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ANL-6120 Reactors - Power (TID-4500, 15Th Ed.) AEC Research and Developraent Report

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ANL-6120 Reactors - Power (TID-4500, 15Th Ed.) AEC Research and Developraent Report ANL-6120 Reactors - Power (TID-4500, 15th Ed.) AEC Research and Developraent Report ARGONNE NATIONAL LABORATORY P. O. Box 299 Lemont, Illinois PRELIMINARY DESIGN AND HAZARDS REPORT BOILING REACTOR EXPERIMENT V (BORAX V) February I960 Operated by The University of Chicago under Contract W-31-109-eng-.38 DISCLAIMER This report was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the United States Government. Neither the United States Government nor any agency Thereof, nor any of their employees, makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government or any agency thereof. The views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government or any agency thereof. DISCLAIMER Portions of this document may be illegible in electronic image products. Images are produced from the best available original document. CONTRIBUTORS R. E. Rice Editor and Core Design - Mechanical, Reactor Control, Fuel Handling, Experimental Program, Hazards Evaluation R. P. Anderson Core Design - Heat and Hydraulics E. J. Brooks In-core Instrumentation, Process Control and Instrumen­ tation J. D. Cerchione Core Design - Mechanical, Process Piping R. N. Cur ran Nuclear Instrumentation R. A. Cushman Core Design - Heat and Hydraulics, Summary J. I. Hagen Core Design - Reactor Physics, Hazards Evaluation B. M. Hoglund Core Design - Heat and Hydraulics F. S. Kirn Biological Shielding M. Novick Manageynent R. R. Smith Reactor Vessel, Biological Shielding A. W. Solbrig Core Design - Reactor Physics F. W. Thalgott Experimental Program, Hazards Evaluation R. W. Thiel Reactor Vessel, Process Piping M. B. Trillhaase Reactor Control, Buildings W. R. Wallin Reactor Control, Electrical Systems, Process Control and Instrumentation, Management, Reactor Operation TABLE OF CONTENTS Page CONTRIBUTORS 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS 3 LIST OF FIGURES 7 LIST OF TABLES, . 8 I. INTRODUCTION. 9 II. SUMMARY 10 III. DESCRIPTION OF BORAX V FACILITY 19 A. Reactor Facility. 19 1. General Features of Reactor 19 2. Boiling Core Design - Mechanical 20 3. Superheat Core Design - Mechanical. 2 7 4. Core Design - Heat and Hydraulics 36 5. Core Design - Reactor Physics . , 47 6. Reactor Vessel . 55 7. Reactor Control and Instrumentation. .......... 63 8. In-core Instrumentation Development .......... 77 9. Fuel and Radioactive Material Handling and Storage. 82 10. Biological Shielding . 84 B. Process Piping Systeins , 91 1. Superheater Vent, Flood, and Drain Systems 91 2. Batch Feed System 94 3. Boron-addition System 94 4. Forced-convection System 95 5. Steam Systems 96 6. Condensate and Feedwater System 99 7. Reactor Preheat System 101 8. Reactor Ion-exchange System 101 9. Demineralized-water System. 102 10. Raw-water Systems 103 11. Other Systems 103 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS ^ ' Page W C. Process Instrumentation and Control Systems ........ 105 1. General Safety Considerations 105 2. Superheater-startup and Shutdown System . ....... 108 3. Boron-addition System .................... 109 4. Forced-convection System 109 5. Steana-pressure Control System 109 6. Desuperheater and Turbine Steam Systenas ...... 110 7. Feedwater Control Systera 110 8. Reactor Preheat System . Ill 9. Ion-exchange Pressure-control System. Ill 10. Process Temperature-indicating System 112 11. Superheat Fuel Element Temperature 112 12. Reactor Vessel and Shield Wall Temperature- recording System. 112 13. Miscellaneous Control Building Meters ......... 113 14. Control-rod Seal-water Flowmeters and Valves ... 113 15. Local Pressure Gauges 113 16. Television Monitor 113 17. Instrument Compressed-air Systems 114 D. Buildings and Electrical Service Systems 115 1. Reactor Building ........................ 115 2. Control B\iilding ........................ 117 3. Turbine Building and Cooling Tower ........... 117 4. Electrical Service Systems 117 5. Communications and Alarms 121 IV. MANAGEMENT 122 V. REACTOR OPERATIONS 123 A. Loading 123 B. Open-vessel Operation . 123 C. At-pressure Operation . 