The triggering of steam explosions of single drops of pure and alloyed molten aluminum
1990
When a hot liquid (fuel) comes into contact with a cold liquid (coolant), a variety of different fuel/coolant interactions (FCIs) can occur. For certain research on production reactors, the coolant of interest is water (either H{sub 2}O or D{sub 2}O), while the fuel is a molten alloy based mainly on aluminum and uranium. Aluminum-based melts have been shown to be explosive in many experiments performed by the aluminum industry and in several reactor experiments and accidents including NRX, SPERT, BORAX, etc. In the aluminum industry, steam explosions continue to result in property damage, personal injuries, and deaths. It is also known that certain alloying components, notably lithium, can enhance the strength of the explosions as well as the probability of their occurrence. To obtain quantitative information relating to the FCIs that might occur with uranium-aluminum fuel, a laboratory-scale experimental scoping study was begun at Sandia National Laboratories. The overall objective of this research program is to provide an understanding of the mechanism of steam explosions with the melt compositions expected in various hypothetical core meltdown accident scenarios in production reactors. In this program, it has been demonstrated that reproducible triggering of steam explosions with pure and alloyed aluminum can bemore » achieved with both focused and unfocused shock waves generated with underwater electrical discharges.« less
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