiites formed by hydrous melting of cratonic mantle.

Science.gov (United States)

Wilson, A H; Shirey, S B; Carlson, R W

2003-06-19

Komatiites are ultramafic volcanic rocks containing more than 18 per cent MgO (ref. 1) that erupted mainly in the Archaean era (more than 2.5 gigayears ago). Although such compositions occur in later periods of Earth history (for example, the Cretaceous komatiites of Gorgona Island), the more recent examples tend to have lower MgO content than their Archaean equivalents. Komatiites are also characterized by their low incompatible-element content, which is most consistent with their generation by high degrees of partial melting (30-50 per cent). Current models for komatiite genesis include the melting of rock at great depth in plumes of hot, diapirically rising mantle or the melting of relatively shallow mantle rocks at less extreme, but still high, temperatures caused by fluxing with water. Here we report a suite of ultramafic lava flows from the Commondale greenstone belt, in the southern part of the Kaapvaal Craton, which represents a previously unrecognized type of komatiite with exceptionally high forsterite content of its igneous olivines, low TiO(2)/Al(2)O(3) ratio, high silica content, extreme depletion in rare-earth elements and low Re/Os ratio. We suggest a model for their formation in which a garnet-enriched residue left by earlier cratonic volcanism was melted by hydration from a subducting slab.

Status of degraded core issues. Synthesis paper prepared by G. Bandini in collaboration with the NEA task group on degraded core cooling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2001-02-01

The in-vessel evolution of a severe accident in a nuclear reactor is characterised, generally, by core uncover and heat-up, core material oxidation and melting, molten material relocation and debris behaviour in the lower plenum up to vessel failure. The in-vessel core melt progression involves a large number of physical and chemical phenomena that may depend on the severe accident sequence and the reactor type under consideration. Core melt progression has been studied in the last twenty years through many experimental works. Since then, computer codes are being developed and validated to analyse different reactor accident sequences. The experience gained from the TMI-2 accident also constitutes an important source of data. The understanding of core degradation process is necessary to evaluate initial conditions for subsequent phases of the accident (ex-vessel and within the containment), and define accident management strategies and mitigative actions for operating and advanced reactors. This synthesis paper, prepared within the Task Group on Degraded Core Cooling (TG-DCC) of PWG2, contains a brief summary of current views on the status of degraded core issues regarding light water reactors. The in-vessel fission product release and transport issue is not addressed in this paper. The areas with remaining uncertainties and the needs for further experimental investigation and model development have been identified. The early phase of core melt progression is reasonably well understood. Remaining uncertainties may be addressed on the basis of ongoing experimental activities, e.g. on core quenching, and research programs foreseen in the near future. The late phase of core melt progression is less understood. Ongoing research programs are providing additional valuable information on corium molten pool behaviour. Confirmatory research is still required. The pool crust behaviour and material relocation into the lower plenum are the areas where additional research should

Applications of plasma core reactors to terrestrial energy systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lantham, T.S.; Biancardi, F.R.; Rodgers, R.J.

1974-01-01

Plasma core reactors offer several new options for future energy needs in addition to space power and propulsion applications. Power extraction from plasma core reactors with gaseous nuclear fuel allows operation at temperatures higher than conventional reactors. Highly efficient thermodynamic cycles and applications employing direct coupling of radiant energy are possible. Conceptual configurations of plasma core reactors for terrestrail applications are described. Closed-cycle gas turbines, MHD systems, photo- and thermo-chemical hydrogen production processes, and laser systems using plasma core reactors as prime energy sources are considered. Cycle efficiencies in the range of 50 to 65 percent are calculated for closed-cycle gas turbine and MHD electrical generators. Reactor advantages include continuous fuel reprocessing which limits inventory of radioactive by-products and thorium-U-233 breeder configurations with about 5-year doubling times

Preliminary model for core/concrete interactions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Murfin, W.B.

1977-08-01

A preliminary model is described for computing the rate of penetration of concrete by a molten LWR core. Among the phenomena included are convective stirring of the melt by evolved gases, admixture of concrete decomposition products to the melt, chemical reactions, radiative heat loss, and variation of heat transfer coefficients with local pressure. The model is most applicable to a two-phase melt (metallic plus oxidic) having a fairly high metallic content

Accretion of Planetesimals and the Formation of Rocky Planets

Science.gov (United States)

Chambers, John E.; O'Brien, David P.; Davis, Andrew M.

2010-02-01

Here we describe the formation of rocky planets and asteroids in the context of the planetesimal hypothesis. Small dust grains in protoplanetary disks readily stick together forming mm-to-cm-sized aggregates, many of which experience brief heating episodes causing melting. Growth to km-sized planetesimals might proceed via continued pairwise sticking, turbulent concentration, or gravitational instability of a thin particle layer. Gravitational interactions between planetesimals lead to rapid runaway and oligarchic growth forming lunar-to-Mars-sized protoplanets in 10^5 to 10^6 years. Giant impacts between protoplanets form Earth-mass planets in 10^7 to 10^8 years, and occasionally lead to the formation of large satellites. Protoplanets may migrate far from their formation locations due to tidal interactions with the surrounding disk. Radioactive decay and impact heating cause melting and differentiation of planetesimals and protoplanets, forming iron-rich cores and silicate mantles, and leading to some loss of volatiles. Dynamical perturbations from giant planets eject most planetesimals and protoplanets from regions near orbital resonances, leading to asteroid-belt formation. Some of this scattered material will collide with growing terrestrial planets, altering their composition as a result. Numerical simulations and radioisotope dating indicate that the terrestrial planets of the Solar System were essentially fully formed in 100-200 million years.

Simulation experiments concerning core meltdown

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Werle, H.

1979-01-01

A gas stream causes a remarkable increase in the interfacial heat flux (by a factor of 8 for v = 0.63 cm/s, v = gas volume flux/horizontal area). The most important characteristics of the system investigated (silicon oil/wood metal) are relatively similar to those of a core melt, Therefore a remarkable increase of the interfacial heat transfer by the gas release may be expected also for a core melt, compared with earlier investigations at the system silicon oil/water the influence of a gas stream is nevertheless remarkably lower for silicon oil/wood metal. This shows that the density ratio plays an important role. (orig./RW) [de

A high-precision 40Ar/39Ar age for the Nördlinger Ries impact crater, Germany, and implications for the accurate dating of terrestrial impact events

Science.gov (United States)

Schmieder, Martin; Kennedy, Trudi; Jourdan, Fred; Buchner, Elmar; Reimold, Wolf Uwe

2018-01-01

40Ar/39Ar dating of specimens of moldavite, the formation of which is linked to the Ries impact in southern Germany, with a latest-generation ARGUS VI multi-collector mass spectrometer yielded three fully concordant plateau ages with a weighted mean age of 14.808 ± 0.021 Ma (± 0.038 Ma including all external uncertainties; 2σ; MSWD = 0.40, P = 0.67). This new best-estimate age for the Nördlinger Ries is in general agreement with previous 40Ar/39Ar results for moldavites, but constitutes a significantly improved precision with respect to the formation age of the distal Ries-produced tektites. Separates of impact glass from proximal Ries ejecta (suevite glass from three different surface outcrops) and partially melted feldspar particles from impact melt rock of the SUBO 18 Enkingen drill core failed to produce meaningful ages. These glasses show evidence for excess 40Ar introduction, which may have been incurred during interaction with hydrothermal fluids. Only partially reset 40Ar/39Ar ages could be determined for the feldspathic melt separates from the Enkingen core. The new 40Ar/39Ar results for the Ries impact structure constrain the duration of crater cooling, during the prevailing hydrothermal activity, to locally at least ∼60 kyr. With respect to the dating of terrestrial impact events, this paper briefly discusses a number of potential issues and effects that may be the cause for seemingly precise, but on a kyr-scale inaccurate, impact ages.

Melt inclusions: Chapter 6

Science.gov (United States)

,; Lowenstern, J. B.

2014-01-01

Melt inclusions are small droplets of silicate melt that are trapped in minerals during their growth in a magma. Once formed, they commonly retain much of their initial composition (with some exceptions) unless they are re-opened at some later stage. Melt inclusions thus offer several key advantages over whole rock samples: (i) they record pristine concentrations of volatiles and metals that are usually lost during magma solidification and degassing, (ii) they are snapshots in time whereas whole rocks are the time-integrated end products, thus allowing a more detailed, time-resolved view into magmatic processes (iii) they are largely unaffected by subsolidus alteration. Due to these characteristics, melt inclusions are an ideal tool to study the evolution of mineralized magma systems. This chapter first discusses general aspects of melt inclusions formation and methods for their investigation, before reviewing studies performed on mineralized magma systems.

Experimental study of in-and-ex-vessel melt cooling during a severe accident

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Sang Baik; Yoo, K J; Park, C K; Seok, S D; Park, R J; Yi, S J; Kang, K H; Ham, Y S; Cho, Y R; Kim, J H; Jeong, J H; Shin, K Y; Cho, J S; Kim, D H

1997-07-01

After code damage during a severe accident in a nuclear reactor, the degraded core has to be cooled down and the decay heat should be removed in order to cease the accident progression and maintain a stable state. The cooling of core melt is divided into in-vessel and ex-vessel cooling depending on the location of molten core which is dependent on the timing of vessel failure. Since the cooling mechanism varies with the conditions of molten core and surroundings and related phenomena, it contains many phenomenological uncertainties so far. In this study, an experimental study for verification of in-vessel corium cooling and several separate effect experiments for ex-vessel cooling are carried out to verify in- and ex-vessel cooling phenomena and finally to develop the accident management strategy and improve engineered reactor design for the severe accidents. SONATA-IV (Simulation of Naturally Arrested Thermal Attack in Vessel) program is set up for in-vessel cooling and a progression of the verification experiment has been done, and an integral verification experiment of the containment integrity for ex-vessel cooling is planned to be carried out based on the separate effect experiments performed in the first phase. First phase study of SONATA-IV is proof of principle experiment and it is composed of LALA (Lower-plenum Arrested Vessel Attack) experiment to find the gap between melt and the lower plenum during melt relocation and to certify melt quenching and CHFG (Critical Heat Flux in Gap) experiment to certify heat transfer mechanism in an artificial gap. As separate effect experiments for ex-vessel cooling, high pressure melt ejection experiment related to the initial condition for debris layer formation in the reactor cavity, crust formation and heat transfer experiment in the molten pool and molten core concrete interaction experiment are performed. (author). 150 refs., 24 tabs., 127 figs.

Characterisation of Ceramic-Coated 316LN Stainless Steel Exposed to High-Temperature Thermite Melt and Molten Sodium

Science.gov (United States)

Ravi Shankar, A.; Vetrivendan, E.; Shukla, Prabhat Kumar; Das, Sanjay Kumar; Hemanth Rao, E.; Murthy, S. S.; Lydia, G.; Nashine, B. K.; Mallika, C.; Selvaraj, P.; Kamachi Mudali, U.

2017-11-01

Currently, stainless steel grade 316LN is the material of construction widely used for core catcher of sodium-cooled fast reactors. Design philosophy for core catcher demands its capability to withstand corium loading from whole core melt accidents. Towards this, two ceramic coatings were investigated for its application as a layer of sacrificial material on the top of core catcher to enhance its capability. Plasma-sprayed thermal barrier layer of alumina and partially stabilised zirconia (PSZ) with an intermediate bond coat of NiCrAlY are selected as candidate material and deposited over 316LN SS substrates and were tested for their suitability as thermal barrier layer for core catcher. Coated specimens were exposed to high-temperature thermite melt to simulate impingement of molten corium. Sodium compatibility of alumina and PSZ coatings were also investigated by exposing samples to molten sodium at 400 °C for 500 h. The surface morphology of high-temperature thermite melt-exposed samples and sodium-exposed samples was examined using scanning electron microscope. Phase identification of the exposed samples was carried out by x-ray diffraction technique. Observation from sodium exposure tests indicated that alumina coating offers better protection compared to PSZ coating. However, PSZ coating provided better protection against high-temperature melt exposure, as confirmed during thermite melt exposure test.

Wüstite in the fusion crust of Almahata Sitta sulfide-metal assemblage MS-166: Evidence for oxygen in metallic melts

Science.gov (United States)

Horstmann, Marian; Humayun, Munir; Harries, Dennis; Langenhorst, Falko; Chabot, Nancy L.; Bischoff, Addi; Zolensky, Michael E.

2013-05-01

Meteorite fusion crusts form during the passage of a meteoroid through the Earth's atmosphere and are highly oxidized intergrowths as documented by the presence of e.g., oxides. The porous and irregular fusion crust surrounding the Almahata Sitta sulfide-metal assemblage MS-166 was found highly enriched in wüstite (Fe1-xO). Frictional heating of the outer portions of the assemblage caused partial melting of predominantly the Fe-sulfide and minor amounts of the outer Ni-rich portions of the originally zoned metal in MS-166. Along with melting significant amounts of oxygen were incorporated into the molten fusion crust and mainly FeS was oxidized and desulfurized to form wüstite. Considerable amounts of FeS were lost due to ablation, whereas the cores of the large metal grains appear largely unmelted leaving behind metal grains and surrounding wüstite-rich material (matte). Metal grains along with the surrounding matte typically form an often highly porous framework of globules interconnected with the matte. Although textures and chemical composition suggest that melting of Fe,Ni metal occurred only partially (Ni-rich rims), there is a trace elemental imprint of siderophile element partitioning influenced by oxygen in the metallic melt as indicated by the behavior of W and Ga, the two elements significantly affected by oxygen in a metallic melt. It is remarkable that MS-166 survived the atmospheric passage as troilite inclusions in iron meteorites are preferentially destroyed.

Recent Basal Melting of a Mid-Latitude Glacier on Mars

Science.gov (United States)

Butcher, Frances E. G.; Balme, M. R.; Gallagher, C.; Arnold, N. S.; Conway, S. J.; Hagermann, A.; Lewis, S. R.

2017-12-01

Evidence for past basal melting of young (late Amazonian-aged), debris-covered glaciers in Mars' mid-latitudes is extremely rare. Thus, it is widely thought that these viscous flow features (VFFs) have been perennially frozen to their beds. We identify an instance of recent, localized wet-based mid-latitude glaciation, evidenced by a candidate esker emerging from a VFF in a tectonic rift in Tempe Terra. Eskers are sedimentary ridges deposited in ice-walled meltwater conduits and are indicative of glacial melting. We compare the candidate esker to terrestrial analogues, present a geomorphic map of landforms in the rift, and develop a landsystem model to explain their formation. We propose that the candidate esker formed during a transient phase of wet-based glaciation. We then consider the similarity between the geologic setting of the new candidate esker and that of the only other candidate esker to be identified in association with an existing mid-latitude VFF; both are within tectonic graben/rifts proximal to volcanic provinces. Finally, we calculate potential basal temperatures for a range of VFF thicknesses, driving stresses, mean annual surface temperatures, and geothermal heat fluxes, which unlike previous studies, include the possible role of internal strain heating. Strain heating can form an important additional heat source, especially in flow convergence zones, or where ice is warmer due to elevated surface temperatures or geothermal heat flux. Elevated geothermal heat flux within rifts, perhaps combined with locally-elevated strain heating, may have permitted wet-based glaciation during the late Amazonian, when cold climates precluded more extensive wet-based glaciation on Mars.

Climate change and forest fires synergistically drive widespread melt events of the Greenland Ice Sheet.

Science.gov (United States)

Keegan, Kaitlin M; Albert, Mary R; McConnell, Joseph R; Baker, Ian

2014-06-03

In July 2012, over 97% of the Greenland Ice Sheet experienced surface melt, the first widespread melt during the era of satellite remote sensing. Analysis of six Greenland shallow firn cores from the dry snow region confirms that the most recent prior widespread melt occurred in 1889. A firn core from the center of the ice sheet demonstrated that exceptionally warm temperatures combined with black carbon sediments from Northern Hemisphere forest fires reduced albedo below a critical threshold in the dry snow region, and caused the melting events in both 1889 and 2012. We use these data to project the frequency of widespread melt into the year 2100. Since Arctic temperatures and the frequency of forest fires are both expected to rise with climate change, our results suggest that widespread melt events on the Greenland Ice Sheet may begin to occur almost annually by the end of century. These events are likely to alter the surface mass balance of the ice sheet, leaving the surface susceptible to further melting.

Evolved Rocks in Ocean Islands Formed by Melting of Metasomatized Mantle

Science.gov (United States)

Ashwal, L. D.; Torsvik, T. H.; Horvath, P.; Harris, C.; Webb, S. J.; Werner, S. C.; Corfu, F.

2015-12-01

Evolved rocks like trachyte occur as minor components of many plume-related basaltic ocean islands (e.g. Hawaii, Gran Canaria, Azores, Réunion), and are typically interpreted as products of extreme fractional crystallization from broadly basaltic magmas. Trachytes from Mauritius (Indian Ocean) suggest otherwise. Here, 6.8 Ma nepheline-bearing trachytes (SiO2 ~63%, Na2O + K2O ~12%) are enriched in all incompatible elements except Ba, Sr and Eu, which show prominent negative anomalies. Initial eNd values cluster at 4.03 ± 0.15 (n = 13), near the lower end of the range for Mauritian basalts (eNd = 3.70 - 5.75), but initial Sr is highly variable (ISr = 0.70408 - 0.71034) suggesting secondary deuteric alteration. Fractional crystallization models starting with a basaltic parent fail, because when plagioclase joins olivine in the crystallizing assemblage, residual liquids become depleted in Al2O3, produce no nepheline, and do not approach trachytic compositions. Mauritian basalts and trachytes do not fall near the ends of known miscibility gaps, eliminating liquid immiscibility processes. Partial melting of extant gabbroic bodies, either from the oceanic crust or from Réunion plume-related magmas should yield quartz-saturated melts different from the critically undersaturated Mauritian trachytes. A remaining possibility is that the trachytes represent direct, small-degree partial melts of fertile, perhaps metasomatized mantle. This is supported by the presence of trachytic glasses in many mantle xenoliths, and experimental results show that low-degree trachytic melts can be produced from mantle peridotites even under anhydrous conditions. If some feldspar is left behind as a residual phase, this would account for the negative Ba, Sr and Eu anomalies observed in Mauritian trachytes. Two trachyte samples that are less depleted in these elements contain xenocrysts of anorthoclase, Al-rich cpx and Cl-rich kaersutite that are out of equilibrium with host trachyte magmas

Core-to-core dimers forming switchable mesophase

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Horčic, M.; Svoboda, J.; Novotná, Vladimíra; Pociecha, D.; Gorecka, E.

2017-01-01

Roč. 53, č. 18 (2017), s. 2721-2724 ISSN 1359-7345 R&D Projects: GA ČR GA15-02843S Institutional support: RVO:68378271 Keywords : liquid crystals * bent- core mesogens * dimers Subject RIV: JJ - Other Materials OBOR OECD: Nano-materials (production and properties) Impact factor: 6.319, year: 2016

How to demonstrate adequacy of protection against a core melt

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hock, R.

1996-01-01

After the Chernobyl accident the public - and consequently the politicians - in Western countries requested improvements in safety for future reactors even in those designs where the type of accident which had destroyed the Chernobyl plant is excluded by fundamental physics. When the major German and French suppliers of nuclear power stations, Siemens and Framatome, decided to develop jointly a next generation reactor type, this political 'request' had to be taken into account. It was decided to include safety features to mitigate the consequences of a core melt - the severest type of accident in a western light water reactor - should it occur despite the many other safety features which are included in this design in order to reduce the probability of occurrence of this type of event to extremely low values. The question arose: How to demonstrate the adequacy of his additional protection? It was evident that the methodology proposed by ICRP namely to demonstrate that the risk of individual members of the public caused by 'probabilistic events' is sufficiently low, could not be used: Due to the low probability of occurrence the contribution of this kind of accident to the risk of any average member of a critical group would already be sufficiently low even if there were no additional countermeasures. In addition, this approach would not cover severe societal effects potentially caused by such an accident. We therefore introduced a different methodology in order to demonstrate the adequacy of additional design features which are only required 'just in case': The consequences of such an unlikely but nevertheless very severe event shall be restricted to the plant itself. Severe consequences outside the immediate vicinity of the plant shall be excluded by the design. (author)

Electrical resistivity discontinuity of iron along the melting curve

Science.gov (United States)

Wagle, Fabian; Steinle-Neumann, Gerd

2018-04-01

Discontinuous changes of electrical resistivity ρel (increase), density ϱ and isothermal compressibility βT (decrease) occur across the melting temperature of metals and can be directly related by Ziman's theory in the long-wavelength approximation. By evaluating experimental data at ambient pressure, we show that Ziman's approximation holds for iron and other simple and transition metals. Using a thermodynamic model to determine βT for γ-, ɛ- and liquid Fe and a previously published model for ρel of liquid Fe, we apply Ziman's approximation to calculate ρel of solid Fe along the melting curve. For pure Fe, we find the discontinuity in ρel to decrease with pressure and to be negligibly small at inner core boundary conditions. However, if we account for light element enrichment in the liquid outer core, the electrical resistivity decrease across the inner core boundary is predicted to be as large as 36 per cent.

Heinrich event 4 characterized by terrestrial proxies in southwestern Europe

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. M. López-García

2013-05-01

Full Text Available Heinrich event 4 (H4 is well documented in the North Atlantic Ocean as a cooling event that occurred between 39 and 40 Ka. Deep-sea cores around the Iberian Peninsula coastline have been analysed to characterize the H4 event, but there are no data on the terrestrial response to this event. Here we present for the first time an analysis of terrestrial proxies for characterizing the H4 event, using the small-vertebrate assemblage (comprising small mammals, squamates and amphibians from Terrassa Riera dels Canyars, an archaeo-palaeontological deposit located on the seaboard of the northeastern Iberian Peninsula. This assemblage shows that the H4 event is characterized in northeastern Iberia by harsher and drier terrestrial conditions than today. Our results were compared with other proxies such as pollen, charcoal, phytolith, avifauna and large-mammal data available for this site, as well as with the general H4 event fluctuations and with other sites where H4 and the previous and subsequent Heinrich events (H5 and H3 have been detected in the Mediterranean and Atlantic regions of the Iberian Peninsula. We conclude that the terrestrial proxies follow the same patterns as the climatic and environmental conditions detected by the deep-sea cores at the Iberian margins.

