Start-up behaviour of a passive auto-catalytic recombiner under counter flow conditions: Results of a first orienting experimental study

Abstract A downward directed wall-near flow represents a typical thermal hydraulic condition inside the LWR containment during a severe accident. In order to efficiently remove hydrogen released into the containment, passive auto-catalytic recombiners (PARs) located close to the containment wall have to establish an internal upward directed chimney flow against this counter flow. In cooperation between RWTH Aachen and the Research Center Julich, the effect of a downward directed flow on the PAR start-up has been investigated in the REKO-4 test facility at Julich. The test series includes experiments with identical boundary conditions performed under counter flow conditions as well as in quiescent atmosphere as reference case. Under counter flow conditions, an earlier local start-up of the catalytic reaction on the upper edge of the catalyst sheets was observed. However, the establishment of full PAR operation required more time compared to the reference case. This delay is attributed to a partial inflow of the counter flow into the PAR outlet which interferes with the establishing of a chimney flow promoted by the exothermal catalytic reaction. Once a developed chimney flow inside the PAR is established, no negative effect on the PAR performance could be observed. As expected, the counter flow mixes immediately with the PAR outlet flow dissolving the characteristic plume of hot gases at the PAR outlet.