Transient refractory material dissolution by a volumetrically-heated melt

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Seiler, Jean Marie, E-mail: jean-marie.seiler@cea.fr [CEA, DEN, DTN, 17 Rue des Martyrs, 38054 Grenoble Cedex 9 (France); Ratel, Gilles [CEA, DEN, DTN, 17 Rue des Martyrs, 38054 Grenoble Cedex 9 (France); Combeau, Hervé [Institut Jean Lamour, UMR 7198, Lorraine University, Ecole des Mines de Nancy, Parc de Saurupt, 54042 Nancy Cedex (France); Gaus-Liu, Xiaoyang; Kretzschmar, Frank; Miassoedov, Alexei [Karlsruhe Institut of Technology, Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen (Germany)

2014-12-15

Highlights: • We describe a test investigating ceramic dissolution by a molten non-eutectic melt. • The evolution of the interface temperature between melt and refractory is measured. • A theoretical model describing dissolution kinetics is proposed. • When dissolution stops, interface temperature is the liquidus temperature of the melt. - Abstract: The present work addresses the question of corium–ceramic interaction in a core catcher during a core-melt accident in a nuclear power plant. It provides an original insight into transient aspects concerning dissolution of refractory material by a volumetrically heated pool. An experiment with simulant material (LIVECERAM) is presented. Test results clearly show that dissolution of solid refractory material can occur in a non-eutectic melt at a temperature which is lower than the melting temperature of the refractory material. During the dissolution transient, the interface temperature rises above the liquidus temperature, corresponding to the instantaneous average composition of the melt pool. With constant power dissipation in the melt and external cooling of the core-catcher, a final steady-state situation is reached. Dissolution stops when the heat flux (delivered by the melt to the refractory) can be removed by conduction through the residual thickness of the ceramic, with T{sub interface} = T{sub liquidus} (calculated for the average composition of the final liquid pool). The final steady state corresponds to a uniform pool composition and uniform interface temperature distribution. Convection in the pool is governed by natural thermal convection and the heat flux distribution is therefore similar to what would be obtained for a single component pool. An interpretation of the experiment with two model-based approaches (0D and 1D) is presented. The mass transfer kinetics between the interface and the bulk is controlled by a diffusion sublayer within the boundary layer. During the dissolution transient

Manufacturing and characterization of encapsulated microfibers with different molecular weight poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) resins using a melt electrospinning technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Jason K; Ko, Junghyuk; Jun, Martin B G; Lee, Patrick C

2016-01-01

Encapsulated structures of poly(ε-caprolactone) microfibers were successfully fabricated through two distinct melt electrospinning methods: melt coaxial and melt-blending electrospinning methods. Both methods resulted in encapsulated microfibers, but the resultant microfibers had different morphologies. Melt coaxial electrospinning formed a dual, semi-concentric structure, whereas melt-blending electrospinning resulted in an islands-in-a-sea fiber structure (i.e. a multiple-core structure). The encapsulated microfibers were produced using a custom-designed melt coaxial electrospinning device and the microfibers were characterized using a scanning electron microscope. To analyze the properties of the melt blended encapsulated fibers and coaxial fibers, the microfiber mesh specimens were collected. The mechanical properties of each microfiber mesh were analyzed through a tensile test. The coaxial microfiber meshes were post processed with a femtosecond laser machine to create dog-bone shaped tensile test specimens, while the melt blended microfiber meshes were kept as-fabricated. The tensile experiments undertaken with coaxial microfiber specimens resulted in an increase in tensile strength compared to 10 k and 45 k monolayer specimens. However, melt blended microfiber meshes did not result in an increase in tensile strength. The melt blended microfiber mesh results indicate that by using greater amounts of 45 k PCL resin within the microstructure, the resulting fibers obtain a higher tensile strength. (paper)

Melt migration modeling in partially molten upper mantle

Science.gov (United States)

Ghods, Abdolreza

The objective of this thesis is to investigate the importance of melt migration in shaping major characteristics of geological features associated with the partial melting of the upper mantle, such as sea-floor spreading, continental flood basalts and rifting. The partial melting produces permeable partially molten rocks and a buoyant low viscosity melt. Melt migrates through the partially molten rocks, and transfers mass and heat. Due to its much faster velocity and appreciable buoyancy, melt migration has the potential to modify dynamics of the upwelling partially molten plumes. I develop a 2-D, two-phase flow model and apply it to investigate effects of melt migration on the dynamics and melt generation of upwelling mantle plumes and focusing of melt migration beneath mid-ocean ridges. Melt migration changes distribution of the melt-retention buoyancy force and therefore affects the dynamics of the upwelling plume. This is investigated by modeling a plume with a constant initial melt of 10% where no further melting is considered. Melt migration polarizes melt-retention buoyancy force into high and low melt fraction regions at the top and bottom portions of the plume and therefore results in formation of a more slender and faster upwelling plume. Allowing the plume to melt as it ascends through the upper mantle also produces a slender and faster plume. It is shown that melt produced by decompressional melting of the plume migrates to the upper horizons of the plume, increases the upwelling velocity and thus, the volume of melt generated by the plume. Melt migration produces a plume which lacks the mushroom shape observed for the plume models without melt migration. Melt migration forms a high melt fraction layer beneath the sloping base of the impermeable oceanic lithosphere. Using realistic conditions of melting, freezing and melt extraction, I examine whether the high melt fraction layer is able to focus melt from a wide partial melting zone to a narrow region

The Effective Convectivity Model for Simulation and Analysis of Melt Pool Heat Transfer in a Light Water Reactor Pressure Vessel Lower Head

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tran, Chi Thanh

2009-09-01

Severe accidents in a Light Water Reactor (LWR) have been a subject of intense research for the last three decades. The research in this area aims to reach understanding of the inherent physical phenomena and reduce the uncertainties in their quantification, with the ultimate goal of developing models that can be applied to safety analysis of nuclear reactors, and to evaluation of the proposed accident management schemes for mitigating the consequences of severe accidents. In a hypothetical severe accident there is likelihood that the core materials will be relocated to the lower plenum and form a decay-heated debris bed (debris cake) or a melt pool. Interactions of core debris or melt with the reactor structures depend to a large extent on the debris bed or melt pool thermal hydraulics. In case of inadequate cooling, the excessive heat would drive the structures' overheating and ablation, and hence govern the vessel failure mode and timing. In turn, threats to containment integrity associated with potential ex-vessel steam explosions and ex-vessel debris uncoolability depend on the composition, superheat, and amount of molten corium available for discharge upon the vessel failure. That is why predictions of transient melt pool heat transfer in the reactor lower head, subsequent vessel failure modes and melt characteristics upon the discharge are of paramount importance for plant safety assessment. The main purpose of the present study is to develop a method for reliable prediction of melt pool thermal hydraulics, namely to establish a computational platform for cost-effective, sufficiently-accurate numerical simulations and analyses of core Melt-Structure-Water Interactions in the LWR lower head during a postulated severe core-melting accident. To achieve the goal, an approach to efficient use of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) has been proposed to guide and support the development of models suitable for accident analysis. The CFD method, on the one hand, is

Structure of a mushy layer at the inner core boundary

Science.gov (United States)

Deguen, R.; Huguet, L.; Bergman, M. I.; Labrosse, S.; Alboussiere, T.

2015-12-01

We present experimental results on the solidification of ammonium chloride from an aqueous solution, yielding a mushy zone, under hyper-gravity. A commercial centrifuge has been equipped with a slip-ring so that electric power, temperature and ultrasonic signals could be transmitted between the experimental setup and the laboratory. A Peltier element provides cooling at the bottom of the cell. Probes monitor the temperature along the height of the cell. Ultrasound measurements (2 to 6 MHz) is used to detect the position of the front of the mushy zone and to determine attenuation in the mush. A significant increase of solid fraction (or decrease of mushy layer thickness) and attenuation in the mush is observed as gravity is increased. Kinetic undercooling is significant in our experiments and has been included in a macroscopic mush model. The other ingredients of the model are conservation of energy and chemical species, along with heat/species transfer between the mush and the liquid phase: boundary-layer exchanges at the top of the mush and bulk convection within the mush (formation of chimneys). The outputs of the model compare well with our experiments. We have then run the model in a range of parameters suitable for the Earth's inner core, which has shown the role of bulk mush convection for the inner core and the reason why a solid fraction very close to unity should be expected. We have also run melting experiments: after crystallization of a mush, the liquid has been heated from above until the mush started to melt, while the bottom cold temperature was maintained. These melting experiments were motivated by the possible local melting at the inner core boundary that has been invoked to explain the formation of the anomalously slow F-layer at the bottom of the outer core or inner core hemispherical asymmetry. Oddly, the consequences of melting are an increase in solid fraction and a decrease in attenuation. It is hence possible that surface seismic velocity

Terrestrial and extraterrestrial fullerenes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Heymann, D.; Jenneskens, L.W.; Jehlicka, J; Koper, C.; Vlietstra, E. [Rice Univ, Houston, TX (United States). Dept. of Earth Science

2003-07-01

This paper reviews reports of occurrences of fullerenes in circumstellar media, interstellar media, meteorites, interplanetary dust particles (IDPs), lunar rocks, hard terrestrial rocks from Shunga (Russia), Sudbury (Canada) and Mitov (Czech Republic), coal, terrestrial sediments from the Cretaceous-Tertiary-Boundary and Pennian-Triassic-Boundary, fulgurite, ink sticks, dinosaur eggs, and a tree char. The occurrences are discussed in the context of known and postulated processes of fullerene formation, including the suggestion that some natural fullerenes might have formed from biological (algal) remains.

Post-accident core coolability of light water reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Michio, I.; Teruo, I.; Tomio, Y.; Tsutao, H.

1983-01-01

A study on post-accident core coolability of LWR is discussed based on the practical fuel failure behavior experienced in NSRR, PBF, PNS and others. The fuel failure behavior at LOCA, RIA and PCM conditions are reviewed, and seven types of fuel failure modes are extracted as the basic failure mechanism at accident conditions. These are: cladding melt or brittle failure, molten UO 2 failure, high temperature cladding burst, low temperature cladding burst, failure due to swelling of molten UO 2 , failure due to cracks of embrittled cladding for irradiated fuel rods, and TMI-2 core failure. The post-accident core coolability at each failure mode is discussed. The fuel failures caused actual flow blockage problems. A characteristic which is common among these types is that the fuel rods are in the conditions violating the present safety criteria for accidents, and UO 2 pellets are in melting or near melting hot conditions when the fuel rods failed

A review of the core catcher design in LMR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Yong Bum; Hahn, Do Hee

2001-08-01

The overwhelming emphasis in reactor safety is on the prevention of core meltdown. Moreover, although there have been several accidents that have resulted in some fuel melting, to date there have been no accidents severe enough to cause the syndrome of core collapse, reactor vessel melt-through, containment penetration, and dispersal into the ground. Nevertheless, a number of proposals have been made for the design of core catcher systems to control or stop the motion of the molten core mass should such an accident take place. Core catchers may differ in both their location within the reactor system and in the mechanism that is used to cool and control the motion of the core debris. In this report the classification, configuration and main features of the core catcher are described. And also, The core catcher design technologies and processes are presented. Finally the core catcher provisions in constructed and planned LMRs (Liquid Metal Reactors) are summarized and the preliminary assessment on the core catcher installation in KALIMER is presented

Manufacturing Feasibility and Forming Properties of Cu-4Sn in Selective Laser Melting.

Science.gov (United States)

Mao, Zhongfa; Zhang, David Z; Wei, Peitang; Zhang, Kaifei

2017-03-24

Copper alloys, combined with selective laser melting (SLM) technology, have attracted increasing attention in aerospace engineering, automobile, and medical fields. However, there are some difficulties in SLM forming owing to low laser absorption and excellent thermal conductivity. It is, therefore, necessary to explore a copper alloy in SLM. In this research, manufacturing feasibility and forming properties of Cu-4Sn in SLM were investigated through a systematic experimental approach. Single-track experiments were used to narrow down processing parameter windows. A Greco-Latin square design with orthogonal parameter arrays was employed to control forming qualities of specimens. Analysis of variance was applied to establish statistical relationships, which described the effects of different processing parameters (i.e., laser power, scanning speed, and hatch space) on relative density (RD) and Vickers hardness of specimens. It was found that Cu-4Sn specimens were successfully manufactured by SLM for the first time and both its RD and Vickers hardness were mainly determined by the laser power. The maximum value of RD exceeded 93% theoretical density and the maximum value of Vickers hardness reached 118 HV 0.3/5. The best tensile strength of 316-320 MPa is inferior to that of pressure-processed Cu-4Sn and can be improved further by reducing defects.

Investigating Planetesimal Evolution by Experiments with Fe-Ni Metallic Melts: Light Element Composition Effects on Trace Element Partitioning Behavior

Science.gov (United States)

Chabot, N. L.

2017-12-01

As planetesimals were heated up in the early Solar System, the formation of Fe-Ni metallic melts was a common occurrence. During planetesimal differentiation, the denser Fe-Ni metallic melts separated from the less dense silicate components, though some meteorites suggest that their parent bodies only experienced partial differentiation. If the Fe-Ni metallic melts did form a central metallic core, the core eventually crystallized to a solid, some of which we sample as iron meteorites. In all of these planetesimal evolution processes, the composition of the Fe-Ni metallic melt influenced the process and the resulting trace element chemical signatures. In particular, the metallic melt's "light element" composition, those elements present in the metallic melt in a significant concentration but with lower atomic masses than Fe, can strongly affect trace element partitioning. Experimental studies have provided critical data to determine the effects of light elements in Fe-Ni metallic melts on trace element partitioning behavior. Here I focus on combining numerous experimental results to identify trace elements that provide unique insight into constraining the light element composition of early Solar System Fe-Ni metallic melts. Experimental studies have been conducted at 1 atm in a variety of Fe-Ni systems to investigate the effects of light elements on trace element partitioning behavior. A frequent experimental examination of the effects of light elements in metallic systems involves producing run products with coexisting solid metal and liquid metal phases. Such solid-metal-liquid-metal experiments have been conducted in the Fe-Ni binary system as well as Fe-Ni systems with S, P, and C. Experiments with O-bearing or Si-bearing Fe-Ni metallic melts do not lend themselves to experiments with coexisting solid metal and liquid metal phases, due to the phase diagrams of these elements, but experiments with two immiscible Fe-Ni metallic melts have provided insight into

A condensed review of the core catcher in the LMR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Yong Bum; Hahn, Do hee

2001-03-01

The overwhelming emphasis in reactor safety is on the prevention of core meltdown. Moreover, although there have been several accidents that have resulted in some fuel melting, to date there have been no accidents severe enough to cause the syndrome of core collapse, reactor vessel melt-through, containment penetration, and dispersal into the ground. Nevertheless, a number of proposals have been made for the design of core catcher systems to control or stop the motion of the molten core mass should such an accident take place. Core catchers may differ in both their location within the reactor system and in the mechanism that is used to cool and control the motion of the core debris. In this report the classification, configuration and main features of the core catcher are described. And also, the core catcher provisions in constructed and planned LMRs (Liquid Metal Reactors) are summarized

Flow Boiling on a Downward-Facing Inclined Plane Wall of Core Catcher

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Hyoung Tak; Bang, Kwang Hyun; Suh, Jung Soo

2013-01-01

In order to investigate boiling behavior on downward-facing inclined heated wall prior to the CHF condition, an experiment was carried out with 1.2 m long rectangular channel, inclined by 10 .deg. from the horizontal plane. High speed video images showed that the bubbles were sliding along the heated wall, continuing to grow and combining with the bubbles growing at their nucleation sites in the downstream. These large bubbles continued to slide along the heated wall and formed elongated slug bubbles. Under this slug bubble thin liquid film layer on the heated wall was observed and this liquid film prevents the wall from dryout. The length, velocity and frequency of slug bubbles sliding on the heated wall were measured as a function of wall heat flux and these parameters were used to develop wall boiling model for inclined, downward-facing heated wall. One approach to achieve coolable state of molten core in a PWR-like reactor cavity during a severe accident is to retain the core melt on a so-called core catcher residing on the reactor cavity floor after its relocation from the reactor pressure vessel. The core melt retained in the core catcher is cooled by water coolant flowing in an inclined cooling channel underneath as well as the water pool overlaid on the melt layer. Two-phase flow boiling with downward-facing heated wall such as this core catcher cooling channel has drawn a special attention because this orientation of heated wall may reach boiling crisis at lower heat flux than that of a vertical or upward-facing heated wall. Nishikawa and Fujita, Howard and Mudawar, Qiu and Dhir have conducted experiments to study the effect of heater orientation on boiling heat transfer and CHF. SULTAN experiment was conducted to study inclined large-scale structure coolability by water in boiling natural convection. In this paper, high-speed visualization of boiling behavior on downward-facing heated wall inclined by 10 .deg. is presented and wall boiling model for the

Numerical simulation of hot-melt extrusion processes for amorphous solid dispersions using model-based melt viscosity.

Science.gov (United States)

Bochmann, Esther S; Steffens, Kristina E; Gryczke, Andreas; Wagner, Karl G

2018-03-01

Simulation of HME processes is a valuable tool for increased process understanding and ease of scale-up. However, the experimental determination of all required input parameters is tedious, namely the melt rheology of the amorphous solid dispersion (ASD) in question. Hence, a procedure to simplify the application of hot-melt extrusion (HME) simulation for forming amorphous solid dispersions (ASD) is presented. The commercial 1D simulation software Ludovic ® was used to conduct (i) simulations using a full experimental data set of all input variables including melt rheology and (ii) simulations using model-based melt viscosity data based on the ASDs glass transition and the physical properties of polymeric matrix only. Both types of HME computation were further compared to experimental HME results. Variation in physical properties (e.g. heat capacity, density) and several process characteristics of HME (residence time distribution, energy consumption) among the simulations and experiments were evaluated. The model-based melt viscosity was calculated by using the glass transition temperature (T g ) of the investigated blend and the melt viscosity of the polymeric matrix by means of a T g -viscosity correlation. The results of measured melt viscosity and model-based melt viscosity were similar with only few exceptions, leading to similar HME simulation outcomes. At the end, the experimental effort prior to HME simulation could be minimized and the procedure enables a good starting point for rational development of ASDs by means of HME. As model excipients, Vinylpyrrolidone-vinyl acetate copolymer (COP) in combination with various APIs (carbamazepine, dipyridamole, indomethacin, and ibuprofen) or polyethylene glycol (PEG 1500) as plasticizer were used to form the ASDs. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Simulation of heat and mass transfer processes in molten core debris-concrete systems. [LMFBR

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Felde, D K

1979-01-01

The heat and mass transport phenomena taking place in volumetrically-heated fluids have become of interest in recent years due to their significance in assessments of fast reactor safety and post-accident heat removal (PAHR). Following a hypothetical core disruptive accident (HCDA), the core and reactor internals may melt down. The core debis melting through the reactor vessel and guard vessel may eventually contact the concrete of the reactor cell floor. The interaction of the core debris with the concrete as well as the melting of the debris pool into the concrete will significantly affect efforts to prevent breaching of the containment and the resultant release of radioactive effluents to the environment.

Influence of Support Configurations on the Characteristics of Selective Laser-Melted Inconel 718

Science.gov (United States)

Nadammal, Naresh; Kromm, Arne; Saliwan-Neumann, Romeo; Farahbod, Lena; Haberland, Christoph; Portella, Pedro Dolabella

2018-03-01

Samples fabricated using two different support configurations by following identical scan strategies during selective laser melting of superalloy Inconel 718 were characterized in this study. Characterization methods included optical microscopy, electron back-scattered diffraction and x-ray diffraction residual stress measurement. For the scan strategy considered, microstructure and residual stress development in the samples were influenced by the support structures. However, crystallographic texture intensity and the texture components formed within the core part of the samples were almost independent of the support. The formation of finer grains closer to the support as well as within the columnar grain boundaries resulted in randomization and texture intensity reduction by nearly half for the sample built on a lattice support. Heat transfer rates dictated by the support configurations in addition to the scan strategy influenced the microstructure and residual stress development in selective laser-melted Inconel 718 samples.

Hot-melt sub- and outercoating combined with enteric aqueous coating to improve the stability of aspirin tablets

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiuzhi Wang

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Aspirin is apt to hydrolyze. In order to improve its stability, a new method has been developed involving the application of hot-melt sub- and outercoating combined with enteric aqueous coating. The main aim was to investigate the influence of these factors on the stability of ASA and understand how they work. Satisfactory storage stability were obtained when the aspirin tablet core coated with Eudragit L30D55 film was combined with glycerin monostearate (GMS as an outercoat. Hygroscopicity testing indicated that the moisture penetrating into the tablet may result in a significant change in the physical properties of the coating film observed by scanning electron microscopy. Investigation of the compatibility between the drug and film excipients shows that the talc and methacrylic acid had a significant catalytic effect on ASA. A hypothesis was proposed that the hydrolysis of ASA enteric coated tablets (ASA-ECT was mostly concentrated in the internal film and the interfaces between the film and tablet core. In conclusion, hot-melt coating technology is an alternative to subcoating or outercoating. Also, GMS sub-coating was a better choice for forming a stable barrier between the tablet core and the polymer coating layer, and increases the structure and chemical stability.

LOOKING INTO THE HEARTS OF BOK GLOBULES: MILLIMETER AND SUBMILLIMETER CONTINUUM IMAGES OF ISOLATED STAR-FORMING CORES

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Launhardt, R.; Henning, Th.; Khanzadyan, T.; Schmalzl, M.; Wolf, S.; Nutter, D.; Ward-Thompson, D.; Bourke, T. L.; Zylka, R.

2010-01-01

We present the results of a comprehensive infrared, submillimeter, and millimeter continuum emission study of isolated low-mass star-forming cores in 32 Bok globules, with the aim to investigate the process of star formation in these regions. The submillimeter and millimeter dust continuum emission maps together with the spectral energy distributions are used to model and derive the physical properties of the star-forming cores, such as luminosities, sizes, masses, densities, etc. Comparisons with ground-based near-infrared and space-based mid- and far-infrared images from Spitzer are used to reveal the stellar content of the Bok globules, association of embedded young stellar objects (YSOs) with the submillimeter dust cores, and the evolutionary stages of the individual sources. Submillimeter dust continuum emission was detected in 26 out of the 32 globule cores observed. For 18 globules with detected (sub)millimeter cores, we derive evolutionary stages and physical parameters of the embedded sources. We identify nine starless cores, most of which are presumably prestellar, nine Class 0 protostars, and twelve Class I YSOs. Specific source properties like bolometric temperature, core size, and central densities are discussed as a function of evolutionary stage. We find that at least two thirds (16 out of 24) of the star-forming globules studied here show evidence of forming multiple stars on scales between 1000 and 50,000 AU. However, we also find that most of these small prototstar and star groups are comprised of sources with different evolutionary stages, suggesting a picture of slow and sequential star formation in isolated globules.

Structural Investigation of Fe-Ni-S and Fe-Ni-Si Melts by High-temperature Fluorescence XAFS Measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Manghnani, Murli H.; Balogh, John; Hong Xinguo; Newville, Matthew; Amulele, G.

2007-01-01

Iron-nickel (Fe-Ni) alloy is regarded as the most abundant constituent of Earth's core, with an amount of 5.5 wt% Ni in the core based on geochemical and cosmochemical models. The structural role of nickel in liquid Fe-Ni alloys with light elements such as S or Si is poorly understood, largely because of the experimental difficulties of high-temperature melts. Recently, we have succeeded in acquiring Ni K-edge fluorescence x-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) spectra of Fe-Ni-S and Fe-Ni-Si melts and alloys. Different structural environment of Ni atoms in Fe-Ni-S and Fe-Ni-Si melts is observed, supporting the effect of light elements in Fe-Ni melts

Evaluation of an experiment modelling heat transfer from the melt pool for use in VVER 440/213 reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Skop, J.

2003-12-01

The strategy of confining core melt within the reactor vessel is among promising strategies to mitigate severe accidents of VVER 440/213 reactors. This strategy consists in residual heat removal from the melt by external vessel cooling from the outside, using water from the flooded reactor downcomer. This approach can only be successful if the critical heat flux on the external vessel surface is not exceeded. This can be assessed based on the parameters of heat transfer from the core melt pool in the conditions of natural circulation within the pool. Those parameters are the subject of the report. A basic description of the terms and physical basis of the strategy of confining core melt inside the vessel is given in Chapter 2, which also briefly explains similarity theory, based on which the results obtained on experimental facilities, using simulation materials, can be related to the actual situation inside a real reactor. Chapter 3 presents an overview of experimental work addressing the characteristics of heat transfer from the core melt pool in natural circulation conditions and a description of the experimental facilities. An overview of the results emerging from the experiments and their evaluation with respect to their applicability to reactors in Czech nuclear power plants are given in Chapter 4

Tidally Heated Terrestrial Exoplanets

Science.gov (United States)

Henning, Wade Garrett

This work models the surface and internal temperatures for hypothetical terrestrial planets in situations involving extreme tidal heating. The feasibility of such planets is evaluated in terms of the orbital perturbations that may give rise to them, their required proximity to a hoststar, and the potential for the input tidal heating to cause significant partial melting of the mantle. Trapping terrestrial planets into 2:1 resonances with migrating Hot Jupiters is considered as a reasonable way for Earth-like worlds to both maintain high eccentricities and to move to short enough orbital periods (1-20 days) for extreme tidal heating to occur. Secular resonance and secular orbital perturbations may support moderate tidal heating at a low equilibrium eccentricity. At orbital periods below 10-30 days, with eccentricities from 0.01 to 0.1, tidal heat may greatly exceed radiogenic heat production. It is unlikely to exceed insolation, except when orbiting very low luminosity hosts, and thus will have limited surface temperature expression. Observations of such bodies many not be able to detect tidal surface enhancements given a few percent uncertainty in albedo, except on the nightside of spin synchronous airless objects. Otherwise detection may occur via spectral detection of hotspots or high volcanic gas concentrations including sulfur dioxide and hydrogen sulfide. The most extreme cases may be able to produce magma oceans, or magma slush mantles with up to 40-60% melt fractions. Tides may alter the habitable zones for smaller red dwarf stars, but are generally detrimental. Multiple viscoelastic models, including the Maxwell, Voigt-Kelvin, Standard Anelastic Solid, and Burgers rheologies are explored and applied to objects such as Io and the super-Earth planet GJ 876d. The complex valued Love number for the Burgers rheology is derived and found to be a useful improvement when modeling the low temperature behavior of tidal bodies, particularly during low eccentricity

Insights into Mercury's Core Evolution from the Thermodynamic Properties of Fe-S-Si

Science.gov (United States)

Edgington, A.; Vocadlo, L.; Stixrude, L. P.; Wood, I. G.; Lord, O. T.

2015-12-01

The structure, composition and evolution of Mercury, the innermost planet, are puzzling, as its high uncompressed density implies a body highly enriched in metallic iron, whilst the existence of Mercury's magnetic field and observations of its longitude librations [1] suggest at least a partially molten core. This study uses a combination of experimental and ab-initio computer simulation techniques to determine the properties of Fe-S-Si (relative atomic percentages, 80:10:10) throughout the conditions of the interior of the planet Mercury, and evaluates the implications of this material for the structure and evolution of the planet's core. Previous studies have considered the addition of sulphur to the pure iron system, as this can significantly depress the melting curve of iron, and so may possibly allow Mercury's core to remain molten to the present day [2]. However, important constraints placed by the MESSENGER spacecraft on Mercury's surface abundance of iron [3] suggest that the planet formed in highly reduced conditions, in which significant amounts of silicon could have also dissolved into the core [4]. First-principles molecular dynamics simulations of the thermodynamic properties of liquid Fe-S-Si, alongside laser-heated diamond-anvil-cell experiments to determine the melting behaviour of the same composition, reveal the slopes of the adiabatic gradient and melting curve respectively, which together may allow insight into the evolution of our solar system's smallest planet. [1] Margot, J. L. et al. (2007) Science, 316: 710-714[2] Schubert, G. et al. (1988) in 'Mercury' 429-460[3] Nittler, L. R. et al. (2011) Science, 333, 1847-1850[4] Malavergne, V. et al. (2010) Icarus, 206:199-209

Models of the earth's core

Science.gov (United States)

Stevenson, D. J.

1981-01-01

Combined inferences from seismology, high-pressure experiment and theory, geomagnetism, fluid dynamics, and current views of terrestrial planetary evolution lead to models of the earth's core with five basic properties. These are that core formation was contemporaneous with earth accretion; the core is not in chemical equilibrium with the mantle; the outer core is a fluid iron alloy containing significant quantities of lighter elements and is probably almost adiabatic and compositionally uniform; the more iron-rich inner solid core is a consequence of partial freezing of the outer core, and the energy release from this process sustains the earth's magnetic field; and the thermodynamic properties of the core are well constrained by the application of liquid-state theory to seismic and labroatory data.

Microstructure evolution in undercooled Al–8 wt%Fe melts: Comparison between terrestrial and parabolic flight conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, J.; Lengsdorf, R.; Henein, H.; Herlach, D.M.; Dahlborg, U.; Calvo-Dahlborg, M.

2013-01-01

Highlights: ► A comparison between the solidification using electromagnetic levitation of Al–8 wt%Fe under terrestrial and reduced gravity conditions is shown. ► The microstructure evolution during solidification of Al–8 wt%Fe is formulated with the aid of a comprehensive set of complementary characterization techniques. ► Identification of Al–Fe intermetallics using TEM and Rietveld analysis. -- Abstract: Al–8 wt%Fe, a hypereutectic alloy, was studied under electromagnetic levitation (EML) solidification conditions in both terrestrial and reduced gravity conditions. The latter was carried out on the A300 aircraft using the TEMPUS facility. The solidified samples were characterized using scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and neutron diffraction techniques. The results are interpreted in the light of the temperature–time measurements taken in situ during the solidification process in the EML. It is shown that both samples experienced some undercooling for the solidification of the primary Al–Fe intermetallic phase, which is likely Al m Fe. The solidification path continues with the nucleation and growth of Al 13 Fe 4 followed by primary α-Al. These last two phases do not seem to show any measureable undercooling and recalescence events. Finally, the metastable Al x Fe (where x = 5) nucleates starting with the formation of eutectic. This metastable intermetallic continues the eutectic growth as Al 13 Fe 4 . The morphology differences of the intermetallics growing under terrestrial and reduced gravity conditions are clear with acicular morphology for the former and a star like morphology for the latter. The primary α-Al has a clear strong textured structure in the reduced gravity sample, while a weak one is observed in the terrestrially processed sample. The difference in texture is attributed to the weaker fluid flow occurring in the droplet under reduced gravity conditions while the difference in

Effects of core polarization and meson exchange currents on electromagnetic form factors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Arima, Akito [Tokyo Univ. (Japan). Dept. of Physics; Ikegami, Hidetsugu; Muraoka, Mitsuo [eds.; Osaka Univ., Suita (Japan). Research Center for Nuclear Physics

1980-01-01

Magnetic form factors observed by electron scattering provide good evidence for core polarization and meson exchange currents. Their effects are discussed by taking /sup 17/O, /sup 51/V, /sup 207/Pb /sup 208/Pb, /sup 209/Bi and /sup 12/C.

Development of coring, consolidating, subterrene penetrators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Murphy, H.D.; Neudecker, J.W.; Cort, G.E.; Turner, W.C.; McFarland, R.D.; Griggs, J.E.

1976-02-01

Coring penetrators offer two advantages over full face-melting penetrators, i.e., formation of larger boreholes with no increase in power and the production of glass-lined, structurally undisturbed cores which can be recovered with conventional core-retrieval systems. These cores are of significant value in geological exploratory drilling programs. The initial design details and fabrication features of a 114-mm-diam coring penetrator are discussed; significant factors for design optimization are also presented. Results of laboratory testing are reported and compared with performance predictions, and an initial field trial is described

Study on coolability of melt pool with different strategies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kulkarni, P.P.; Nayak, A.K.

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Experiments have been performed to test quenching of molten pool with different schemes. • Top flooding, bottom flooding and indirect cooling schemes were used. • A single simulant material with same mass and initial temperature was used. • Bottom flooding technique is found to be the most effective technique. • A comparison of all the three techniques has been presented. - Abstract: After the Fukushima accident, there have been a lot of concerns regarding long term core melt stabilization following a severe accident in nuclear reactors. Several strategies have been contemplated for quenching and stabilization of core melt like top flooding, bottom flooding, indirect cooling, etc. However, the effectiveness of these schemes is yet to be determined properly, for which, lot of experiments are needed. Several experiments have been performed for coolability of molten pool under top flooding condition. A few experiments have been performed for study of coolability of melt pool under bottom flooding as well as for indirect cooling. Besides, these tests are very scattered because they involve different simulant materials, initial temperatures and masses of melt, which makes it very difficult to judge the effectiveness of a particular technique and advantage over the other. In the present paper we have carried out different experiments wherein a single simulant material with same mass was cooled with different techniques starting from the same initial temperature. The result showed that, while top flooding and indirect cooling took several hours to cool, bottom flooding took a few minutes to cool the melt which makes it the most effective technique

Devon island ice cap: core stratigraphy and paleoclimate.

Science.gov (United States)

Koerner, R M

1977-04-01

Valuable paleoclimatic information can be gained by studying the distribution of melt layers in deep ice cores. A profile representing the percentage of ice in melt layers in a core drilled from the Devon Island ice cap plotted against both time and depth shows that the ice cap has experienced a period of very warm summers since 1925, following a period of colder summers between about 1600 and 1925. The earlier period was coldest between 1680 and 1730. There is a high correlation between the melt-layer ice percentage and the mass balance of the ice cap. The relation between them suggests that the ice cap mass balance was zero (accumulation equaled ablation) during the colder period but is negative in the present warmer one. There is no firm evidence of a present cooling trend in the summer conditions on the ice cap. A comparison with the melt-layer ice percentage in cores from the other major Canadian Arctic ice caps shows that the variation of summer conditions found for the Devon Island ice cap is representative for all the large ice caps for about 90 percent of the time. There is also a good correlation between melt-layer percentage and summer sea-ice conditions in the archipelago. This suggests that the search for the northwest passage was influenced by changing climate, with the 19th-century peak of the often tragic exploration coinciding with a period of very cold summers.

SCDAP/RELAP5 modeling of movement of melted material through porous debris in lower head

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Siefken, L. J.; Harvego, E. A.

2000-01-01

A model is described for the movement of melted metallic material through a ceramic porous debris bed. The model is designed for the analysis of severe accidents in LWRs, wherein melted core plate material may slump onto the top of a porous bed of relocated core material supported by the lower head. The permeation of the melted core plate material into the porous debris bed influences the heatup of the debris bed and the heatup of the lower head supporting the debris. A model for mass transport of melted metallic material is applied that includes terms for viscosity and turbulence but neglects inertial and capillary terms because of their small value relative to gravity and viscous terms in the momentum equation. The relative permeability and passability of the porous debris are calculated as functions of debris porosity, particle size, and effective saturation. An iterative numerical solution is used to solve the set of nonlinear equations for mass transport. The effective thermal conductivity of the debris is calculated as a function of porosity, particle size, and saturation. The model integrates the equations for mass transport with a model for the two-dimensional conduction of heat through porous debris. The integrated model has been implemented into the SCDAP/RELAP5 code for the analysis of the integrity of LWR lower heads during severe accidents. The results of the model indicate that melted core plate material may permeate to near the bottom of a 1m deep hot porous debris bed supported by the lower head. The presence of the relocated core plate material was calculated to cause a 12% increase in the heat flux on the external surface of the lower head

Method of reducing the hazard which may occur as a consequence of a reactor core meltdown

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Donne, M.D.; Dorner, S.; Schumacher, G.

1978-01-01

The core melt resulting from a meltdown accident of a GFB, LWR or LMFRR is collected by a core catcher from graphite placed below the core. The core melt is penetrating step by step into a borate store in the collecting vessel and is dissolving in it. Therefore the borate at the same time will absorb the decay heat. In order to remove the solidified and cooled down melted mass water is applied eliminating the borate. The remaining oxide state of the powdery core is sucked off again from the core catcher together with the water. The borate store (e.g. alkali borate) itself consists of separate layers with shaped parts, the coverings of which are made of steel, iron, cast iron, nickel, iron or nickel alloys, ceramic material or glass. (DG) [de

Method of reducing the hazard which may occur as a consequence of a reactor core meltdown

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Donne, M.D.; Dorner, S.; Schumacher, G.

1985-01-01

The core melt resulting from a meltdown accident of a GFB, LWR or LMFRR is collected by a core catcher from graphite placed below the core. The core melt is penetrating step by step into a borate store in the collecting vessel and is dissolving in it. Therefore the borate at the same time will absorb the decay heat. In order to remove the solidified and cooled down melted mass water is applied eliminating the borate. The remaining oxide states of the powdery core is sucked off again from the core catcher together with the water. The borate store (e.g. alkali borate) itself consists of separate layers with shaped parts, the coverings of which are made of steel, iron, cast iron, nickel, iron or nickel alloys, ceramic material or glass. (orig./PW)

SWR 1000 severe accident control through in-vessel melt retention by external RPV cooling

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kolev, N.I. [Framatome Advanced Nuclear Power, NDSI, Erlangen (Germany)

2001-07-01

Framatome Advanced Nuclear Power is being designing a new generation NPP with boiling water reactor SWR1000. Besides of various of modern passive and active safety features the system is also designed for controlling of a postulated severe accident with extreme low probability of occurrence. This work presents the rationales behind the decision to select the external cooling as a safety management strategy during severe accident. Bounding scenery are analyzed regarding the core melting, melt-water interaction during relocation of the melt from the core region into the lower head and the external coolability of the lower head. The conclusion is reached that the external cooling for the SWR1000 is a valuable strategy for accident management during postulated severe accidents. (authors)

SWR 1000 severe accident control through in-vessel melt retention by external RPV cooling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kolev, N.I.

2001-01-01

Framatome Advanced Nuclear Power is being designing a new generation NPP with boiling water reactor SWR1000. Besides of various of modern passive and active safety features the system is also designed for controlling of a postulated severe accident with extreme low probability of occurrence. This work presents the rationales behind the decision to select the external cooling as a safety management strategy during severe accident. Bounding scenery are analyzed regarding the core melting, melt-water interaction during relocation of the melt from the core region into the lower head and the external coolability of the lower head. The conclusion is reached that the external cooling for the SWR1000 is a valuable strategy for accident management during postulated severe accidents. (authors)

Corium spreading: hydrodynamics, rheology and solidification of a high-temperature oxide melt

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Journeau, Ch.

2006-06-01

In the hypothesis of a nuclear reactor severe accident, the core could melt and form a high- temperature (2000-3000 K) mixture called corium. In the hypothesis of vessel rupture, this corium would spread in the reactor pit and adjacent rooms as occurred in Chernobyl or in a dedicated core-catcher s in the new European Pressurized reactor, EPR. This thesis is dedicated to the experimental study of corium spreading, especially with the prototypic corium material experiments performed in the VULCANO facility at CEA Cadarache. The first step in analyzing these tests consists in interpreting the material analyses, with the help of thermodynamic modelling of corium solidification. Knowing for each temperature the phase repartition and composition, physical properties can be estimated. Spreading termination is controlled by corium rheological properties in the solidification range, which leads to studying them in detail. The hydrodynamical, rheological and solidification aspects of corium spreading are taken into account in models and computer codes which have been validated against these tests and enable the assessment of the EPR spreading core-catcher concept. (author)

A synthesis of the arctic terrestrial and marine carbon cycles under pressure from a dwindling cryosphere

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Parmentier, Frans-Jan W; Christensen, Torben R; Rysgaard, Søren

2017-01-01

The current downturn of the arctic cryosphere, such as the strong loss of sea ice, melting of ice sheets and glaciers, and permafrost thaw, affects the marine and terrestrial carbon cycles in numerous interconnected ways. Nonetheless, processes in the ocean and on land have been too often...

String-like cooperative motion in homogeneous melting.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Hao; Khalkhali, Mohammad; Liu, Qingxia; Douglas, Jack F

2013-03-28

Despite the fundamental nature and practical importance of melting, there is still no generally accepted theory of this ubiquitous phenomenon. Even the earliest simulations of melting of hard discs by Alder and Wainwright indicated the active role of collective atomic motion in melting and here we utilize molecular dynamics simulation to determine whether these correlated motions are similar to those found in recent studies of glass-forming (GF) liquids and other condensed, strongly interacting, particle systems. We indeed find string-like collective atomic motion in our simulations of "superheated" Ni crystals, but other observations indicate significant differences from GF liquids. For example, we observe neither stretched exponential structural relaxation, nor any decoupling phenomenon, while we do find a boson peak, findings that have strong implications for understanding the physical origin of these universal properties of GF liquids. Our simulations also provide a novel view of "homogeneous" melting in which a small concentration of interstitial defects exerts a powerful effect on the crystal stability through their initiation and propagation of collective atomic motion. These relatively rare point defects are found to propagate down the strings like solitons, driving the collective motion. Crystal integrity remains preserved when the permutational atomic motions take the form of ring-like atomic exchanges, but a topological transition occurs at higher temperatures where the rings open to form linear chains similar in geometrical form and length distribution to the strings of GF liquids. The local symmetry breaking effect of the open strings apparently destabilizes the local lattice structure and precipitates crystal melting. The crystal defects are thus not static entities under dynamic conditions, such as elevated temperatures or material loading, but rather are active agents exhibiting a rich nonlinear dynamics that is not addressed in conventional "static

The extreme melt across the Greenland ice sheet in 2012

Science.gov (United States)

Nghiem, S. V.; Hall, D. K.; Mote, T. L.; Tedesco, M.; Albert, M. R.; Keegan, K.; Shuman, C. A.; DiGirolamo, N. E.; Neumann, G.

2012-10-01

The discovery of the 2012 extreme melt event across almost the entire surface of the Greenland ice sheet is presented. Data from three different satellite sensors - including the Oceansat-2 scatterometer, the Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer, and the Special Sensor Microwave Imager/Sounder - are combined to obtain composite melt maps, representing the most complete melt conditions detectable across the ice sheet. Satellite observations reveal that melt occurred at or near the surface of the Greenland ice sheet across 98.6% of its entire extent on 12 July 2012, including the usually cold polar areas at high altitudes like Summit in the dry snow facies of the ice sheet. This melt event coincided with an anomalous ridge of warm air that became stagnant over Greenland. As seen in melt occurrences from multiple ice core records at Summit reported in the published literature, such a melt event is rare with the last significant one occurring in 1889 and the next previous one around seven centuries earlier in the Medieval Warm Period. Given its rarity, the 2012 extreme melt across Greenland provides an exceptional opportunity for new studies in broad interdisciplinary geophysical research.

Beyond packing of hard spheres: The effects of core softness, non-additivity, intermediate-range repulsion, and many-body interactions on the glass-forming ability of bulk metallic glasses

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, Kai; Fan, Meng; Liu, Yanhui; Schroers, Jan [Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520 (United States); Center for Research on Interface Structures and Phenomena, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520 (United States); Shattuck, Mark D. [Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520 (United States); Department of Physics and Benjamin Levich Institute, The City College of the City University of New York, New York, New York 10031 (United States); O’Hern, Corey S. [Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520 (United States); Center for Research on Interface Structures and Phenomena, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520 (United States); Department of Physics, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520 (United States); Department of Applied Physics, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520 (United States)

2015-11-14

When a liquid is cooled well below its melting temperature at a rate that exceeds the critical cooling rate R{sub c}, the crystalline state is bypassed and a metastable, amorphous glassy state forms instead. R{sub c} (or the corresponding critical casting thickness d{sub c}) characterizes the glass-forming ability (GFA) of each material. While silica is an excellent glass-former with small R{sub c} < 10{sup −2} K/s, pure metals and most alloys are typically poor glass-formers with large R{sub c} > 10{sup 10} K/s. Only in the past thirty years have bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) been identified with R{sub c} approaching that for silica. Recent simulations have shown that simple, hard-sphere models are able to identify the atomic size ratio and number fraction regime where BMGs exist with critical cooling rates more than 13 orders of magnitude smaller than those for pure metals. However, there are a number of other features of interatomic potentials beyond hard-core interactions. How do these other features affect the glass-forming ability of BMGs? In this manuscript, we perform molecular dynamics simulations to determine how variations in the softness and non-additivity of the repulsive core and form of the interatomic pair potential at intermediate distances affect the GFA of binary alloys. These variations in the interatomic pair potential allow us to introduce geometric frustration and change the crystal phases that compete with glass formation. We also investigate the effect of tuning the strength of the many-body interactions from zero to the full embedded atom model on the GFA for pure metals. We then employ the full embedded atom model for binary BMGs and show that hard-core interactions play the dominant role in setting the GFA of alloys, while other features of the interatomic potential only change the GFA by one to two orders of magnitude. Despite their perturbative effect, understanding the detailed form of the intermetallic potential is important for

Investigation of the Potential for In-Vessel Melt Retention in the Lower Head of a BWR by Cooling through the Control Rod Guide Tubes. APRl 4, Stage 2 Report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sehgal, B.R.; Jasiulevicius, A.; Konovalikhin, M.

2004-01-01

This report describes the experiments performed at the Division, investigating the coolability potential offered by the Control Rod Guide Tubes (CRGTs), which are present in large numbers in the lower head of a BWR and there is a water flow circuit in each one of them. This investigation is related to the overall goal of retaining the core melt in the lower head of a BWR during a postulated severe accident, through accident management procedures, or strategy. The experiments were performed in two facilities, i.e. POMECO (Porous MEdium COolability) and COMECO (Core MElt COolability), respectively, for investigating the coolability when the core material is in the form of a particulate debris bed and when it is in the form of a melt. The POMECO facility employed a sand bed heated electrically to heating levels of up to 1 MW/m 3 and experiments performed in that facility obtained the enhancement in the dryout heat flux and in the quench velocity due to presence of a CRGT, with, and without, water flow in it. The COMECO facility employed a simulant material melt pool heated electrically to power levels of = 1.3 MW/m 3 and the experiments in it also determined the enhancement in the heat removal from the melt pool that could be obtained by the presence of a CRGT, with, or without water flow in it. In each of the experiments in these facilities, the scaling employed was of a unit cell of core material around a prototypic geometry CRGT with the prototypic decay heat input. The experimental results showed that a CRGT is able to offer a substantial additional potential for coolability of particulate and melt material in the lower head of a BWR. Analysis of the data obtained in the set of experiments performed lead to the following results for the heat flux through the CRGT: - for a water filled particulate debris bed: - 40 kW/m 2 ; - for a day hot particulate debris bed: - 150 kW/m 2 ; - for a melt pool with a crust formed on the CRGT surface: -350 kW/m 2 . It is

Nuclear reactor core safety device

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Colgate, S.A.

1977-01-01

The danger of a steam explosion from a nuclear reactor core melt-down can be greatly reduced by adding a gasifying agent to the fuel that releases a large amount of gas at a predetermined pre-melt-down temperature that ruptures the bottom end of the fuel rod and blows the finely divided fuel into a residual coolant bath at the bottom of the reactor. This residual bath should be equipped with a secondary cooling loop

Comparison of SAS3A and MELT-III predictions for a transient overpower hypothetical accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wilburn, N.P.

1976-01-01

A comparison is made of the predictions of the two major codes SAS3A and MELT-III for the hypothetical unprotected transient overpower accident in the FFTF. The predictions of temperatures, fuel restructuring, fuel melting, reactivity feedbacks, and core power are compared

Behaviour of contact layer material between cermet fuel element core and can

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gavrilin, S.S.; Permyakov, L.N.; Simakov, G.A.; Chernikov, A.S.

1996-01-01

The structural state of the contact layer between the shell of the Zr1Nb alloy and cermet fuel element core containing up to 70% of uranium dioxides is experimental studied. The silumin alloy was used as contact material. The results of studies on interaction zones, formed on the Zr1Nb - silumin boundary after fuel elements manufacture and also under temperature conditions, modeling the maximum design and hypothetical accidents accompanied by the contact material melting, are presented [ru

Tidal Heating in Multilayered Terrestrial Exoplanets

Science.gov (United States)

Henning, Wade G.; Hurford, Terry

2014-01-01

The internal pattern and overall magnitude of tidal heating for spin-synchronous terrestrial exoplanets from 1 to 2.5 R(sub E) is investigated using a propagator matrix method for a variety of layer structures. Particular attention is paid to ice-silicate hybrid super-Earths, where a significant ice mantle is modeled to rest atop an iron-silicate core, and may or may not contain a liquid water ocean. We find multilayer modeling often increases tidal dissipation relative to a homogeneous model, across multiple orbital periods, due to the ability to include smaller volume low viscosity regions, and the added flexure allowed by liquid layers. Gradations in parameters with depth are explored, such as allowed by the Preliminary Earth Reference Model. For ice-silicate hybrid worlds, dramatically greater dissipation is possible beyond the case of a silicate mantle only, allowing non-negligible tidal activity to extend to greater orbital periods than previously predicted. Surface patterns of tidal heating are found to potentially be useful for distinguishing internal structure. The influence of ice mantle depth and water ocean size and position are shown for a range of forcing frequencies. Rates of orbital circularization are found to be 10-100 times faster than standard predictions for Earth-analog planets when interiors are moderately warmer than the modern Earth, as well as for a diverse range of ice-silicate hybrid super-Earths. Circularization rates are shown to be significantly longer for planets with layers equivalent to an ocean-free modern Earth, as well as for planets with high fractions of either ice or silicate melting.

Tidal heating in multilayered terrestrial exoplanets

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Henning, Wade G.; Hurford, Terry, E-mail: wade.g.henning@nasa.gov [NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, 8800 Greenbelt Road, Greenbelt, MD 20771 (United States)

2014-07-01

The internal pattern and overall magnitude of tidal heating for spin-synchronous terrestrial exoplanets from 1 to 2.5 R{sub E} is investigated using a propagator matrix method for a variety of layer structures. Particular attention is paid to ice-silicate hybrid super-Earths, where a significant ice mantle is modeled to rest atop an iron-silicate core, and may or may not contain a liquid water ocean. We find multilayer modeling often increases tidal dissipation relative to a homogeneous model, across multiple orbital periods, due to the ability to include smaller volume low viscosity regions, and the added flexure allowed by liquid layers. Gradations in parameters with depth are explored, such as allowed by the Preliminary Earth Reference Model. For ice-silicate hybrid worlds, dramatically greater dissipation is possible beyond the case of a silicate mantle only, allowing non-negligible tidal activity to extend to greater orbital periods than previously predicted. Surface patterns of tidal heating are found to potentially be useful for distinguishing internal structure. The influence of ice mantle depth and water ocean size and position are shown for a range of forcing frequencies. Rates of orbital circularization are found to be 10-100 times faster than standard predictions for Earth-analog planets when interiors are moderately warmer than the modern Earth, as well as for a diverse range of ice-silicate hybrid super-Earths. Circularization rates are shown to be significantly longer for planets with layers equivalent to an ocean-free modern Earth, as well as for planets with high fractions of either ice or silicate melting.

Tidal heating in multilayered terrestrial exoplanets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Henning, Wade G.; Hurford, Terry

2014-01-01

The internal pattern and overall magnitude of tidal heating for spin-synchronous terrestrial exoplanets from 1 to 2.5 R E is investigated using a propagator matrix method for a variety of layer structures. Particular attention is paid to ice-silicate hybrid super-Earths, where a significant ice mantle is modeled to rest atop an iron-silicate core, and may or may not contain a liquid water ocean. We find multilayer modeling often increases tidal dissipation relative to a homogeneous model, across multiple orbital periods, due to the ability to include smaller volume low viscosity regions, and the added flexure allowed by liquid layers. Gradations in parameters with depth are explored, such as allowed by the Preliminary Earth Reference Model. For ice-silicate hybrid worlds, dramatically greater dissipation is possible beyond the case of a silicate mantle only, allowing non-negligible tidal activity to extend to greater orbital periods than previously predicted. Surface patterns of tidal heating are found to potentially be useful for distinguishing internal structure. The influence of ice mantle depth and water ocean size and position are shown for a range of forcing frequencies. Rates of orbital circularization are found to be 10-100 times faster than standard predictions for Earth-analog planets when interiors are moderately warmer than the modern Earth, as well as for a diverse range of ice-silicate hybrid super-Earths. Circularization rates are shown to be significantly longer for planets with layers equivalent to an ocean-free modern Earth, as well as for planets with high fractions of either ice or silicate melting.

Overview of JSPS Core-to-Core Program: Forming Research and Educational Hubs of Medical Physics.

Science.gov (United States)

Koizumi, Masahiko; Takashina, Masaaki

To foster medical physicists, we introduce the achievement we made since 2011 under the national research project of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) Core-to-Core program; 'Forming Research and Educational Hubs of Medical Physics.' On this basis and under the JSPS program, we promoted research and educational exchange with Indiana University (IU) in USA, University of Groningen (The UG) in the Netherland and other cooperating institutions such as University of Minnesota (UM).A total of 23 students and researchers were sent. UG accepted the most among three institutions. In turn, 12 foreign researchers including post-doctor fellows came to Japan for academic seminars or educational lectures.Fifteen international seminars were held; 8 in Japan, 4 in USA, and 3 in the Netherland.Lots of achievement were made through these activities in 5 years. Total of 23 research topics at the international conferences were presented. Total of 12 articles were published in international journals.This program clearly promoted the establishment of international collaboration, and many young researchers and graduate students were exchanged and collaborated with foreign researchers.

Submerged terrestrial landscapes in the Baltic Sea: Evidence from multiproxy analyses of sediment cores from Fehmarnbelt

Science.gov (United States)

Enters, Dirk; Wolters, Steffen; Blume, Katharina; Segschneider, Martin; Lücke, Andreas; Theuerkauf, Martin; Hübener, Thomas

2016-04-01

Five sediment cores were taken from the southern part of the Fehmarn Belt (Baltic Sea) in the context of an environmental impact study for the intended fixed traverse between Germany and Denmark. The lithologies of the 8m long cores reveal dramatic changes in sedimentary environments which reflect the early Holocene history of the southern Baltic Sea. A succession of terrestrial, semiterrestrial and limnic facies from glacial sediments to peat, lacustrine/estuarine deposits and finally marine sediments document the interplay of eustatic sea level rise and isostatic rebound, which finally lead to the establishment of marine conditions during the Littorina transgression. An age control of the observed changes was established by dating over 50 C-14 samples of different fractions. During the Lateglacial minerogenic varves with thicknesses of several centimeters verify the existence of a proglacial lake in the Fehmarnbelt. Peat development started around 11.250 cal. BP and terminated ca. 10.600 cal. BP which is roughly contemporaneous with the end of the Yoldia Phase in the central Baltic Sea. The oldest peat layers consist of undecomposed sedges and reed. Woody remains of willows appear not before 10.700 cal BP and indicate a stagnant or slowly decreasing water table. This semi-terrestrial phase is followed by a shallow inland lake which existed until the Littorina transgression around 8.300 cal. BP. Initially the lacustrine sediments exhibit high C/N ratios, low low δ13Corg values and contain numerous wood fragments as well as other botanical macro remains. This indicates shallow conditions close to the lake shore. Later, the occurrence of planktonic diatom species such as Aulacoseira ambigua suggest greater water depths. We did not find any indications of the often postulated catastrophic outburst of the Ancylus Lake via Fehmarnbelt and the Great Belt into the North Sea. Likewise, XRF scanning does not show conspicuous peaks in Ti or K which would have been

Drag Moderation by the Melting of an Ice Surface in Contact with Water

KAUST Repository

Vakarelski, Ivan Uriev; Chan, Derek Y.  C.; Thoroddsen, Sigurdur T

2015-01-01

We report measurements of the effects of a melting ice surface on the hydrodynamic drag of ice-shell-metal-core spheres free falling in water at a Reynolds of number Re∼2×104–3×105 and demonstrate that the melting surface induces the early onset of the drag crisis, thus reducing the hydrodynamic drag by more than 50%. Direct visualization of the flow pattern demonstrates the key role of surface melting. Our observations support the hypothesis that the drag reduction is due to the disturbance of the viscous boundary layer by the mass transfer from the melting ice surface.

Drag Moderation by the Melting of an Ice Surface in Contact with Water

KAUST Repository

Vakarelski, Ivan Uriev

2015-07-24

We report measurements of the effects of a melting ice surface on the hydrodynamic drag of ice-shell-metal-core spheres free falling in water at a Reynolds of number Re∼2×104–3×105 and demonstrate that the melting surface induces the early onset of the drag crisis, thus reducing the hydrodynamic drag by more than 50%. Direct visualization of the flow pattern demonstrates the key role of surface melting. Our observations support the hypothesis that the drag reduction is due to the disturbance of the viscous boundary layer by the mass transfer from the melting ice surface.

COMSORS: A light water reactor chemical core catcher

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Forsberg, C.W.; Parker, G.W.; Rudolph, J.C.; Osborne-Lee, I.W.

1997-01-01

The Core-Melt Source Reduction System (COMSORS) is a new approach to terminate lightwater reactor (LWR) core-melt accidents and ensure containment integrity. A special dissolution glass made of lead oxide (PbO) and boron oxide (B 2 O 3 ) is placed under the reactor vessel. If molten core debris is released onto the glass, the following sequence happens: (1) the glass absorbs decay heat as its temperature increases and the glass softens; (2) the core debris dissolves into the molten glass; (3) molten glass convective currents create a homogeneous high-level waste (HLW) glass; (4) the molten glass spreads into a wider pool, distributing the heat for removal by radiation to the reactor cavity above or transfer to water on top of the molten glass; and (5) the glass solidifies as increased surface cooling area and decreasing radioactive decay heat generation allows heat removal to exceed heat generation

Electron beam melting of bearing materials

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Goldschmied, G.; Schuler, A. (Technische Univ., Vienna (Austria). Inst. fuer Allgemeine Elektrotechnik); Elsinger, G.; Koroschetz, F. (MIBA Gleitlager AG, Laakirchen (Austria)); Tschegg, E.K. (Technische Univ., Vienna (Austria). Inst. fuer Angewandte und Technische Physik)

1990-06-01

This paper reports on a surface treatment method for the bearing materials AlSn6 which permits the use of this material without the overlay usually required. Microstructural refinement is achieved by means of a surface melting technique using an electron beam with successive rapid solidification. Extremely fine tin precipitates are formed in the melted surface layer which lead to significantly better tribological properties of the bearing material. Tests compared the tribological properties for AlSn6 bearings treated by the surface melting technique with those of untreated bearings. Whereas all untreated bearings failed by seizure after only 2 h of testing, 30% of the tested bearings which had been surface melted survived the entire testing program without damage.

Plasma arc melting of zirconium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tubesing, P.K.; Korzekwa, D.R.; Dunn, P.S.

1997-01-01

Zirconium, like some other refractory metals, has an undesirable sensitivity to interstitials such as oxygen. Traditionally, zirconium is processed by electron beam melting to maintain minimum interstitial contamination. Electron beam melted zirconium, however, does not respond positively to mechanical processing due to its large grain size. The authors undertook a study to determine if plasma arc melting (PAM) technology could be utilized to maintain low interstitial concentrations and improve the response of zirconium to subsequent mechanical processing. The PAM process enabled them to control and maintain low interstitial levels of oxygen and carbon, produce a more favorable grain structure, and with supplementary off-gassing, improve the response to mechanical forming

Terrestrial magnetosphere

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pande, D.C.; Agarwal, D.C.

1982-01-01

This paper presents a review about terrestrial magnetosphere. During the last few years considerable investigation have been carried out about the properties of Solar Wind and its interaction with planetary magnetic fields. It is therefore of high importance to accumulate all the investigations in a comprehensive form. The paper reviews the property of earth's magnetosphere, magnetosheath, magneto pause, polar cusps, bow shook and plasma sheath. (author)

Some antarctic soil cores from Wood Bay characterised by Moessbauer spectroscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bertelle, M.; Leotta, G.; Calogero, S.; Constantinescu, S.; Oddone, M.

1999-01-01

Marine, lacustrine and terrestrial soil cores, sampled in a restricted area of Wood Bay in Antarctica, were characterised by 57 Fe Moessbauer spectroscopy. The results of X-ray diffraction and instrumental neutron activation analysis are shortly discussed too. The soils, formed by mechanical disaggregation and weathering of rocks of volcanic origin from Mt. Melbourne, consist of alkaline feldspars, olivines, augitic clinopyroxenes, and iron oxides such as haematite, goethite, and magnetite. Lacustrine and terrestrial soils are richer in clinopyroxenes whereas marine soils are richer in olivines. This finding shows that the soils retain a content in olivines and clinopyroxenes comparable to that found in the parent lava outcropped from Mt. Melbourne volcano. The soils appear at the initial stage of weathering. Two main weathering effects are observed: 1. atmospheric oxygen determines the oxidation of the iron(II) present in olivines and clinopyroxenes and the neo-formed iron(III) is mainly retained in silicate sites as structural iron(III); 2. a part of magnetite, present as a primary constituent of the volcanic rocks, is oxidised to bulk haematite and goethite. (authors)

Material properties influence on steam explosion efficiency. Prototypic versus simulant melts, eutectic versus non-eutectic melts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leskovar, M.; Mavko, B.

2006-01-01

A steam explosion may occur during a severe nuclear reactor accident if the molten core comes into contact with the coolant water. A strong enough steam explosion in a nuclear power plant could jeopardize the containment integrity and so lead to a direct release of radioactive material to the environment. Details of processes taking place prior and during the steam explosion have been experimentally studied for a number of years with adjunct efforts in modelling these processes to address the scaling of these experiments. Steam explosion experiments have shown that there are important differences of behaviour between simulant and prototypical melts, and that also at prototypical melts the fuel coolant interactions depend on the composition of the corium. In experiments with prototypic materials no spontaneous steam explosions occurred (except with an eutectic composition), whereas with simulant materials the steam explosions were triggered spontaneously. The energy conversion ratio of steam explosions with prototypic melts is at least one order of magnitude lower than the energy conversion ratio of steam explosions with simulant melts. Although the different behaviour of prototypic and simulant melts has been known for a number of years, there is no reliable explanation for these differences. Consequently it is not possible to reliably estimate whether corium would behave so non-explosive also in reactor conditions, where the mass of poured melt is nearly three orders of magnitude larger than in experimental conditions. An even more fascinating material effect was observed recently at corium experiments with eutectic and non-eutectic compositions. It turned out that eutectic corium always exploded spontaneously, whereas non-eutectic corium never exploded spontaneously. In the paper, a possible explanation of both material effects (prototypic/simulant melts, eutectic/non-eutectic corium) on the steam explosion is provided. A model for the calculation of the

PWR degraded core analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gittus, J.H.

1982-04-01

A review is presented of the various phenomena involved in degraded core accidents and the ensuing transport of fission products from the fuel to the primary circuit and the containment. The dominant accident sequences found in the PWR risk studies published to date are briefly described. Then chapters deal with the following topics: the condition and behaviour of water reactor fuel during normal operation and at the commencement of degraded core accidents; the generation of hydrogen from the Zircaloy-steam and the steel-steam reactions; the way in which the core deforms and finally melts following loss of coolant; debris relocation analysis; containment integrity; fission product behaviour during a degraded core accident. (U.K.)

Analysis of ex-vessel melt jet breakup and coolability. Part 1: Sensitivity on model parameters and accident conditions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Moriyama, Kiyofumi; Park, Hyun Sun, E-mail: hejsunny@postech.ac.kr; Hwang, Byoungcheol; Jung, Woo Hyun

2016-06-15

Highlights: • Application of JASMINE code to melt jet breakup and coolability in APR1400 condition. • Coolability indexes for quasi steady state breakup and cooling process. • Typical case in complete breakup/solidification, film boiling quench not reached. • Significant impact of water depth and melt jet size; weak impact of model parameters. - Abstract: The breakup of a melt jet falling in a water pool and the coolability of the melt particles produced by such jet breakup are important phenomena in terms of the mitigation of severe accident consequences in light water reactors, because the molten and relocated core material is the primary heat source that governs the accident progression. We applied a modified version of the fuel–coolant interaction simulation code, JASMINE, developed at Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) to a plant scale simulation of melt jet breakup and cooling assuming an ex-vessel condition in the APR1400, a Korean advanced pressurized water reactor. Also, we examined the sensitivity on seven model parameters and five initial/boundary condition variables. The results showed that the melt cooling performance of a 6 m deep water pool in the reactor cavity is enough for removing the initial melt enthalpy for solidification, for a melt jet of 0.2 m initial diameter. The impacts of the model parameters were relatively weak and that of some of the initial/boundary condition variables, namely the water depth and melt jet diameter, were very strong. The present model indicated that a significant fraction of the melt jet is not broken up and forms a continuous melt pool on the containment floor in cases with a large melt jet diameter, 0.5 m, or a shallow water pool depth, ≤3 m.

Tomographic location of potential melt-bearing phenocrysts in lunar glass spherules

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ebel, D.S.; Fogel, R.A.; Rivers, M.L.

2005-01-01

Apollo 17 orange glass spherules contain olivine phenocrysts with melt inclusions from depth. Tomography ( 200 spherules located 1 phenocryst. We will try to find melt inclusions and obtain original magma volatiles and compositions. In 1971, Apollo 17 astronauts collected a 10 cm soil sample (74220) comprised almost entirely of orange glass spherules. Below this, a double drive-tube core sampled a 68 cm thick horizon comprised of orange glass and black beads (crystallized equivalents of orange glass). Primitive lunar glass spherules (e.g.-A17 orange glasses) are thought to represent ejecta from lunar mare fire fountains. The fire-fountains were apparently driven by a combination of C-O gas exsolution from orange glass melt and the oxidation of graphite. Upon eruption, magmas lost their volatiles (e.g., S, CO, CO 2 ) to space. Evidence for volatile escape remains as volatile-rich coatings on the exteriors of many spherules. Moreover, it showed that Type I and II Fe-Ni-rich metal particles found within orange glass olivine phenocrysts, or free-floating in the glass itself, are powerful evidence for the volatile driving force for lunar fire fountains. More direct evidence for the volatile mechanism has yet to be uncovered. Issues remaining include: the exact composition of magmatic volatiles; the hypothesized existence of graphite in the magma; the oxygen fugacity of the magma and of the lunar interior. In 1996 reported a single ∼450 micron, equant olivine phenocryst, containing four glassy melt inclusions (or inclusion cores), the largest ∼30micron in size, in a thin section of the 74001/2 drill core. The melt is assumed to sample the parent magma of the lunar basalts at depth, evidenced by the S content of the inclusion (600 ppm) which is 400 ppm greater than that of the orange glass host. Such melts potentially contain a full complement of the volatile components of the parent magma, which can be analyzed by infrared spectroscopy. Although the A17 orange glass

A simplified geometrical model for transient corium propagation in core for LWR with heavy reflector - 15271

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saas, L.; Le Tellier, R.; Bajard, S.

2015-01-01

In this document, we present a simplified geometrical model (0D model) for both the in-core corium propagation transient and the characterization of the mode of corium transfer from the core to the vessel. A degraded core with a formed corium pool is used as an initial state. This initial state can be obtained from a simulation computed with an integral code. This model does not use a grid for the core as integral codes do. Geometrical shapes and 0D models are associated with the corium pool and the other components of the degraded core (debris, heavy reflector, core plate...). During the transient, these shapes evolve taking into account the thermal and stratification behavior of the corium pool and the melting of the core surrounding components. Some results corresponding to the corium pool propagation in core transients obtained with this model on a LWR with a heavy reflector are given and compared to grid approach of the integral codes MAAP4

Crystal nucleus formation on the cathode under conditions of supersaturation of melt by lower valent forms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kaliev, K.A.; Aksent'ev, A.G.; Baraboshkin, A.N.

1979-01-01

Nucleation on the cathode of sodium-tungsten bronzes forom the Na 2 WO 4 -WO 3 melt, containing 40 mol.% WO 3 is studied. It has been found that in the initial period the cathode deposition of sodium-tungsten bronze is preceeded by the formation of tungsten soluble lower reduced forms, the concentration of which can considerably exceed the equilibrium one because of excessive overstress of oxide bronze crystal nucleation. The polarization of cathode and change of its potential at the crystal nucleation of sodium-tungsten bronze and switching-off of the electrolysis current has been studied

Ice core carbonyl sulfide measurements from a new South Pole ice core (SPICECORE)

Science.gov (United States)

Aydin, M.; Nicewonger, M. R.; Saltzman, E. S.

2017-12-01

Carbonyl sulfide (COS) is the most abundant sulfur gas in the troposphere with a present-day mixing ratio of about 500 ppt. Direct and indirect emissions from the oceans are the predominant sources of atmospheric COS. The primary removal mechanism is uptake by terrestrial plants during photosynthesis. Because plants do not respire COS, atmospheric COS levels are linked to terrestrial gross primary productivity (GPP). Ancient air trapped in polar ice cores has been used to reconstruct COS records of the past atmosphere, which can be used to infer past GPP variability and potential changes in oceanic COS emission. We are currently analyzing samples from a newly drilled intermediate depth ice core from South Pole, Antarctica (SPICECORE). This core is advantageous for studying COS because the cold temperatures of South Pole ice lead to very slow rates of in situ loss due to hydrolysis. One hundred and eighty-four bubbly ice core samples have been analyzed to date with gas ages ranging from about 9.2 thousand (733 m depth) to 75 years (126 m depth) before present. After a 2% correction for gravitational enrichment in the firn, the mean COS mixing ratio for the data set is 312±15 ppt (±1s), with the data set median also equal to 312 ppt. The only significant long-term trend in the record is a 5-10% increase in COS during the last 2-3 thousand years of the Holocene. The SPICECORE data agree with previously published ice core COS records from other Antarctic sites during times of overlap, confirming earlier estimates of COS loss rates to in situ hydrolysis in ice cores. Antarctic ice core data place strict constraints on the COS mixing ratio and its range of variability in the southern hemisphere atmosphere during the last several millennia. Implications for the atmospheric COS budget will be discussed.

Melting of metallic intermediate level waste

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Huutoniemi, Tommi; Larsson, Arne; Blank, Eva [Studsvik Nuclear AB, Nykoeping (Sweden)

2013-08-15

This report presents a feasibility study of a melting facility for core components and reactor internals. An overview is given of how such a facility for treatment of intermediate level waste might be designed, constructed and operated and highlights both the possibilities and challenges. A cost estimate and a risk analysis are presented in order to make a conclusion of the technical feasibility of such a facility. Based on the authors' experience in operating a low level waste melting facility, their conclusion is that without technical improvements such a facility is not feasible today. This is based on the cost of constructing and operating such a facility, in conjunction with the radiological risks associated with operation and the uncertain benefits to disposal and long term safety.

Melting of metallic intermediate level waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huutoniemi, Tommi; Larsson, Arne; Blank, Eva

2013-08-01

This report presents a feasibility study of a melting facility for core components and reactor internals. An overview is given of how such a facility for treatment of intermediate level waste might be designed, constructed and operated and highlights both the possibilities and challenges. A cost estimate and a risk analysis are presented in order to make a conclusion of the technical feasibility of such a facility. Based on the authors' experience in operating a low level waste melting facility, their conclusion is that without technical improvements such a facility is not feasible today. This is based on the cost of constructing and operating such a facility, in conjunction with the radiological risks associated with operation and the uncertain benefits to disposal and long term safety

Ice core melt features in relation to Antarctic coastal climate

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kaczmarska, M.; Isaksson, E.; Karlöf, L.; Brandt, O.; Winther, J.G.; van de Wal, R.S.W.; van den Broeke, M.R.; Johnsen, S.J.

2006-01-01

Measurement of light intensity transmission was carried out on an ice core S100 from coastal Dronning Maud Land (DML). Ice lenses were observed in digital pictures of the core and recorded as peaks in the light transmittance record. The frequency of ice layer occurrence was compared with climate

Experiments on the behaviour of thermite melt injected into sodium: Final report on the THINA test results

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huber, F.; Kaiser, A.; Peppler, W.

1994-01-01

During hypothetical accidents of fast breeder reactors the core melts and part of the core material inventory is ejected into the upper coolant plenum. As a consequence, a fuel to coolant thermal interaction occurs between the melt and the sodium. A series of simulating experiments was carried out in KfK/IRS to improve the knowledge about the phenomenology of molten fuel/coolant interactions and to support theoretical work on the safety of fast breeder reactors. In the tests, a thermite melt of up to 3270 K is injected from below into a sodium pool the temperature of which is between 770 and 820 K. The masses of the melt and the sodium are about five and 150 kg, respectively. Thermal interactions have been observed to occur as a sequence of small local pressure events mainly during the melt injection. Large-scale vapour explosions have not been observed. Generally, the conversion ratios of thermal to mechanical energy have been low. (author)

State-of-the-Art Report on Molten Corium Concrete Interaction and Ex-Vessel Molten Core Coolability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bonnet, Jean-Michel; Cranga, Michel; Vola, Didier; Marchetto, Cathy; Kissane, Martin; ); Robledo, Fernando; Farmer, Mitchel T.; Spengler, Claus; Basu, Sudhamay; Atkhen, Kresna; Fargette, Andre; Fisher, Manfred; Foit, Jerzi; Hotta, Akitoshi; Morita, Akinobu; Journeau, Christophe; Moiseenko, Evgeny; Polidoro, Franco; Zhou, Quan

2017-01-01

Activities carried out over the last three decades in relation to core-concrete interactions and melt coolability, as well as related containment failure modes, have significantly increased the level of understanding in this area. In a severe accident with little or no cooling of the reactor core, the residual decay heat in the fuel can cause the core materials to melt. One of the challenges in such cases is to determine the consequences of molten core materials causing a failure of the reactor pressure vessel. Molten corium will interact, for example, with structural concrete below the vessel. The reaction between corium and concrete, commonly referred to as MCCI (molten core concrete interaction), can be extensive and can release combustible gases. The cooling behaviour of ex-vessel melts through sprays or flooding is also complex. This report summarises the current state of the art on MCCI and melt coolability, and thus should be useful to specialists seeking to predict the consequences of severe accidents, to model developers for severe-accident computer codes and to designers of mitigation measures

Can Nano-Particle Melt below the Melting Temperature of Its Free Surface Partner?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sui Xiao-Hong; Qin Shao-Jing; Wang Zong-Guo; Kang Kai; Wang Chui-Lin

2015-01-01

The phonon thermal contribution to the melting temperature of nano-particles is inspected. The discrete summation of phonon states and its corresponding integration form as an approximation for a nano-particle or for a bulk system have been analyzed. The discrete phonon energy levels of pure size effect and the wave-vector shifts of boundary conditions are investigated in detail. Unlike in macroscopic thermodynamics, the integration volume of zero-mode of phonon for a nano-particle is not zero, and it plays an important role in pure size effect and boundary condition effect. We find that a nano-particle will have a rising melting temperature due to purely finite size effect; a lower melting temperature bound exists for a nano-particle in various environments, and the melting temperature of a nano-particle with free boundary condition reaches this lower bound. We suggest an easy procedure to estimation the melting temperature, in which the zero-mode contribution will be excluded, and only several bulk quantities will be used as input. We would like to emphasize that the quantum effect of discrete energy levels in nano-particles, which is not present in early thermodynamic studies on finite size corrections to melting temperature in small systems, should be included in future researches. (condensed matter: structural, mechanical, and thermal properties)

The COMET-L3 experiment on long-term melt. Concrete interaction and cooling by surface flooding

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alsmeyer, H.; Cron, T.; Fluhrer, B.; Messemer, G.; Miassoedov, A.; Schmidt-Stiefel, S.; Wenz, T.

2007-02-01

The COMET-L3 experiment considers the long-term situation of corium/concrete interaction in an anticipated core melt accident of a light-water-reactor, after the metal melt is layered beneath the oxide melt. The experimental focus is on cavity formation in the basemat and the risk of long term basemat penetration. The experiment investigates the two-dimensional concrete erosion in a cylindrical crucible fabricated from siliceous concrete in the first phase of the test, and the influence of surface flooding in the second phase. Decay heating in the two-component metal and oxide melt is simulated by sustained induction heating of the metal phase that is overlaid by the oxide melt. The inner diameter of the concrete crucible was 60 cm, the initial mass of the melt was 425 kg steel and 211 kg oxide at 1665 C, resulting in a melt height of 450 mm. The net power to the metal melt was about 220 kW from 0 s to 1880 s, when the maximum erosion limit of the crucible was reached and heating was terminated. In the initial phase of the test (less than 100 s), the overheated, highly agitated metal melt causes intense interaction with the concrete, which leads to fast decrease of the initial melt overheat and reduction of the initially high concrete erosion rate. Thereafter, under quasistationary conditions until about 800 s, the erosion by the metal melt slows down to some 0.07 mm/s into the axial direction. Lateral erosion is a factor 3 smaller. Video observation of the melt surface shows an agitated melt with ongoing gas release from the decomposing concrete. Several periods of more intense gas release, gas driven splashing, and release of crusts from the concrete interface indicate the existence and iterative break-up of crusts that probably form at the steel/concrete interface. Surface flooding of the melt is initiated at 800 s by a shower from the crucible head with 0.375 litre water/s. Flooding does not lead to strong melt/water interactions, and no entrapment reactions or

Studies on melt-water-structure interaction during severe accidents

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sehgal, B.R.; Dinh, T.N.; Okkonen, T.J.; Bui, V.A.; Nourgaliev, R.R.; Andersson, J.

1996-10-01

Results of a series of studies, on melt-water-structure interactions which occur during the progression of a core melt-down accident, are described. The emphasis is on the in-vessel interactions and the studies are both experimental and analytical. Since, the studies performed resulted in papers published in proceedings of the technical meetings, and in journals, copies of a set of selected papers are attached to provide details. A summary of the results obtained is provided for the reader who does not, or cannot, venture into the perusal of the attached papers. (au)

Studies on melt-water-structure interaction during severe accidents

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sehgal, B.R.; Dinh, T.N.; Okkonen, T.J.; Bui, V.A.; Nourgaliev, R.R.; Andersson, J. [Royal Inst. of Technology, Div. of Nucl. Power Safety, Stockholm (Sweden)

1996-10-01

Results of a series of studies, on melt-water-structure interactions which occur during the progression of a core melt-down accident, are described. The emphasis is on the in-vessel interactions and the studies are both experimental and analytical. Since, the studies performed resulted in papers published in proceedings of the technical meetings, and in journals, copies of a set of selected papers are attached to provide details. A summary of the results obtained is provided for the reader who does not, or cannot, venture into the perusal of the attached papers. (au).

Melting temperatures of MgO under high pressure determined by micro-texture observation

Science.gov (United States)

Kimura, T.; Ohfuji, H.; Nishi, M.; Irifune, T.

2016-12-01

Periclase (MgO) is the second abundant mineral after bridgmanite in the Earth's lower mantle, and its melting temperature (Tm) under pressure is important to constrain the chemical composition of ultra-deep magma formed near the mantle-core boundary. However, the melting behavior is highly controversial among previous studies: a laser-heated diamond anvil cell (LHDAC) study reported a melting curve with a dTm/dP of 30 K/GPa at zero pressure [1], while several theoretical computations gave substantially higher dTm/dP of 90 100 K/GPa [2,3]. We performed a series of LHDAC experiments for measurements of Tm of MgO under high pressure, using single crystal MgO as the starting material. The melting was detected by using micro-texture observations of the quenched samples. We found that the laser-heated area of the sample quenched from the Tm in previous LHDAC experiments [1] showed randomly aggregated granular crystals, which was not caused by melting, but by plastic deformation of the sample. This suggests that the Tms of their study were substantially underestimated. On the other hand, the sample recovered from the temperature higher by 1500-1700 K than the Tms in previous LHDAC experiments showed a characteristic internal texture comparable to the solidification texture typically shown in metal casting. We determined the Tms based on the observation of this texture up to 32 GPa. Fitting our Tms to the Simon equation yields dTm/dP of 82 K/GPa at zero pressure, which is consistent with those of the theoretical predictions (90 100 K/GPa) [2,3]. Extrapolation of the present melting curve of MgO to the pressure of the CMB (135 GPa) gives a melting temperature of 8900 K. The present steep melting slope offers the eutectic composition close to peridotite (in terms of Mg/Si ratio) throughout the lower mantle conditions. According to the model for sink/float relationship between the solid mantle and the magma [4], a considerable amount of iron (Fe/(Mg+Fe) > 0.24) is expected

Penetration of molten core materials into basaltic and limestone concrete

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sutherland, H.J.

1978-01-01

In conjunction with the small-scale, melt-concrete interaction tests being conducted at Sandia Laboratories, an acoustic technique has been used to monitor the penetration of molten core materials into basaltic and limestone concrete. Real time plots of the position of the melt/concrete interface have been obtained, and they illustrate that the initial penetration rate of the melt may be of the order of 80 mm/min. Phenomena deduced by the technique include a non-wetted melt/concrete interface

Immiscible iron- and silica-rich melt in basalt petrogenesis documented in the Skaergaard intrusion

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jakobsen, Jakob Kløve; Veksler, Ilya; Tegner, Christian

2005-01-01

colored type contains 30.9 6 4.2 wt% FeOt and 40.7 6 3.6 wt% SiO2, whereas the light colored type contains 8.6 6 5.9 wt% FeOt and 65.6 6 7.3 wt% SiO2. Similar light colored melt inclusions in olivine and fine grained dark and light colored interstitial pockets also give evidence of crystallization from......Silicate liquid immiscibility in basalt petrogenesis is a contentious issue. Immiscible iron and silica-rich liquids were reported in melt inclusions of lunar basalt and in groundmass glasses of terrestrial volcanics. In fully crystallized plutonic rocks, however, silicate liquid immiscibility has...

Influence of gas-generation on melt/concrete interaction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Powers, D.A.

1979-01-01

Gases formed during the interaction of a high-temperature melt with concrete are shown to stem from the thermal dehydration and decarboxylation of the concrete. The kinetics of these decomposition reactions are described. Gases within the melt cause an apparent swelling of the melt. The observed swelling is not easily correlated to the rate of gas evolution. Metallic melts cause CO 2 /CO and H 2 O liberated from the melt to be reduced to CO and hydrogen. When these gases escape from the melt they assist in aerosol formation. As the gases cool they react along a pathway whose oxygen fugacity is apparently buffered by the iron-Wuestite equilibrium. Methane is a product of the gas-phase reaction. (orig./HP) [de

Continuous greenhouse gas measurements from ice cores

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Stowasser, Christopher

Ice cores offer the unique possibility to study the history of past atmospheric greenhouse gases over the last 800,000 years, since past atmospheric air is trapped in bubbles in the ice. Since the 1950s, paleo-scientists have developed a variety of techniques to extract the trapped air from...... individual ice core samples, and to measure the mixing ratio of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide in the extracted air. The discrete measurements have become highly accurate and reproducible, but require relatively large amounts of ice per measured species and are both time......-consuming and labor-intensive. This PhD thesis presents the development of a new method for measurements of greenhouse gas mixing ratios from ice cores based on a melting device of a continuous flow analysis (CFA) system. The coupling to a CFA melting device enables time-efficient measurements of high resolution...

In-vessel core degradation code validation matrix

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haste, T.J.; Adroguer, B.; Gauntt, R.O.; Martinez, J.A.; Ott, L.J.; Sugimoto, J.; Trambauer, K.

1996-01-01

The objective of the current Validation Matrix is to define a basic set of experiments, for which comparison of the measured and calculated parameters forms a basis for establishing the accuracy of test predictions, covering the full range of in-vessel core degradation phenomena expected in light water reactor severe accident transients. The scope of the review covers PWR and BWR designs of Western origin: the coverage of phenomena extends from the initial heat-up through to the introduction of melt into the lower plenum. Concerning fission product behaviour, the effect of core degradation on fission product release is considered. The report provides brief overviews of the main LWR severe accident sequences and of the dominant phenomena involved. The experimental database is summarised. These data are cross-referenced against a condensed set of the phenomena and test condition headings presented earlier, judging the results against a set of selection criteria and identifying key tests of particular value. The main conclusions and recommendations are listed. (K.A.)

Research of Snow-Melt Process on a Heated Platform

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vasilyev Gregory P.

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The article has shown the results of experimental researches of the snow-melt on a heated platform-near building heat-pump snow-melt platform. The near-building (yard heat pump platforms for snow melt with the area up to 10-15 m2 are a basis of the new ideology of organization of the street cleaning of Moscow from snow in the winter period which supposes the creation in the megalopolis of the «distributed snow-melt system» (DSMS using non-traditional energy sources. The results of natural experimental researches are presented for the estimation of efficiency of application in the climatic conditions of Moscow of heat pumps in the snow-melt systems. The researches were conducted on a model sample of the near-building heat-pump platform which uses the low-potential thermal energy of atmospheric air. The conducted researches have confirmed experimentally in the natural conditions the possibility and efficiency of using of atmospheric air as a source of low-potential thermal energy for evaporation of the snow-melt heat pump systems in the climatic conditions of Moscow. The results of laboratory researches of snow-melt process on a heated horizontal platform are presented. The researches have revealed a considerable dependence of efficiency of the snow-melt process on its piling mode (form-building and the organization of the process of its piling mode (form-building and the organization of the process of its (snow mass heat exchange with the surface of the heated platform. In the process of researches the effect of formation of an «ice dome» under the melting snow mass called by the fact that in case of the thickness of snow loaded on the platform more than 10 cm the water formed from the melting snow while the contact with the heating surface don’t spread on it, but soaks into the snow, wets it due to capillary effect and freezes. The formation of «ice dome» leads to a sharp increase of snow-melt period and decreases the operating

Characterization of Coated Sand Cores from Two Different Binder Systems for Grey Iron Castings

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nwaogu, Ugochukwu Chibuzoh; Tiedje, Niels Skat; Poulsen, Thomas

or veining and metal penetration defects. The use of refractory coatings on cores is fundamental to obtaining acceptable casting surface quality and is used on resin bonded cores in production foundries. In this study new sol gel-coated sand cores made from coldbox and furan binder systems were investigated......Expansion defects on the surface of the castings include sand burn-in, metal penetration and/or veining, finning or scab. Veining or finning and metal penetration are of interest. These defects are associated with silica sand and result from the penetration of liquid metal into cracks formed during...... differential expansion of the core during heating. The rapid expansion of silica sand up to 600 oC and especially at 573 oC, where the α – β phase transformation occurs, is the cause of stresses in the core system. These stresses cause crack formation and metal melt flows into these cracks causing finning...

Force induced DNA melting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Santosh, Mogurampelly; Maiti, Prabal K

2009-01-01

When pulled along the axis, double-strand DNA undergoes a large conformational change and elongates by roughly twice its initial contour length at a pulling force of about 70 pN. The transition to this highly overstretched form of DNA is very cooperative. Applying a force perpendicular to the DNA axis (unzipping), double-strand DNA can also be separated into two single-stranded DNA, this being a fundamental process in DNA replication. We study the DNA overstretching and unzipping transition using fully atomistic molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and argue that the conformational changes of double-strand DNA associated with either of the above mentioned processes can be viewed as force induced DNA melting. As the force at one end of the DNA is increased the DNA starts melting abruptly/smoothly above a critical force depending on the pulling direction. The critical force f m , at which DNA melts completely decreases as the temperature of the system is increased. The melting force in the case of unzipping is smaller compared to the melting force when the DNA is pulled along the helical axis. In the case of melting through unzipping, the double-strand separation has jumps which correspond to the different energy minima arising due to sequence of different base pairs. The fraction of Watson-Crick base pair hydrogen bond breaking as a function of force does not show smooth and continuous behavior and consists of plateaus followed by sharp jumps.

Behavior of nuclides at plasma melting of TRU wastes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Amakawa, Tadashi; Adachi, Kazuo

2001-01-01

Arc plasma heating technique can easily be formed at super high temperature, and can carry out stable heating without any effect of physical and chemical properties of the wastes. By focussing to these characteristics, this technique was experimentally investigated on behavior of TRU nuclides when applying TRU wastes forming from reprocessing process of used fuels to melting treatment by using a mimic non-radioactive nuclide. At first, according to mechanism determining the behavior of TRU nuclides, an element (mimic nuclide) to estimate the behavior was selected. And then, to zircaloy with high melting point or steel can simulated to metal and noncombustible wastes and fly ash, the mimic nuclide was added, prior to melting by using the arc plasma heating technique. As a result, on a case of either melting sample, it was elucidated that the nuclides hardly moved into their dusts. Then, the technique seems to be applicable for melting treatment of the TRU wastes. (G.K.)

Translation and convection of Earth's inner core

Science.gov (United States)

Monnereau, M.; Calvet, M.; Margerin, L.; Mizzon, H.; Souriau, A.

2012-12-01

The image of the inner core growing slowly at the center of the Earth by gradual cooling and solidification of the surrounding liquid outer core is being replaced by the more vigorous image of a ``deep foundry'', where melting and crystallization rates exceed by many times the net growth rate. Recently, a particular mode of convection, called translation, has been put forward as an important mode of inner core dynamics because this mechanism is able to explain the observed East-West asymmetry of P-wave velocity and attenuation (Monnereau et al. 2010). Translation is a pure solid displacement of the inner core material (solid iron) within its envelop, implying crystallization of entering iron on one side of the inner core and melting on the opposite side. Translation is consistent with multiple scattering models of wave propagation. If they do not experience deformation, iron crystals grow as they transit from one hemisphere to the other. Larger crystals constituting a faster and more attenuating medium, a translation velocity of some cm/yr (about ten times the growth rate) is enough to account for the superficial asymmetry observed for P-wave velocity and attenuation, with grains of a few hundred meters on the crystallizing side (West) growing up to a few kilometers before melting on the East side, and a drift direction located in the equatorial plane. Among all hypotheses that have been proposed to account for the seismic asymmetry, translation is the only one based on a demonstrated link between the seismic data and the proposed dynamics, notably through a model of seismic wave propagation. This mechanism was also proposed to be responsible for the formation of a dense layer at the bottom of the outer core, since the high rate of melting and crystallization would release a liquid depleted in light elements at the surface of the inner core (Alboussiere et al 2010). This would explain the anomalously low gradient of P wave velocity in the lowermost 200 km of the

A terrestrial Eocene stack: tying terrestrial lake ecology to marine carbon cycling through the Early Eocene Climatic Optimum

Science.gov (United States)

Grogan, D. S.; Whiteside, J. H.; Musher, D.; Rosengard, S. Z.; Vankeuren, M. A.; Pancost, R. D.

2010-12-01

The lacustrine Green River Formation is known to span ≥15 million years through the early-middle Eocene, and recent work on radioisotopic dating has provided a framework on which to build ties to the orbitally-tuned marine Eocene record. Here we present a spliced stack of Fischer assay data from drilled cores of the Green River Formation that span both an East-West and a North-South transect of the Uinta Basin of Utah. Detailed work on two cores demonstrate that Fischer assay measurements covary with total organic carbon and bulk carbon isotopes, allowing us to use Fisher assay results as a representative carbon cycling proxy throughout the stack. We provide an age model for this core record by combining radioisotopic dates of tuff layers with frequency analysis of Fischer assay measurements. Identification of orbital frequencies tied directly to magnetochrons through radioisotopic dates allows for a direct comparison of the terrestrial to the marine Eocene record. Our analysis indicates that the marker beds used to correlate the stack cores represent periods of enhanced lake productivity and extreme carbon burial; however, unlike the hyperthermal events that are clearly marked in the marine Eocene record, the hydrocarbon-rich "Mahogany Bed" period of burial does not correspond to a clear carbon isotope excursion. This suggests that the terrestrial realm may have experienced extreme ecological responses to relatively small perturbations in the carbon cycle during the Early Eocene Climatic Optimum. To investigate the ecological responses to carbon cycle perturbations through the hydrocarbon rich beds, we analyzed a suite of microbial biomarkers, finding evidence for cyanobacteria, dinoflagellates, and potentially green sulfur bacteria. These taxa indicate fluctuating oxic/anoxic conditions in the lake during abrupt intervals of carbon burial, suggesting a lake biogeochemical regime with no modern analogues.

Erythritol: crystal growth from the melt.

Science.gov (United States)

Lopes Jesus, A J; Nunes, Sandra C C; Ramos Silva, M; Matos Beja, A; Redinha, J S

2010-03-30

The structural changes occurring on erythritol as it is cooled from the melt to low temperature, and then heated up to the melting point have been investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), polarized light thermal microscopy (PLTM), X-ray powder diffraction (PXRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). By DSC, it was possible to set up the conditions to obtain an amorphous solid, a crystalline solid, or a mixture of both materials in different proportions. Two crystalline forms have been identified: a stable and a metastable one with melting points of 117 and 104 degrees C, respectively. The fusion curve decomposition of the stable form revealed the existence of three conformational structures. The main paths of the crystallization from the melt were followed by PLTM. The texture and colour changes allowed the characterization of the different phases and transitions in which they are involved on cooling as well as on heating processes. The type of crystallization front and its velocity were also followed by microscopic observation. These observations, together with the data provided by PXRD, allowed elucidating the transition of the metastable form into the stable one. The structural changes occurring upon the cooling and subsequent heating processes, namely those arising from intermolecular hydrogen bonds, were also accompanied by infrared spectroscopy. Particular attention was given to the spectral changes occurring in the OH stretching region. Copyright (c) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

THE MOLECULAR EMISSION OF THE IRRADIATED STAR-FORMING CORE AHEAD OF HH 80N

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Masque, Josep M.; Beltran, Maria T.; Estalella, Robert; Girart, Josep M.; Viti, Serena

2009-01-01

We present a Berkeley-Illinois-Maryland Association Array molecular survey of the star-forming core ahead of HH 80N, the optically obscured northern counterpart of the Herbig-Haro objects HH 80/81. Continuum emission at 1.4 mm and 8 μm is detected at the center of the core, which confirms the presence of an embedded very young stellar object in the core. All detected molecular species arise in a ringlike structure, which is most clearly traced by CS (2-1) emission. This molecular ring suggests that strong molecular depletion occurs in the inner part of the core (at a radius of ≅0.1 pc and densities higher than ∼5 x 10 4 cm -3 ). Despite the overall morphology and kinematic similarity between the different species, there is significant molecular differentiation along the ringlike structure. The analysis of the chemistry along the core shows that part of this differentiation may be caused by the UV irradiation of the nearby HH 80N object that illuminates the part of the core facing HH 80N, which results in an abundance enhancement of some of the detected species.

Apatite-Melt Partitioning at 1 Bar: An Assessment of Apatite-Melt Exchange Equilibria Resulting from Non-Ideal Mixing of F and Cl in Apatite

Science.gov (United States)

McCubbin, F. M.; Ustunisik, G.; Vander Kaaden, K. E.

2016-01-01

The mineral apatite [Ca5(PO4)3(F,Cl,OH)] is present in a wide range of planetary materials. Due to the presence of volatiles within its crystal structure (X-site), many recent studies have attempted to use apatite to constrain the volatile contents of planetary magmas and mantle sources. In order to use the volatile contents of apatite to precisely determine the abundances of volatiles in coexisting silicate melt or fluids, thermodynamic models for the apatite solid solution and for the apatite components in multi-component silicate melts and fluids are required. Although some thermodynamic models for apatite have been developed, they are incomplete. Furthermore, no mixing model is available for all of the apatite components in silicate melts or fluids, especially for F and Cl components. Several experimental studies have investigated the apatite-melt and apatite-fluid partitioning behavior of F, Cl, and OH in terrestrial and planetary systems, which have determined that apatite-melt partitioning of volatiles are best described as exchange equilibria similar to Fe-Mg partitioning between olivine and silicate melt. However, McCubbin et al. recently reported that the exchange coefficients may vary in portions of apatite compositional space where F, Cl, and OH do not mix ideally in apatite. In particular, solution calorimetry data of apatite compositions along the F-Cl join exhibit substantial excess enthalpies of mixing. In the present study, we conducted apatite-melt partitioning experiments in evacuated, sealed silica-glass tubes at approximately 1 bar and 950-1050 degrees Centigrade on a synthetic Martian basalt composition equivalent to the basaltic shergottite Queen Alexandria Range (QUE) 94201. These experiments were conducted dry, at low pressure, to assess the effects of temperature and apatite composition on the partitioning behavior of F and Cl between apatite and basaltic melt along the F-Cl apatite binary join, where there is non-ideal mixing of F and Cl

Model for melt blockage (slug) relocation and physico-chemical interactions during core degradation under severe accident conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Veshchunov, M.S.; Shestak, V.E.

2008-01-01

The model describing massive melt blockage (slug) relocation and physico-chemical interactions with steam and surrounding fuel rods of a bundle is developed on the base of the observations in the CORA tests. Mass exchange owing to slug oxidation and fuel rods dissolution is described by the previously developed 2D model for the molten pool oxidation. Heat fluxes in oxidising melt along with the oxidation heat effect at the melt relocation front are counterbalanced by the heat losses in the surrounding media and the fusion heat effect of the Zr claddings attacked by the melt. As a result, the slug relocation velocity is calculated from the heat flux matches at the melt propagation front (Stefan problem). A numerical module simulating the slug behaviour is developed by tight coupling of the heat and mass exchange modules. The new model demonstrates a reasonable capability to simulate the main features of the massive slug behaviour observed in the CORA-W1 test

Retrograde Melting and Internal Liquid Gettering in Silicon

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hudelson, Steve; Newman, Bonna K.; Bernardis, Sarah; Fenning, David P.; Bertoni, Mariana I.; Marcus, Matthew A.; Fakra, Sirine C.; Lai, Barry; Buonassisi, Tonio

2011-07-01

Retrograde melting (melting upon cooling) is observed in silicon doped with 3d transition metals, via synchrotron-based temperature-dependent X-ray microprobe measurements. Liquid metal-silicon droplets formed via retrograde melting act as efficient sinks for metal impurities dissolved within the silicon matrix. Cooling results in decomposition of the homogeneous liquid phase into solid multiple-metal alloy precipitates. These phenomena represent a novel pathway for engineering impurities in semiconductor-based systems.

Computer-integrated electric-arc melting process control system

OpenAIRE

Дёмин, Дмитрий Александрович

2014-01-01

Developing common principles of completing melting process automation systems with hardware and creating on their basis rational choices of computer- integrated electricarc melting control systems is an actual task since it allows a comprehensive approach to the issue of modernizing melting sites of workshops. This approach allows to form the computer-integrated electric-arc furnace control system as part of a queuing system “electric-arc furnace - foundry conveyor” and consider, when taking ...

Effect of component substitution on the atomic dynamics in glass-forming binary metallic melts

Science.gov (United States)

Nowak, B.; Holland-Moritz, D.; Yang, F.; Voigtmann, Th.; Evenson, Z.; Hansen, T. C.; Meyer, A.

2017-08-01

We investigate the substitution of early transition metals (Zr, Hf, and Nb) in Ni-based binary glass-forming metallic melts and the impact on structural and dynamical properties by using a combination of neutron scattering, electrostatic levitation (ESL), and isotopic substitution. The self-diffusion coefficients measured by quasielastic neutron scattering (QENS) identify a sluggish diffusion as well as an increased activation energy by almost a factor of 2 for Hf35Ni65 compared to Zr36Ni64 . This finding can be explained by the locally higher packing density of Hf atoms in Hf35Ni65 compared to Zr atoms in Zr36Ni64 , which has been derived from interatomic distances by analyzing the measured partial structure factors. Furthermore, QENS measurements of liquid Hf35Ni65 prepared with 60Ni , which has a vanishing incoherent scattering cross section, have demonstrated that self-diffusion of Hf is slowed down compared to the concentration weighted self-diffusion of Hf and Ni. This implies a dynamical decoupling between larger Hf and smaller Ni atoms, which can be related to a saturation effect of unequal atomic nearest-neighbor pairs, that was observed recently for Ni-rich compositions in Zr-Ni metallic melts. In order to establish a structure-dynamics relation, measured partial structure factors have been used as an input for mode-coupling theory (MCT) of the glass transition to calculate self-diffusion coefficients for the different atomic components. Remarkably, MCT can reproduce the increased activation energy for Hf35Ni65 as well as the dynamical decoupling between Hf and Ni atoms.

Origin and evolution of life on terrestrial planets.

Science.gov (United States)

Brack, A; Horneck, G; Cockell, C S; Bérces, A; Belisheva, N K; Eiroa, Carlos; Henning, Thomas; Herbst, Tom; Kaltenegger, Lisa; Léger, Alain; Liseau, Réne; Lammer, Helmut; Selsis, Franck; Beichman, Charles; Danchi, William; Fridlund, Malcolm; Lunine, Jonathan; Paresce, Francesco; Penny, Alan; Quirrenbach, Andreas; Röttgering, Huub; Schneider, Jean; Stam, Daphne; Tinetti, Giovanna; White, Glenn J

2010-01-01

The ultimate goal of terrestrial planet-finding missions is not only to discover terrestrial exoplanets inside the habitable zone (HZ) of their host stars but also to address the major question as to whether life may have evolved on a habitable Earth-like exoplanet outside our Solar System. We note that the chemical evolution that finally led to the origin of life on Earth must be studied if we hope to understand the principles of how life might evolve on other terrestrial planets in the Universe. This is not just an anthropocentric point of view: the basic ingredients of terrestrial life, that is, reduced carbon-based molecules and liquid H(2)O, have very specific properties. We discuss the origin of life from the chemical evolution of its precursors to the earliest life-forms and the biological implications of the stellar radiation and energetic particle environments. Likewise, the study of the biological evolution that has generated the various life-forms on Earth provides clues toward the understanding of the interconnectedness of life with its environment.

A Study of THT Cold Cores Population in the Star-Forming Region in Serpens

Science.gov (United States)

Fiorellino, Eleonora

2017-11-01

The purpose of this work is to produce the Core Mass Function (CMF) of the Serpens star-forming region and confront it with the Initial Mass Function (IMF), the statistical distribution of initial star mass. As Testi & Sergent (1998) discovered, the power-law index of the slope of the CMF is very close to the one of the Salpeter's IMF (Salpeter, 1955): dN/dM / M2.35. This strongly suggests that the stellar IMF results from the fragmentation process in turbulent cloud cores rather than from stellar accretion mechanisms and gives a huge contribute to undestanding the star formation. For this work, we started from the data delivered by the European satellite Herschel and produced the maps of the Serpens with Unimap code (Piazzo et al, 2015). Hence we obtained a core catalogue with two different softwares getsources (Men'shchikov et al, 2012) and CuTEx (Molinari et al, 2011) and we eliminated from it any source that is not a core. A full discussion of the cores physical propreties as well as the whole region is under preparation.

Calculations with ANSYS/FLOTRAN to a core catcher benchmark

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Willschuetz, H.G.

1999-01-01

There are numerous experiments for the exploration of the corium spreading behaviour, but comparable data have not been available up to now in the field of the long-term behaviour of a corium expanded in a core catcher. For the calculations a pure liquid oxidic melt with a homogeneous internal heat source was assumed. The melt was distributed uniformly over the spreading area of the EPR core catcher. All codes applied the well known k-ε-turbulence-model to simulate the turbulent flow regime of this melt configuration. While the FVM-code calculations were performed with three dimensional models using a simple symmetry, the problem was modelled two-dimensionally with ANSYS due to limited CPU performance. In addition, the 2D results of ANSYS should allow a comparison for the planned second stage of the calculations. In this second stage, the behaviour of a segregated metal oxide melt should be examined. However, first estimates and pre-calculations showed that a 3D simulation of the problem is not possible with any of the codes due to lacking computer performance. (orig.)

Melt-processing method for radioactive solid wastes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kobayashi, Hiroaki

1998-01-01

Radioactive solid wastes are charged into a water-cooled type cold crucible induction melting furnace disposed in high frequency coils, and high frequency currents are supplied to high frequency coils which surround the melting furnace to melt the solid wastes by induction-heating. In this case, heat plasmas are jetted from above the solid wastes to the solid wastes to conduct initial heating to melt a portion of the solid wastes. Then, high frequency currents are supplied to the high frequency coils to conduct induction heating. According to this method, even when waste components of various kinds of materials are mixed, a portion of the solid wastes in the induction melting furnace can be melted by the initial heating by jetting heat plasmas irrespective of the kinds and the electroconductivity of the materials of the solid wastes. With such procedures, entire solid wastes in the furnace can be formed into a molten state uniformly and rapidly. (T.M.)

Magnetized Converging Flows toward the Hot Core in the Intermediate/High-mass Star-forming Region NGC 6334 V

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Juárez, Carmen; Girart, Josep M.; Zamora-Avilés, Manuel; Palau, Aina; Ballesteros-Paredes, Javier; Tang, Ya-Wen; Koch, Patrick M.; Liu, Hauyu Baobab; Zhang, Qizhou; Qiu, Keping

2017-01-01

We present Submillimeter Array (SMA) observations at 345 GHz toward the intermediate/high-mass cluster-forming region NGC 6334 V. From the dust emission we spatially resolve three dense condensations, the brightest one presenting the typical chemistry of a hot core. The magnetic field (derived from the dust polarized emission) shows a bimodal converging pattern toward the hot core. The molecular emission traces two filamentary structures at two different velocities, separated by 2 km s −1 , converging to the hot core and following the magnetic field distribution. We compare the velocity field and the magnetic field derived from the SMA observations with magnetohydrodynamic simulations of star-forming regions dominated by gravity. This comparison allows us to show how the gas falls in from the larger-scale extended dense core (∼0.1 pc) of NGC 6334 V toward the higher-density hot core region (∼0.02 pc) through two distinctive converging flows dragging the magnetic field, whose strength seems to have been overcome by gravity.

Melting temperature of graphite

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Korobenko, V.N.; Savvatimskiy, A.I.

2001-01-01

Full Text: Pulse of electrical current is used for fast heating (∼ 1 μs) of metal and graphite specimens placed in dielectric solid media. Specimen consists of two strips (90 μm in thick) placed together with small gap so they form a black body model. Quasy-monocrystal graphite specimens were used for uniform heating of graphite. Temperature measurements were fulfilled with fast pyrometer and with composite 2-strip black body model up to melting temperature. There were fulfilled experiments with zirconium and tungsten of the same black body construction. Additional temperature measurements of liquid zirconium and liquid tungsten are made. Specific heat capacity (c P ) of liquid zirconium and of liquid tungsten has a common feature in c P diminishing just after melting. It reveals c P diminishing after melting in both cases over the narrow temperature range up to usual values known from steady state measurements. Over the next wide temperature range heat capacity for W (up to 5000 K) and Zr (up to 4100 K) show different dependencies of heat capacity on temperature in liquid state. The experiments confirmed a high quality of 2-strip black body model used for graphite temperature measurements. Melting temperature plateau of tungsten (3690 K) was used for pyrometer calibration area for graphite temperature measurement. As a result, a preliminary value of graphite melting temperature of 4800 K was obtained. (author)

Spiral arms, comets and terrestrial catastrophism

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Clube, S.V.M.; Napier, W.M.

1982-01-01

A review is presented of an hypothesis of terrestrial catastrophism in which comets grow in molecular clouds and are captured by the Sun as it passes through the spiral arms of the Galaxy. Assuming that comets are a major supplier of the Earth-crossing (Appollo) asteroid population, the latter fluctuates correspondingly and leads to episodes of terrestrial bombardment. Changes in the rotational momentum of core and mantle, generated by impacts, lead to episodes of magnetic field reversal and tectonic activity, while surface phenomena lead to ice-ages and mass extinctions. An episodic geophysical history with an interstellar connection is thus implied. If comets in spiral arms are necessary intermediaries in the process of star formation, the theory also has implications relating to early solar system history and galactic chemistry. These aspects are briefly discussed with special reference to the nature of spiral arms. (author)

Korrelasjon mellom core styrke, core stabilitet og utholdende styrke i core

OpenAIRE

Berg-Olsen, Andrea Marie; Fugelsøy, Eivor; Maurstad, Ann-Louise

2010-01-01

Formålet med studien var å se hvilke korrelasjon det er mellom core styrke, core stabilitet og utholdende styrke i core. Testingen bestod av tre hoveddeler hvor vi testet core styrke, core stabilitet og utholdende styrke i core. Innenfor core styrke og utholdende styrke i core ble tre ulike tester utført. Ved måling av core stabilitet ble det gjennomført kun en test. I core styrke ble isometrisk abdominal fleksjon, isometrisk rygg ekstensjon og isometrisk lateral fleksjon testet. Sit-ups p...

Origin of Holocene trachyte lavas of the Quetrupillán volcanic complex, Chile: Examples of residual melts in a rejuvenated crystalline mush reservoir

Science.gov (United States)

Brahm, Raimundo; Parada, Miguel Angel; Morgado, Eduardo; Contreras, Claudio; McGee, Lucy Emma

2018-05-01

The Quetrupillán Volcanic Complex (QVC) is a stratovolcano placed in the center of a NW-SE volcanic chain, between Villarrica volcano and Lanín volcano, in the Central Southern Volcanic Zone of the Andes. Its youngest effusive products are dominated by crystal-poor (most samples with differentiation at shallow depth (<1 kbar) and NNO-QFM oxidation conditions were obtained from initial melt compositions equivalent to the Huililco basalts, a small eruptive centre located ca. 12 km NE of the QVC main vent. Pyroxene-bearing crystal clots, locally abundant in the trachytes, were formed at 900-960 °C (±55 °C) and represent a dismembered crystal mush from which interstitial trachytic melts were extracted and transported upward before eruption. Heating of the crystal mush by a hotter magma recharge is inferred from complex zoned plagioclases formed at higher crystallization temperatures (50-90 °C) than those obtained from pyroxene. Ca-rich plagioclase overgrowths around more albitic cores, followed by an external rim of similar composition to the core are interpreted as restoration to the initial conditions of plagioclase crystallization after the mentioned heating event. Additionally, a late heating of up to 150 °C just prior to eruption is recorded by Fe-Ti oxide thermometry.

Single-Track Melt-Pool Measurements and Microstructures in Inconel 625

Science.gov (United States)

Ghosh, Supriyo; Ma, Li; Levine, Lyle E.; Ricker, Richard E.; Stoudt, Mark R.; Heigel, Jarred C.; Guyer, Jonathan E.

2018-02-01

We use single-track laser melting experiments and simulations on Inconel 625 to estimate the dimensions and microstructure of the resulting melt pool. Our work is based on a design-of-experiments approach which uses multiple laser power and scan speed combinations. Single-track experiments generated melt pools of certain dimensions that showed reasonable agreement with our finite-element calculations. Phase-field simulations were used to predict the size and segregation of the cellular microstructure that formed along the melt-pool boundaries for the solidification conditions that changed as a function of melt-pool dimensions.

Single-Track Melt-Pool Measurements and Microstructures in Inconel 625

Science.gov (United States)

Ghosh, Supriyo; Ma, Li; Levine, Lyle E.; Ricker, Richard E.; Stoudt, Mark R.; Heigel, Jarred C.; Guyer, Jonathan E.

2018-06-01

We use single-track laser melting experiments and simulations on Inconel 625 to estimate the dimensions and microstructure of the resulting melt pool. Our work is based on a design-of-experiments approach which uses multiple laser power and scan speed combinations. Single-track experiments generated melt pools of certain dimensions that showed reasonable agreement with our finite-element calculations. Phase-field simulations were used to predict the size and segregation of the cellular microstructure that formed along the melt-pool boundaries for the solidification conditions that changed as a function of melt-pool dimensions.

Free energy and structure of dislocation cores in two-dimensional crystals

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bladon, P.B.; Frenkel, D.

2004-01-01

The nature of the melting transition in two dimensions is critically dependent on the core energy of dislocations. In this paper, we report calculations of the core free energy and the core size of dislocations in two-dimensional solids of systems interacting via square well, hard disk, and r-12

FIRST MEASUREMENTS OF {sup 15}N FRACTIONATION IN N{sub 2}H{sup +} TOWARD HIGH-MASS STAR-FORMING CORES

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fontani, F. [INAF-Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri, L.go E. Fermi 5, I-50125 Firenze (Italy); Caselli, P.; Bizzocchi, L. [Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics, Giessenbachstrasse 1, D-85748 Garching (Germany); Palau, A. [Centro de Radioastronomía y Astrofísica, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, P.O. Box 3-72, 58090 Morelia, Michoacán, México (Mexico); Ceccarelli, C. [Univ. Grenoble Alpes, IPAG, F-38000 Grenoble (France)

2015-08-01

We report on the first measurements of the isotopic ratio {sup 14}N/{sup 15}N in N{sub 2}H{sup +} toward a statistically significant sample of high-mass star-forming cores. The sources belong to the three main evolutionary categories of the high-mass star formation process: high-mass starless cores, high-mass protostellar objects, and ultracompact H ii regions. Simultaneous measurements of the {sup 14}N/{sup 15}N ratio in CN have been made. The {sup 14}N/{sup 15}N ratios derived from N{sub 2}H{sup +} show a large spread (from ∼180 up to ∼1300), while those derived from CN are in between the value measured in the terrestrial atmosphere (∼270) and that of the proto-solar nebula (∼440) for the large majority of the sources within the errors. However, this different spread might be due to the fact that the sources detected in the N{sub 2}H{sup +} isotopologues are more than those detected in the CN ones. The {sup 14}N/{sup 15}N ratio does not change significantly with the source evolutionary stage, which indicates that time seems to be irrelevant for the fractionation of nitrogen. We also find a possible anticorrelation between the {sup 14}N/{sup 15}N (as derived from N{sub 2}H{sup +}) and the H/D isotopic ratios. This suggests that {sup 15}N enrichment could not be linked to the parameters that cause D enrichment, in agreement with the prediction by recent chemical models. These models, however, are not able to reproduce the observed large spread in {sup 14}N/{sup 15}N, pointing out that some important routes of nitrogen fractionation could be still missing in the models.

Models of the earth's core

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stevenson, D.J.

1981-01-01

The combination of seismology, high pressure experiment and theory, geomagnetism, fluid dynamics, and current views of terrestrial planetary evolution lead to strong constraints on core models. The synthesis presented here is devoted to the defense of the following properties: (1) core formation was contemporaneous with earth accretion; (2) the outer, liquid core is predominately iron but cannot be purely iron; (3) the inner core-outer core boundary represents a thermodynamic equilibrium between a liquid alloys and a predominanately iron solid; (4) thermodynamic and transport properties of outer core can be estimated from liquid-state theories; and (5) the outer core is probably adiabatic and uniform in composition. None of these propositions are universally accepted by geophysicists. But, the intent of this paper is to present a coherent picture which explains most of the data with the fewest ad hoc assumptions. Areas in which future progress is both essential and likely are geo- and cosmochronology, seismological determinations of core structure, fluid dynamics of the core and mantle, and condensed matter physics

Interpretation of the results of the CORA-33 dry core BWR test

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ott, L.J.; Hagen, S.

1993-01-01

All BWR degraded core experiments performed prior to CORA-33 were conducted under ''wet'' core degradation conditions for which water remains within the core and continuous steaming feeds metal/steam oxidation reactions on the in-core metallic surfaces. However, one dominant set of accident scenarios would occur with reduced metal oxidation under ''dry'' core degradation conditions and, prior to CORA-33, this set had been neglected experimentally. The CORA-33 experiment was designed specifically to address this dominant set of BWR ''dry'' core severe accident scenarios and to partially resolve phenomenological uncertainties concerning the behavior of relocating metallic melts draining into the lower regions of a ''dry'' BWR core. CORA-33 was conducted on October 1, 1992, in the CORA tests facility at KfK. Review of the CORA-33 data indicates that the test objectives were achieved; that is, core degradation occurred at a core heatup rate and a test section axial temperature profile that are prototypic of full-core nuclear power plant (NPP) simulations at ''dry'' core conditions. Simulations of the CORA-33 test at ORNL have required modification of existing control blade/canister materials interaction models to include the eutectic melting of the stainless steel/Zircaloy interaction products and the heat of mixing of stainless steel and Zircaloy. The timing and location of canister failure and melt intrusion into the fuel assembly appear to be adequately simulated by the ORNL models. This paper will present the results of the posttest analyses carried out at ORNL based upon the experimental data and the posttest examination of the test bundle at KfK. The implications of these results with respect to degraded core modeling and the associated safety issues are also discussed

Influence of gas generation on high-temperature melt/concrete interactions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Powers, D.A.

1979-01-01

Accidents involving fuel melting and eventual contact between the high temperature melt and structural concrete may be hypothesized for both light water thermal reactors and liquid metal cooled breeder reactors. Though these hypothesized accidents have a quite low probability of occurring, it is necessary to investigate the probable natures of the accidents if an adequate assessment of the risks associated with the use of nuclear reactors is to be made. A brief description is given of a program addressing the nature of melt/concrete interactions which has been underway for three years at Sandia Laboratories. Emphasis in this program has been toward the behavior of prototypic melts of molten core materials with concrete representative of that found in existing or proposed reactors. The goals of the experimentation have been to identify phenomena particularly pertinent to questions of reactor safety, and phenomena particularly pertinent to questions of reactor safety, and provide quantitative data suitable for the purposes of risk assessment

Formation of recent martian debris flows by melting of near-surface ground ice at high obliquity.

Science.gov (United States)

Costard, F; Forget, F; Mangold, N; Peulvast, J P

2002-01-04

The observation of small gullies associated with recent surface runoff on Mars has renewed the question of liquid water stability at the surface of Mars. The gullies could be formed by groundwater seepage from underground aquifers; however, observations of gullies originating from isolated peaks and dune crests question this scenario. We show that these landforms may result from the melting of water ice in the top few meters of the martian subsurface at high obliquity. Our conclusions are based on the analogy between the martian gullies and terrestrial debris flows observed in Greenland and numerical simulations that show that above-freezing temperatures can occur at high obliquities in the near surface of Mars, and that such temperatures are only predicted at latitudes and for slope orientations corresponding to where the gullies have been observed on Mars.

Modelling the influence of the gas to melt ratio on the fraction solid of the surface in spray formed billets

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hattel, Jesper Henri; Pryds, Nini

2006-01-01

the atomisation stage taking thermal coupling into consideration and the deposition of the droplets at the surface of the billet taking geometrical aspects such as shading into account. The coupling between these two models is accomplished by ensuring that the total droplet size distribution of the spray......In this paper, the relationship between the Gas to Melt Ratio (GMR) and the solid fraction of an evolving billet surface is investigated numerically. The basis for the analysis is a recently developed integrated procedure for modelling the entire spray forming process. This model includes...... is the summation of “local” droplet size distributions along the r-axis of the spray cone. The criterion for a successful process has been a predefined process window characterised by a desired solid fraction range at a certain distance from the atomizer. Inside this process window, the gas and melt flows have...

GLASS MELTING PHENOMENA, THEIR ORDERING AND MELTING SPACE UTILISATION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Němec L.

2013-12-01

Full Text Available Four aspects of effective glass melting have been defined – namely the fast kinetics of partial melting phenomena, a consideration of the melting phenomena ordering, high utilisation of the melting space, and effective utilisation of the supplied energy. The relations were defined for the specific melting performance and specific energy consumption of the glass melting process which involve the four mentioned aspects of the process and indicate the potentials of effective melting. The quantity “space utilisation” has been treated in more detail as an aspect not considered in practice till this time. The space utilisation was quantitatively defined and its values have been determined for the industrial melting facility by mathematical modelling. The definitions of the specific melting performance and specific energy consumption have been used for assessment of the potential impact of a controlled melt flow and high space utilisation on the melting process efficiency on the industrial scale. The results have shown that even the partial control of the melt flow, leading to the partial increase of the space utilisation, may considerably increase the melting performance, whereas a decrease of the specific energy consumption was determined to be between 10 - 15 %.

The coupled response to slope-dependent basal melting

Science.gov (United States)

Little, C. M.; Goldberg, D. N.; Sergienko, O. V.; Gnanadesikan, A.

2009-12-01

Ice shelf basal melting is likely to be strongly controlled by basal slope. If ice shelves steepen in response to intensified melting, it suggests instability in the coupled ice-ocean system. The dynamic response of ice shelves governs what stable morphologies are possible, and thus the influence of melting on buttressing and grounding line migration. Simulations performed using a 3-D ocean model indicate that a simple form of slope-dependent melting is robust under more complex oceanographic conditions. Here we utilize this parameterization to investigate the shape and grounding line evolution of ice shelves, using a shallow-shelf approximation-based model that includes lateral drag. The distribution of melting substantially affects the shape and aspect ratio of unbuttressed ice shelves. Slope-dependent melting thins the ice shelf near the grounding line, reducing velocities throughout the shelf. Sharp ice thickness gradients evolve at high melting rates, yet grounding lines remain static. In foredeepened, buttressed ice shelves, changes in grounding line flux allow two additional options: stable or unstable retreat. Under some conditions, slope-dependent melting results in stable configurations even at high melt rates.

OECD MCCI 2-D Core Concrete Interaction (CCI) tests : CCI-2 test data report-thermalhydraulic results, Rev. 0 October 15, 2004.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Farmer, M. T.; Lomperski, S.; Kilsdonk, D. J.; Aeschlimann, R. W.; Basu, S. (Nuclear Engineering Division); (NRC)

2011-05-23

The Melt Attack and Coolability Experiments (MACE) program addressed the issue of the ability of water to cool and thermally stabilize a molten core-concrete interaction when the reactants are flooded from above. These tests provided data regarding the nature of corium interactions with concrete, the heat transfer rates from the melt to the overlying water pool, and the role of noncondensable gases in the mixing processes that contribute to melt quenching. As a follow-on program to MACE, The Melt Coolability and Concrete Interaction Experiments (MCCI) project is conducting reactor material experiments and associated analysis to achieve the following objectives: (1) resolve the ex-vessel debris coolability issue through a program that focuses on providing both confirmatory evidence and test data for the coolability mechanisms identified in MACE integral effects tests, and (2) address remaining uncertainties related to long-term two-dimensional molten core-concrete interactions under both wet and dry cavity conditions. Achievement of these two program objectives will demonstrate the efficacy of severe accident management guidelines for existing plants, and provide the technical basis for better containment designs for future plants. In terms of satisfying these objectives, the Management Board (MB) approved the conduct of two long-term 2-D Core-Concrete Interaction (CCI) experiments designed to provide information in several areas, including: (i) lateral vs. axial power split during dry core-concrete interaction, (ii) integral debris coolability data following late phase flooding, and (iii) data regarding the nature and extent of the cooling transient following breach of the crust formed at the melt-water interface. This data report provides thermal hydraulic test results from the CCI-2 experiment, which was conducted on August 24, 2004. Test specifications for CCI-2 are provided in Table 1-1. This experiment investigated the interaction of a fully oxidized 400 kg

Induction melting of simulated transuranic waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tenaglia, R.D.; McCall, J.L.

1983-06-01

Coreless induction melting was investigated as a method to melt and consolidate waste material representative of the transuranic waste (TRU) stored at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL). Waste material was introduced onto the surface of a molten cast iron bath in a coreless induction furnace. Waste metallics were incorporated into the bath. Noncombustibles formed a slag which was poured or skimmed from the bath surface. Stack sampling was performed to characterize the off-gas and particulate matter evolved. Experimental melting tests were performed for a variety of types of wastes including metallics, chemical sludge, soil, concrete, and glass. Each test also included a representative level of combustible materials consisting of paper, wood, cloth, polyvinyl chloride and polyethylene. Metallic wastes were readily processed by induction melting with a minimum of slag production. Test waste consisting primarily of chemical sludge provided fluid slags which could be poured from the bath surface. Processing of wastes consisting of soil, concrete, or glass was limited by the inability to achieve fluid slags. It appears from test results that coreless induction melting is a feasible method to process INEL-type waste materials if two problems can be resolved. First, slag fluidity must be improved to facilitate the collection of slags formed from soil, concrete, or glass containing wastes. Secondly, refractory life must be further optimized to permit prolonged processing of the waste materials. The use of a chrome-bearing high-alumina refractory was found to resist slag line attach much better than a magnesia refractory, although some attack was still noted

Measuring technique of super high temperature thermal properties of reactor core materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ono, Akira; Baba, Tetsuya; Watanabe, Hideo; Matsumoto, Tsuyoshi

1998-01-01

In this study, thermal properties of reactor core materials used for water cooled reactors and FBR were tried to develop a technique to measure their melt states at less than 3,000degC in order to contribute more correct evaluation of the reactor core behavior at severe accident. Then, a thermal property measuring method of high temperature melt by using floating method was investigated and its fundamental design was begun to investigate under a base of optimum judgement on the air flow floating throw-down method. And, in order to measure emissivity of melt specimen surface essential for correct temperature measurement using the throw down method, a spectroscopic emissivity measuring unit using an ellipsometer was prepared and induced. On the thermal properties measurement using the holding method, a specimen container to measure thermal diffusiveness of the high temperature melts by using laser flashing method was tried to prepare. (G.K.)

Structure of a mushy layer under hypergravity with implications for Earth's inner core

Science.gov (United States)

Huguet, Ludovic; Alboussière, Thierry; Bergman, Michael I.; Deguen, Renaud; Labrosse, Stéphane; Lesœur, Germain

2016-03-01

Crystallization experiments in the dendritic regime have been carried out in hypergravity conditions (from 1 to 1300 g) from an ammonium chloride solution (NH4Cl and H2O). A commercial centrifuge was equipped with a slip ring so that electric power (needed for a Peltier device and a heating element), temperature and ultrasonic signals could be transmitted between the experimental setup and the laboratory. Ultrasound measurements (2-6 MHz) were used to detect the position of the front of the mushy zone and to determine attenuation in the mush. Temperature measurements were used to control a Peltier element extracting heat from the bottom of the setup and to monitor the evolution of crystallization in the mush and in the liquid. A significant increase of solid fraction and attenuation in the mush is observed as gravity is increased. Kinetic undercooling is significant in our experiments and has been included in a macroscopic mush model. The other ingredients of the model are conservation of energy and chemical species, along with heat/species transfer between the mush and the liquid phase: boundary-layer exchanges at the top of the mush and bulk convection within the mush (formation of chimneys). The outputs of the model compare well with our experiments. We have then run the model in a range of parameters suitable for the Earth's inner core. This has shown the role of bulk mush convection for the inner core and the reason why a solid fraction very close to unity should be expected. We have also run melting experiments: after crystallization of a mush, the liquid has been heated from above until the mush started to melt, while the bottom cold temperature was maintained. These melting experiments were motivated by the possible local melting at the inner core boundary that has been invoked to explain the formation of the anomalously slow F-layer at the bottom of the outer core or inner core hemispherical asymmetry. Oddly, the consequences of melting are an increase in

Premixing and steam explosion phenomena in the tests with stratified melt-coolant configuration and binary oxidic melt simulant materials

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kudinov, Pavel, E-mail: pavel@safety.sci.kth.se; Grishchenko, Dmitry, E-mail: dmitry@safety.sci.kth.se; Konovalenko, Alexander, E-mail: kono@kth.se; Karbojian, Aram, E-mail: karbojan@kth.se

2017-04-01

Highlights: • Steam explosion in stratified melt-coolant configuration is studied experimentally. • Different binary oxidic melt simulant materials were used. • Five spontaneous steam explosions were observed. • Instability of melt-coolant interface and formation of premixing layer was observed. • Explosion strength is influenced by melt superheat and water subcooling. - Abstract: Steam explosion phenomena in stratified melt-coolant configuration are considered in this paper. Liquid corium layer covered by water on top can be formed in severe accident scenarios with (i) vessel failure and release of corium melt into a relatively shallow water pool; (ii) with top flooding of corium melt layer. In previous assessments of potential energetics in stratified melt-coolant configuration, it was assumed that melt and coolant are separated by a stable vapor film and there is no premixing prior to the shock wave propagation. This assumption was instrumental for concluding that the amount of energy that can be released in such configuration is not of safety importance. However, several recent experiments carried out in Pouring and Under-water Liquid Melt Spreading (PULiMS) facility with up to 78 kg of binary oxidic corium simulants mixtures have resulted in spontaneous explosions with relatively high conversion ratios (order of one percent). The instability of the melt-coolant interface, melt splashes and formation of premixing layer were observed in the tests. In this work, we present results of experiments carried out more recently in steam explosion in stratified melt-coolant configuration (SES) facility in order to shed some light on the premixing phenomena and assess the influence of the test conditions on the steam explosion energetics.

Natural Convection Heat Transfer of Oxide Pool During In-Vessel Retention of Core Melts

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Park, Hae-Kyun; Chung, Bum-Jin [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2015-10-15

The integrity of reactor vessel may be threatened by the heat generation at the oxide pool and to the natural convection heat transfer to the reactor vessel by those two layers. Therefore, External Reactor Vessel Cooling (ERVC) is performed in order to secure the integrity of the reactor vessel. Whether the IVR(In-Vessel Retention) Strategy can be applicable to a larger reactor is the technical concern, which nourished the research interest for the natural convection heat transfer of metal and oxide pool and ERVC performance. Especially, it is hard to simulate oxide pool by experimentally due to the high level of buoyancy. Moreover, the volumetrically exothermic working fluid should be adopted to simulate the behavior of the core melts. Therefore, the volumetric heat sources that immersed in the working fluid have been adopted to simulate oxide pool by experiment. We investigated oxide pool with two different designs of the volumetric heat sources that adopted previous experiments. The investigation was performed by mass transfer experiment using analogy between heat and mass transfers. The results were compared to previous studies. We simulated the natural convection heat transfer of the oxide pool by mass transfer experiment. The isothermally cooled condition was established by limiting current technique firstly. The results were compared to previous studies under identical design of the volumetric heat sources. The average Nu's of the curvature and the top plate were close to the previous studies.

Natural convection of the oxide pool in a three-layer configuration of core melts

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Su-Hyeon; Park, Hae-Kyun; Chung, Bum-Jin, E-mail: bjchung@khu.ac.kr

2017-06-15

Highlights: • Natural convection of oxide pool in 3-layer configuration during IVR was investigated. • High Ra was achieved by using mass transfer experiments based on analogy concept. • Heat ratio to light metal layer was 14% higher for 3-layer configuration than 2-layer one. • Heat transfer to heavy metal layer was poor and hence heat load to side wall increased. • Angular heat loads to side wall showed strengthened heat focusing at uppermost location. - Abstract: We investigated the natural convection of the oxide layer in a three-layer configuration of core melts in a severe accident. In order to achieve high modified Rayleigh numbers of 10{sup 12}–10{sup 13}, mass transfer experiments were performed using a copper sulfate electroplating system based upon the analogy between heat and mass transfer. Four different cooling conditions of the top and the bottom plates were tested. The upward heat ratios were 14% higher for three-layer than for two-layer due to the reduced heights and the downward heat ratios were lower the same amount. The local Nusselt numbers for the top and the bottom plates were measured and compared with the two layer configuration. To explore the heat load to the reactor vessel, the angle-dependent heat fluxes at the side wall, were measured and compared with the two-layer configuration. Heat load to the side wall and peak heat at the uppermost location were intensified for the three-layer configuration.

Melting Penetration Simulation of Fe-U System at High Temperature Using MPS-LER

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mustari, A P A; Irwanto, Dwi; Yamaji, A

2016-01-01

Melting penetration information of Fe-U system is necessary for simulating the molten core behavior during severe accident in nuclear power plants. For Fe-U system, the information is mainly obtained from experiment, i.e. TREAT experiment. However, there is no reported data on SS304 at temperature above 1350°C. The MPS-LER has been developed and validated to simulate melting penetration on Fe-U system. The MPS-LER modelled the eutectic phenomenon by solving the diffusion process and by applying the binary phase diagram criteria. This study simulates the melting penetration of the system at higher temperature using MPS-LER. Simulations were conducted on SS304 at 1400, 1450 and 1500°C. The simulation results show rapid increase of melting penetration rate. (paper)

Magnetized Converging Flows toward the Hot Core in the Intermediate/High-mass Star-forming Region NGC 6334 V

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Juárez, Carmen; Girart, Josep M. [Institut de Ciències de l’Espai, (CSIC-IEEC), Campus UAB, Carrer de Can Magrans, S/N, E-08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Catalonia (Spain); Zamora-Avilés, Manuel; Palau, Aina; Ballesteros-Paredes, Javier [Instituto de Radioastronomía y Astrofísica, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, P.O. Box 3-72, 58090, Morelia, Michoacán (Mexico); Tang, Ya-Wen; Koch, Patrick M.; Liu, Hauyu Baobab [Academia Sinica Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics, P.O. Box 23-141, Taipei, 10617, Taiwan (China); Zhang, Qizhou [Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States); Qiu, Keping, E-mail: juarez@ice.cat [School of Astronomy and Space Science, Nanjing University, 163 Xianlin Avenue, Nanjing 210023 (China)

2017-07-20

We present Submillimeter Array (SMA) observations at 345 GHz toward the intermediate/high-mass cluster-forming region NGC 6334 V. From the dust emission we spatially resolve three dense condensations, the brightest one presenting the typical chemistry of a hot core. The magnetic field (derived from the dust polarized emission) shows a bimodal converging pattern toward the hot core. The molecular emission traces two filamentary structures at two different velocities, separated by 2 km s{sup −1}, converging to the hot core and following the magnetic field distribution. We compare the velocity field and the magnetic field derived from the SMA observations with magnetohydrodynamic simulations of star-forming regions dominated by gravity. This comparison allows us to show how the gas falls in from the larger-scale extended dense core (∼0.1 pc) of NGC 6334 V toward the higher-density hot core region (∼0.02 pc) through two distinctive converging flows dragging the magnetic field, whose strength seems to have been overcome by gravity.

The possibility and the effects of a steam explosion in the BWR lower head on recriticality of a BWR core

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sehgal, B.R.; Dinh, T.N.

2002-12-01

The report describes an analysis considering a BWR postulated severe accident scenario during which the late vessel automatic depressurization brings the water below the level of the bottom core plate. The subsequent lack of ECCS leads to core heat up during which the control rods melt and the melt deposits on the core plate. At that point of time in the scenario, the core fuel bundles are still intact and the Zircaloy clad oxidation is about to start. The objective of the study is to provide the conditions of reflood into the hot core due to the level swell or a slug delivered from the lower head as the control rod melt drops into the water. These conditions are employed in the neutronic analysis with the RECRIT code to determine if the core recriticality may be achieved. (au)

Asteroid 4 Vesta: A Fully Differentiated Dwarf Planet

Science.gov (United States)

Mittlefehldt, David

2014-01-01

mafic crust through impact disruption and foundering. The quenched mafic crust thickens over time through magma extrusion/intrusion. Melt from the residual magma ocean intrudes and penetrates the mafic crust forming cumulate eucrite plutons, and dikes, sills and flows of basaltic eucrite composition. The post-differentiation vestan structure is thus not too dissimilar from that of terrestrial planets: (i) a metallic core; (ii) an ultramafic mantle comprised of a lower dunitic layer (if melting was substantially <100%) and an upper cumulate harzburgitic layer; (iii) a lower crust of harzburgitic and orthopyroxenitic cumulates; and (iv) an upper mafic crust of basalts and diabases (melt compositions) with cumulate gabbro intrusions. Impacts have excavated to the lower crust and delivered howardites, eucrites and diogenites to Earth, but there is yet no evidence demonstrating excavation of the vestan mantlle.

CHEMICAL SEGREGATION TOWARD MASSIVE HOT CORES: THE AFGL2591 STAR-FORMING REGION

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jimenez-Serra, I.; Zhang, Q. [Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden St., Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States); Viti, S. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University College London, Gower Place, London WC1E 6BT (United Kingdom); Martin-Pintado, J. [Centro de Astrobiologia (CSIC/INTA), Ctra. de Torrejon a Ajalvir km 4, E-28850 Torrejon de Ardoz, Madrid (Spain); De Wit, W.-J., E-mail: ijimenez-serra@cfa.harvard.edu, E-mail: qzhang@cfa.harvard.edu, E-mail: sv@star.ucl.ac.uk, E-mail: jmartin@cab.inta-csic.es, E-mail: wdewit@eso.org [European Southern Observatory, Alonso de Cordova 3107, Vitacura, Santiago (Chile)

2012-07-01

We present high angular resolution observations (0.''5 Multiplication-Sign 0.''3) carried out with the Submillimeter Array (SMA) toward the AFGL2591 high-mass star-forming region. Our SMA images reveal a clear chemical segregation within the AFGL2591 VLA 3 hot core, where different molecular species (Types I, II, and III) appear distributed in three concentric shells. This is the first time that such a chemical segregation is ever reported at linear scales {<=}3000 AU within a hot core. While Type I species (H{sub 2}S and {sup 13}CS) peak at the AFGL2591 VLA 3 protostar, Type II molecules (HC{sub 3}N, OCS, SO, and SO{sub 2}) show a double-peaked structure circumventing the continuum peak. Type III species, represented by CH{sub 3}OH, form a ring-like structure surrounding the continuum emission. The excitation temperatures of SO{sub 2}, HC{sub 3}N, and CH{sub 3}OH (185 {+-} 11 K, 150 {+-} 20 K, and 124 {+-} 12 K, respectively) show a temperature gradient within the AFGL2591 VLA 3 envelope, consistent with previous observations and modeling of the source. By combining the H{sub 2}S, SO{sub 2}, and CH{sub 3}OH images, representative of the three concentric shells, we find that the global kinematics of the molecular gas follow Keplerian-like rotation around a 40 M{sub Sun} star. The chemical segregation observed toward AFGL2591 VLA 3 is explained by the combination of molecular UV photodissociation and a high-temperature ({approx}1000 K) gas-phase chemistry within the low extinction innermost region in the AFGL2591 VLA 3 hot core.

A study on transient heat transfer of the EU-ABWR external core catcher using the phase-change effective convectivity model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tran Chi Thanh; Nguyen Viet Hung; Tahara, Mika; Kojima, Yoshihiro; Hamazaki, Ryoichi; Kudinov, Pavel

2015-01-01

In advanced designs of Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs), for mitigation of severe accident consequences, on the one hand, the In-Vessel Retention (IVR) concept has been implemented. On the other hand in other new NPP designs (Generation III and III+) with large power reactors, the External Core Catcher (ECC) has been widely adopted. Assessment of ECC design robustness is largely based on analysis of heat transfer of a melt pool formed in the ECC. Transient heat transfer analysis of an ECC is challenging due to (i) uncertainty in the in-vessel accident progression and subsequent vessel failure modes; (ii) long transient, (iii) high Rayleigh number and complex flows involving phase change of the melt pool formed in an ECC. The present paper is concerned with analysis of transient melt pool heat transfer in the ECC of new Advanced Boiling Water Reactor (ABWR) designed by Toshiba Corporation (Japan). According to the ABWR severe accident management strategy, the ECC is initially dry. In order to prevent steam explosion flooding is initiated after termination of melt relocation from the vessel. The ECC full of melt is cooled from the top directly by water and from the bottom through the ECC walls. In order to assess sustainability of the ECC, heat transfer simulation of a stratified melt pool formed in the ECC is carried out. The problem addressed in this work is heat flux distribution at ECC boundaries when cooling is applied (i) from the bottom, (ii) from the top and from the bottom. To perform melt pool heat transfer simulation, we employ Phase-change Effective Convectivity Model (PECM) which was originally developed as a computationally efficient, sufficiently accurate, 2D/3D accident analysis tools for simulation of transient melt pool heat transfer in the reactor lower plenum. Thermal loads from the melt pool to ECC boundaries are determined for selected ex-vessel accident scenarios. Performance of the ECC, efficiency of severe accident management (SAM) measures and

Evidences of melting of terrestrial sediments and paleoenvironment changes during the Younger Dryas in tectonic lacustrine basins of Transmexican Volcanic Belt, Mexico.

Science.gov (United States)

Israde-Alcantara, I.

2017-12-01

It is well known in the sedimentary record of several parts of the world that during the Younger Dryas interval (YD) ocurred an abrupt environmental change between 12,900 and 11,700 cal yr BP (10,900 to 10,000 14C BP). In the lacustrine basins this changes are often preserved and in some Mexican lakes this is a distinctive stratigraphic marker for the YD. We analized the proxies of this event in cores of two lakes (Chapala, Cuitzeo) and three trenches of ex-lakes (Acambay,Texcoco and El Cedral). Deposits consist of fine detrital material with often Pleistocene fossil vertebrate assemblages. At the Chapala, Cuitzeo, Acambay, and Tocuila lacustrine environments are found in association with a distinctive dark organic layer showing sharp changes in the diatom, pollen, mineralogical and geochemical record. Includes also microscopic magnetic, Fe-rich spherules, silica melted droplets with aerodynamic shapes (tektites), followed by large amounts of charcoal, and sometimes nanodiamonds (Cuitzeo), that were deposited at the onset of the YD or in the limit Pleistocene-Holocene. These unusual materials are buried more than 2.50 meters and were not observed above or below the Younger Dryas sediments at these sites. The geochemistry of the microspherules indicates that they are not volcanic, anthropogenic or authigenic origin. A very distinctive feature is the shape of the spherules, ovoid, polygonal, filigreed or dendritic indicating melting and quenching infering that are product of an impact event. Their morphologies includes hollow shells caused by de-gassing of elements at very high temperatures causing a flattened side with a "skirt" structure by a high-velocity collision.Our results are consistent with the Firestone hypothesis.

Co-Au core-shell nanocrystals formed by sequential ion implantation into SiO2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kluth, P.; Hoy, B.; Johannessen, B.; Dunn, S. G.; Foran, G. J.; Ridgway, M. C.

2006-01-01

Co-Au core-shell nanocrystals (NCs) were formed by sequential ion implantation of Au and Co into thin SiO 2 . The NCs were investigated by means of transmission electron microscopy and extended x-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy. The latter reveals a bond length expansion in the Co core compared to monatomic Co NCs. Concomitantly, a significant contraction of the bond length and a significant reduction of the effective Au-Au coordination number were observed in the Au shells. Increased Debye-Waller factors indicate significant strain in the NCs. These experimental results verify recent theoretical predictions

Petrological Geodynamics of Mantle Melting I. AlphaMELTS + Multiphase Flow: Dynamic Equilibrium Melting, Method and Results

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Massimiliano Tirone

2017-10-01

Full Text Available The complex process of melting in the Earth's interior is studied by combining a multiphase numerical flow model with the program AlphaMELTS which provides a petrological description based on thermodynamic principles. The objective is to address the fundamental question of the effect of the mantle and melt dynamics on the composition and abundance of the melt and the residual solid. The conceptual idea is based on a 1-D description of the melting process that develops along an ideal vertical column where local chemical equilibrium is assumed to apply at some level in space and time. By coupling together the transport model and the chemical thermodynamic model, the evolution of the melting process can be described in terms of melt distribution, temperature, pressure and solid and melt velocities but also variation of melt and residual solid composition and mineralogical abundance at any depth over time. In this first installment of a series of three contributions, a two-phase flow model (melt and solid assemblage is developed under the assumption of complete local equilibrium between melt and a peridotitic mantle (dynamic equilibrium melting, DEM. The solid mantle is also assumed to be completely dry. The present study addresses some but not all the potential factors affecting the melting process. The influence of permeability and viscosity of the solid matrix are considered in some detail. The essential features of the dynamic model and how it is interfaced with AlphaMELTS are clearly outlined. A detailed and explicit description of the numerical procedure should make this type of numerical models less obscure. The general observation that can be made from the outcome of several simulations carried out for this work is that the melt composition varies with depth, however the melt abundance not necessarily always increases moving upwards. When a quasi-steady state condition is achieved, that is when melt abundance does not varies significantly

Preparation of acetaminophen capsules containing beads prepared by hot-melt direct blend coating.

Science.gov (United States)

Pham, Loan; Christensen, John M

2014-02-01

Twelve hydrophobic coating agents were assessed for their effects on drug release after coating sugar cores by a flexible hot-melt coating method using direct blending. Drug-containing pellets were also produced and used as cores. The cores were coated with single or double wax layers containing acetaminophen (APAP). The harder the wax, the slower the resultant drug releases from single-coated beads. Wax coating can be deposited on cores up to 28% of the beads final weight and reaching 58% with wax and drug. Carnauba-coated beads dissolved in approximately 6 h releasing 80% of the loaded drug. Applying another wax layer extended drug release over 20 h, while still delivering 80% of the loaded drug. When drug-containing pellets (33-58% drug loading) were used as cores, double wax-coated pellets exhibited a near zero-order drug release for 16 h, releasing 80% of the loaded drug delivering 18 mg/h. The simple process of hot-melt coating by direct blending of pellet-containing drug-coated formulations provides excellent options for immediate and sustained release formulations when higher lipid coating or drug loading is warranted. Predicted plasma drug concentration time profiles using convolution and in vitro drug release properties of the beads were performed for optimal formulations.

An Equation Governing Ultralow-Velocity Zones: Implications for Holes in the ULVZ, Lateral Chemical Reactions at the Core-Mantle Boundary, and Damping of Heat Flux Variations in the Core

Science.gov (United States)

Hernlund, J. W.; Matsui, H.

2017-12-01

Ultralow-velocity zones (ULVZ) are increasingly illuminated by seismology, revealing surprising diversity in size, shape, and physical characteristics. The only viable hypotheses are that ULVZs are a compositionally distinct FeO-enriched dense material, which could have formed by fractional crystallization of a basal magma ocean, segregation of subducted banded iron formations, precipitation of solids from the outer core, partial melting and segregation of iron-rich melts from subducted basalts, or most likely a combination of many different processes. But many questions remain: Are ULVZ partially molten in some places, and not in others? Are ULVZ simply the thicker portions of an otherwise global thin layer, covering the entire CMB and thus blocking or moderating chemical interactions between the core and overlying mantle? Is such a layer inter-connected and able to conduct electrical currents that allow electro-magnetic coupling of core and mantle angular momentum? Are they being eroded and shrinking in size due to viscous entrainment, or is more material being added to ULVZ over time? Here we derive an advection-diffusion-like equation that governs the dynamical evolution of a chemically distinct ULVZ. Analysis of this equation shows that ULVZ should become readily swept aside by viscous mantle flows at the CMB, exposing "ordinary mantle" to the top of the core, thus inducing chemical heterogeneity that drives lateral CMB chemical reactions. These reactions are correlated with heat flux, thus maintaining large-scale pressure variations atop the core that induce cyclone-like flows centered around ULVZ and ponded subducted slabs. We suggest that turbulent diffusion across adjacent cyclone streams inside a stratified region atop the core readily accommodates lateral transport and re-distribution of components such as O and Si, in addition to heat. Our model implies that the deeper core is at least partly shielded from the influence of strong heat flux variations at

Numerical Analysis on Heat Flux Distribution through the Steel Liner of the Ex-vessel Core Catcher

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Oh, Se Hong; Choi, Choeng Ryul [ELSOLTEC, Yongin (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Byung Jo; Lee, Kyu Bok [KEPCO, Gimcheon (Korea, Republic of); Hwang, Do Hyun [KHNP-CRI, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2016-05-15

In order to prevent material failure of steel container of the core catcher system due to high temperatures, heat flux through the steel liner wall must be kept below the critical heat flux (CHF), and vapor dry-out of the cooling channel must be avoided. In this study, CFD methodology has been developed to simulate the heat flux distribution in the core catcher system, involving following physical phenomena: natural convection in the corium pool, boiling heat transfer and solidification/melting of the corium. A CFD methodology has been developed to simulate the thermal/hydraulic phenomena in the core catcher system, and a numerical analysis has been carried out to estimate the heat flux through the steel liner of the core catcher. High heat flux values are formed at the free surface of the corium pool. However, the heat flux through the steel liner is maintained below the critical heat flux.

Induction melting for volume reduction of metallic TRU wastes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Westsik, J.H. Jr.; Montgomery, D.R.; Katayama, Y.B.; Ross, W.A.

1986-01-01

Volume reduction of metallic transuranic wastes offers economic and safety incentives for treatment of wastes generated at a hypothetical commercial fuel reprocessing facility. Induction melting has been identified as the preferred process for volume reduction of spent fuel hulls, fuel assembly hardware, and failed equipment from a reprocessing plant. Bench-scale melting of Zircaloy and stainless steel mixtures has been successfully conducted in a graphite crucible inside a large vacuum chamber. A low-melting-temperature alloy forms that has demonstrated excellent leach resistance. The alloy can be used to encapsulate other metallic wastes that cannot be melted using the existing equipment design

Satcom access in the Evolved Packet Core

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Cano Soveri, M.D.; Norp, A.H.J.; Popova, M.P.

2011-01-01

Satellite communications (Satcom) networks are increasingly integrating with terrestrial communications networks, namely Next Generation Networks (NGN). In the area of NGN the Evolved Packet Core (EPC) is a new network architecture that can support multiple access technologies. When Satcom is

Satcom access in the evolved packet core

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Cano, M.D.; Norp, A.H.J.; Popova, M.P.

2012-01-01

Satellite communications (Satcom) networks are increasingly integrating with terrestrial communications networks, namely Next Generation Networks (NGN). In the area of NGN the Evolved Packet Core (EPC) is a new network architecture that can support multiple access technologies. When Satcom is

Superconducting tin core fiber

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Homa, Daniel; Liang, Yongxuan; Hill, Cary; Kaur, Gurbinder; Pickrell, Gary

2015-01-01

In this study, we demonstrated superconductivity in a fiber with a tin core and fused silica cladding. The fibers were fabricated via a modified melt-draw technique and maintained core diameters ranging from 50-300 microns and overall diameters of 125-800 microns. Superconductivity of this fiber design was validated via the traditional four-probe test method in a bath of liquid helium at temperatures on the order of 3.8 K. The synthesis route and fiber design are perquisites to ongoing research dedicated all-fiber optoelectronics and the relationships between superconductivity and the material structures, as well as corresponding fabrication techniques. (orig.)

Iron-carbonate interaction at Earth's core-mantle boundary

Science.gov (United States)

Dorfman, S. M.; Badro, J.; Nabiei, F.; Prakapenka, V.; Gillet, P.

2015-12-01

Carbon storage and flux in the deep Earth are moderated by oxygen fugacity and interactions with iron-bearing phases. The amount of carbon stored in Earth's mantle versus the core depends on carbon-iron chemistry at the core-mantle boundary. Oxidized carbonates subducted from Earth's surface to the lowermost mantle may encounter reduced Fe0 metal from disproportionation of Fe2+ in lower mantle silicates or mixing with the core. To understand the fate of carbonates in the lowermost mantle, we have performed experiments on sandwiches of single-crystal (Ca0.6Mg0.4)CO3 dolomite and Fe foil in the laser-heated diamond anvil cell at lower mantle conditions of 49-110 GPa and 1800-2500 K. Syntheses were conducted with in situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction to identify phase assemblages. After quench to ambient conditions, samples were sectioned with a focused Ga+ ion beam for composition analysis with transmission electron microscopy. At the centers of the heated spots, iron melted and reacted completely with the carbonate to form magnesiowüstite, iron carbide, diamond, magnesium-rich carbonate and calcium carbonate. In samples heated at 49 and 64 GPa, the two carbonates exhibit a eutectoid texture. In the sample heated at 110 GPa, the carbonates form rounded ~150-nm-diameter grains with a higher modal proportion of interspersed diamonds. The presence of reduced iron in the deep lower mantle and core-mantle boundary region will promote the formation of diamonds in carbonate-bearing subducted slabs. The complete reaction of metallic iron to oxides and carbides in the presence of mantle carbonate supports the formation of these phases at the Earth's core-mantle boundary and in ultra-low velocity zones.

On-line redox sensors in industrial glass melting tanks

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Laimböck, P.R.; Beerkens, R.G.C.; Schaaf, van der J.; Kieffer, J.

2002-01-01

The oxidation state or partial oxygen pressure (pO2) of the glass melt influences many glass melt and glass product properties such as fining and foaming behavior, radiant heat transfer, forming characteristics via (a color-dependent) cooling rate, and the glass color of the final product. For these

OECD MCCI project long-term 2-D molten core concrete interaction test design report, Rev. 0. September 30, 2002

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Farmer, M.T.; Kilsdonk, D.J.; Lomperski, S.; Aeschliman, R.W.; Basu, S.

2011-01-01

The Melt Attack and Coolability Experiments (MACE) program at Argonne National Laboratory addressed the issue of the ability of water to cool and thermally stabilize a molten core-concrete interaction when the reactants are flooded from above. These tests provided data regarding the nature of corium interactions with concrete, the heat transfer rates from the melt to the overlying water pool, and the role of noncondensable gases in the mixing processes that contribute to melt quenching. As a follow-on program to MACE, The Melt Coolability and Concrete Interaction Experiments (MCCI) project is conducting reactor material experiments and associated analysis to achieve the following two technical objectives: (1) resolve the ex-vessel debris coolability issue through a program that focuses on providing both confirmatory evidence and test data for the coolability mechanisms identified in MACE integral effects tests, and (2) address remaining uncertainties related to long-term two-dimensional molten core-concrete interactions under both wet and dry cavity conditions. Achievement of these two objectives will demonstrate the efficacy of severe accident management guidelines for existing plants, and provide the technical basis for better containment designs for future plants. In terms of the first program objective, the Small-Scale Water Ingression and Crust Strength (SSWICS) test series has been initiated to provide fundamental information on the ability of water to ingress into cracks and fissures that form in the debris during quench, thereby augmenting the otherwise conduction-limited heat transfer process. A test plan for Melt Eruption Separate Effects Tests (MESET) has also been developed to provide information on the extent of crust growth and melt eruptions as a function of gas sparging rate under well-controlled experiment conditions. In terms of the second program objective, the project Management Board (MB) has approved startup activities required to carry out

Research activities at JAERI on core material behaviour under severe accident conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Uetsuka, H.; Katanashi, S.; Ishijima, K.

1996-01-01

At the Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute (JAERI), experimental studies on physical phenomena under the condition of a severe accident have been conducted. This paper presents the progress of the experimental studies on fuel and core materials behaviour such as the thermal shock fracture of fuel cladding due to quenching, the chemical interaction of core materials at high temperatures and the examination of TMI-2 debris. The mechanical behaviour of fuel rod with heavily embrittled cladding tube due to the thermal shock during delayed reflooding have been investigated at the Nuclear Safety Research Reactor (NSSR) of JAERI. A test fuel rod was heated in steam atmosphere by both electric and nuclear heating using the NSSR, then the rod was quenched by reflooding at the test section. Melting of core component materials having relatively low melting points and their eutectic reaction with other materials significantly influence on the degradation and melt down of fuel bundles during severe accidents. Therefore basic information on the reaction of core materials is necessary to understand and analyze the progress of core melting and relocation. Chemical interactions have been widely investigated at high temperatures for various binary systems of core component materials including absorber materials such as Zircaloy/Inconel, Zircaloy/stainless steel, Zircaloy/(Ag-In-Cd), stainless steel B 4 C and Zircaloy/B 4 C. It was found that the reaction generally obeyed a parabolic rate law and the reaction rate was determined for each reaction system. Many debris samples obtained from the degraded core of TMI-2 were transported to JAERI for numerous examinations and analyses. The microstructural examination revealed that the most part of debris was ceramic and it was not homogeneous in a microscopic sense. The thermal diffusivity data was also obtained for the temperature range up to about 1800K. The data from the large scale integral experiments were also obtained through the

SCDAP: a light water reactor computer code for severe core damage analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marino, G.P.; Allison, C.M.; Majumdar, D.

1982-01-01

Development of the first code version (MODO) of the Severe Core Damage Analysis Package (SCDAP) computer code is described, and calculations made with SCDAP/MODO are presented. The objective of this computer code development program is to develop a capability for analyzing severe disruption of a light water reactor core, including fuel and cladding liquefaction, flow, and freezing; fission product release; hydrogen generation; quenched-induced fragmentation; coolability of the resulting geometry; and ultimately vessel failure due to vessel-melt interaction. SCDAP will be used to identify the phenomena which control core behavior during a severe accident, to help quantify uncertainties in risk assessment analysis, and to support planning and evaluation of severe fuel damage experiments and data. SCDAP/MODO addresses the behavior of a single fuel bundle. Future versions will be developed with capabilities for core-wide and vessel-melt interaction analysis

Large historical growth in global terrestrial gross primary production

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Campbell, J. E.; Berry, J. A.; Seibt, U.; Smith, S. J.; Montzka, S. A.; Launois, T.; Belviso, S.; Bopp, L.; Laine, M.

2017-04-05

Growth in terrestrial gross primary production (GPP) may provide a feedback for climate change, but there is still strong disagreement on the extent to which biogeochemical processes may suppress this GPP growth at the ecosystem to continental scales. The consequent uncertainty in modeling of future carbon storage by the terrestrial biosphere constitutes one of the largest unknowns in global climate projections for the next century. Here we provide a global, measurement-based estimate of historical GPP growth using long-term atmospheric carbonyl sulfide (COS) records derived from ice core, firn, and ambient air samples. We interpret these records using a model that relates changes in the COS concentration to changes in its sources and sinks, the largest of which is proportional to GPP. The COS history was most consistent with simulations that assume a large historical GPP growth. Carbon-climate models that assume little to no GPP growth predicted trajectories of COS concentration over the anthropogenic era that differ from those observed. Continued COS monitoring may be useful for detecting ongoing changes in GPP while extending the ice core record to glacial cycles could provide further opportunities to evaluate earth system models.

Debris disks as signposts of terrestrial planet formation

Science.gov (United States)

Raymond, S. N.; Armitage, P. J.; Moro-Martín, A.; Booth, M.; Wyatt, M. C.; Armstrong, J. C.; Mandell, A. M.; Selsis, F.; West, A. A.

2011-06-01

There exists strong circumstantial evidence from their eccentric orbits that most of the known extra-solar planetary systems are the survivors of violent dynamical instabilities. Here we explore the effect of giant planet instabilities on the formation and survival of terrestrial planets. We numerically simulate the evolution of planetary systems around Sun-like stars that include three components: (i) an inner disk of planetesimals and planetary embryos; (ii) three giant planets at Jupiter-Saturn distances; and (iii) an outer disk of planetesimals comparable to estimates of the primitive Kuiper belt. We calculate the dust production and spectral energy distribution of each system by assuming that each planetesimal particle represents an ensemble of smaller bodies in collisional equilibrium. Our main result is a strong correlation between the evolution of the inner and outer parts of planetary systems, i.e. between the presence of terrestrial planets and debris disks. Strong giant planet instabilities - that produce very eccentric surviving planets - destroy all rocky material in the system, including fully-formed terrestrial planets if the instabilities occur late, and also destroy the icy planetesimal population. Stable or weakly unstable systems allow terrestrial planets to accrete in their inner regions and significant dust to be produced in their outer regions, detectable at mid-infrared wavelengths as debris disks. Stars older than ~100 Myr with bright cold dust emission (in particular at λ ~ 70 μm) signpost dynamically calm environments that were conducive to efficient terrestrial accretion. Such emission is present around ~16% of billion-year old Solar-type stars. Our simulations yield numerous secondary results: 1) the typical eccentricities of as-yet undetected terrestrial planets are ~0.1 but there exists a novel class of terrestrial planet system whose single planet undergoes large amplitude oscillations in orbital eccentricity and inclination; 2) by

AN ANALYSIS OF THE DEUTERIUM FRACTIONATION OF STAR-FORMING CORES IN THE PERSEUS MOLECULAR CLOUD

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Friesen, R. K. [National Radio Astronomy Observatory, 520 Edgemont Rd., Charlottesville, VA 22903 (United States); Kirk, H. M. [Origins Institute, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON L8S 4M1 (Canada); Shirley, Y. L., E-mail: friesen@di.utoronto.ca [Steward Observatory, University of Arizona, 933 N. Cherry Ave., Tucson, AZ 85721 (United States)

2013-03-01

We have performed a pointed survey of N{sub 2}D{sup +} 2-1 and N{sub 2}D{sup +} 3-2 emission toward 64 N{sub 2}H{sup +}-bright starless and protostellar cores in the Perseus molecular cloud using the Arizona Radio Observatory Submillimeter Telescope and Kitt Peak 12 m telescope. We find a mean deuterium fractionation in N{sub 2}H{sup +}, R{sub D} = N(N{sub 2}D{sup +})/N(N{sub 2}H{sup +}), of 0.08, with a maximum R{sub D} = 0.2. In detected sources, we find no significant difference in the deuterium fractionation between starless and protostellar cores, nor between cores in clustered or isolated environments. We compare the deuterium fraction in N{sub 2}H{sup +} with parameters linked to advanced core evolution. We only find significant correlations between the deuterium fraction and increased H{sub 2} column density, as well as with increased central core density, for all cores. Toward protostellar sources, we additionally find a significant anticorrelation between R{sub D} and bolometric temperature. We show that the Perseus cores are characterized by low CO depletion values relative to previous studies of star-forming cores, similar to recent results in the Ophiuchus molecular cloud. We suggest that the low average CO depletion is the dominant mechanism that constrains the average deuterium fractionation in the Perseus cores to small values. While current equilibrium and dynamic chemical models are able to reproduce the range of deuterium fractionation values we find in Perseus, reproducing the scatter across the cores requires variation in parameters such as the ionization fraction or the ortho-to-para-H{sub 2} ratio across the cloud, or a range in core evolution timescales.

Extraction of scandium by organic substance melts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gladyshev, V.P.; Lobanov, F.I.; Zebreva, A.I.; Andreeva, N.N.; Manuilova, O.A.; Il'yukevich, Yu.A.

1984-01-01

Regularities of scandium extraction by the melts of octadecanicoic acid, n-carbonic acids of C 17 -C 20 commerical fraction and mixtures of tributylphosphate (TBP) with paraffin at (70+-1) deg C have been studied. The optimum conditions for scandium extraction in the melt of organic substances are determined. A scheme of the extraction by the melts of higher carbonic acids at ninitial metal concentrations of 10 -5 to 10 -3 mol/l has been suggested. The scandium compound has been isolated in solid form, its composition having been determined. The main advantages of extraction by melts are as follows: a possibility to attain high distribution coefficients, distinct separation of phases after extraction, the absence of emulsions, elimination of employing inflammable and toxic solvents, a possibility of rapid X-ray fluorescence determinatinon of scandium directly in solid extract

Core catcher cooling for a gas-cooled fast breeder

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dalle Donne, M.; Dorner, S.; Schretzmann, K.

1976-01-01

Water, molten salts, and liquid metals are under discussion as coolants for the core catcher of a gas-cooled fast breeder. The authors state that there is still no technically mature method of cooling a core melt. However, the investigations carried out so far suggest that there is a solution to this problem. (RW/AK) [de

Emerging melt quality control solution technologies for aluminium melt

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Arturo Pascual, Jr

2009-11-01

Full Text Available The newly developed “MTS 1500” Melt Treatment System is performing the specifi cally required melt treatment operations like degassing, cleaning, modification and/or grain refinement by an automated process in one step and at the same location. This linked process is saving time, energy and metal losses allowing - by automated dosage of the melt treatment agents - the production of a consistent melt quality batch after batch. By linking the MTS Metal Treatment System with sensors operating on-line in the melt, i.e., with a hydrogen sensor “Alspek H”, a fully automated control of parts of the process chain like degassing is possible. This technology does guarantee a pre-specifi ed and documented melt quality in each melt treatment batch. Furthermore, to ensure that castings are consistent and predictable there is a growing realization that critical parameters such as metal cleanliness must be measured prior to casting. There exists accepted methods for measuring the cleanliness of an aluminum melt but these can be both slow and costly. A simple, rapid and meaningful method of measuring and bench marking the cleanliness of an aluminum melt has been developed to offer the foundry a practical method of measuring melt cleanliness. This paper shows the structure and performance of the integrated MTS melt treatment process and documents achieved melt quality standards after degassing, cleaning, modifi cation and grain refi nement operations under real foundry conditions. It also provides an insight on a melt cleanliness measuring device “Alspek MQ” to provide foundry men better tools in meeting the increasing quality and tighter specifi cation demand from the industry.

Induction melting for volume reduction of metallic TRU wastes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Westsik, J.H. Jr.; Montgomery, D.R.; Katayama, Y.B.; Ross, W.A.

1986-02-01

Volume reduction of metallic transuranic wastes offers economic and safety incentives for treatment of wastes generated at a hypothetical commercial fuel reprocessing facility. Induction melting has been identified as the preferred process for volume reduction of spent fuel hulls, fuel assembly hardware, and failed equipment from a reprocessing plant. Bench-scale melting of Zircaloy and stainless steel mixtures has been successfully conducted in a graphite crucible inside a large vacuum chamber. A low-melting-temperature alloy forms that has demonstrated excellent leach resistance. The alloy can be used to encapsulate other metallic wastes that cannot be melted using the existing equipment design. 18 refs., 4 figs., 3 tabs

Water- and Boron-Rich Melt Inclusions in Quartz from the Malkhan Pegmatite, Transbaikalia, Russia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elena Badanina

2012-11-01

Full Text Available In this paper we show that the pegmatite-forming processes responsible for the formation of the Malkhan pegmatites started at magmatic temperatures around 720 °C. The primary melts or supercritical fluids were very water- and boron-rich (maximum values of about 10% (g/g B2O3 and over the temperature interval from 720 to 600 °C formed a pseudobinary solvus, indicated by the coexistence of two types of primary melt inclusions (type-A and type-B representing a pair of conjugate melts. Due to the high water and boron concentration the pegmatite-forming melts are metastable and can be characterized either as genuine melts or silicate-rich fluids. This statement is underscored by Raman spectroscopic studies. This study suggested that the gel state proposed by some authors cannot represent the main stage of the pegmatite-forming processes in the Malkhan pegmatites, and probably in all others. However there are points in the evolution of the pegmatites where the gel- or gel-like state has left traces in form of real gel inclusions in some mineral in the Malkhan pegmatite, however only in a late, fluid dominated stage.