123 1. Natural-convection Boiling with Superheater ..... 124 2. Natural-convection Boiling 126 3. Forced-convection Boiling . 127 4. Forced-convection Boiling with Superheater. 127 5 ^ TABLE OF CONTENTS ** Page VI. EXPERIMENTAL PROGRAM . 128 A. Startup and Initial Operation 128 B. Superheating Experiments 128 C. Boiling Core Experiments 129 1. Static Measurements 129 2. Dynamic Measurements 129 3. Engineering Tests 129 D. Water Chemistry Experiments 129 VII. HAZARDS EVALUATION , . 131 A. Inherent Safety of Boiling Reactors 131 B. Possible Hazards 132 » 1. Hazards of Superheat Core Operation .......... 132 2. Core Melting 134 \ 3. Cold-water Accident 135 4. Power and Air Failure .................... 136 5. Pump Failure 137 6. Instrument Failure 138 7. Control Rod Failure. 138 8. Change in Power Demand 139 9. Too Much or Too Little Water in Reactor ....... 139 10. Leaks from External System 140 11. Fuel Cladding Failure 141 12. Startup Accident 142 13. Excessive Pressure 143 14. Improper Charging of Fuel . 143 15. Earthquake. 143 16. Fire 144 17. Sabotage 144 18. Metal-water Reactions , 145 C. Site 149 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page D. Evaluation of Radioactive Hazards to Surrounding Population .......,., 152 1. Dosage Calculations 152 2. Estimates of Radiation Hazard Downwind ........ 153 E. Hydrology, Seismology and Meteorology. ........... 154 1. Hydrology 154 2. Seismology . 155 3. Meteorology. ........................... 156 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 158 BIBLIOGRAPHY 159 LIST OF FIGURES No. Title Page 1. BORAX V Reactor Facility. H 2. Reactor With Central Superheater 12 3. Boiling Fuel Assembly 21 4. Boiling Fuel Rod ............................... 23 5. Section AA - Boiling Core Structure . 24 6. Elevation - Boiling Core Structure ................... 25 7. Two-pass Superheat Fuel Assemibly - Model 2.. 28 8. Single-pass Superheat Fuel Assembly - Model 1 . 29 9. Elevation - Central Superheater Core Structure 31 10. Sections - Central Superheater Core Structure 32 11. Elevation - Peripheral Superheater Core Structure . 34 12. Sections - Peripheral Superheater Core Structure ......... 35 13. Natural-circulation Performance . 38 14. Typical Hydrodynamic Parametric Study Results 42 15. Superheated Steam Temperature and Fuel Element Surface Temperature Versus Distance through Core. ........... 45 16. Radiation-cooling Curves. ......................... 46 17. Axial Power Density - Boiling Core. .................. 49 18. Axial Void Fraction - Boiling Core with 100 Rods/Assembly . 49 19. Loading Diagram ............................... 50 20. Radial Power Density - Central Superheater ............. 50 21. Peripheral Superheater - Radial Power Density. 53 22. Boiling Core - Radial Power Density 54 23. Reactor Pressure Vessel. ......................... 56 24. Cruciform Control Rod ........................... 64 25. Control-rod Drive Mechanism ...................... 65 26. Carriage Nut Assembly ........................... 65 27. Connector and Seal Assembly. 67 28. Recorder Panel and Control Console .................. 68 29. Nuclear Instrumentation 73 30. Nuclear Instrumentation Operating Ranges .............. 74 31. Radiation Monitors . 76 32. Reactor Building Floor Plans and Elevations. ............ 85 33. Radiation Heating of Shield Versus Distance into Concrete. ... 89 34. Radiation Heating of Shield along Surface of Reactor Pit Wall. 90 35. Superheater Startup and Shutdown System. .............. 91 36. Main Process and Instrumentation Systems. 93 37. Control Building Floor Plan 116 38. Electrical Single-line Diagram 118 39. Site Plan. 150 40. National Reactor Testing Station. 151 41. Central Facilities 20-foot-level Wind Rose- 1950 through 1956 . 157 8 LIST OF TABLES ^ ' No. Title Page ^ I. Design Characteristics of BORAX V ................ 14-18 IL Seal-test Results ............................. 36 III. Experimental Burnout Data ...................... 39 IV. Characteristics of Reactor with Central Superheater ..... 51 V, Additional Characteristics of Reactor with Central Superheater ............................... 51 VI. Characteristics of Reactor with Peripheral Superheater ... 52 VII. Reactor Vessel Design Criteria for BORAX V. ........ 55 VIIL Nozzle List for the Reactor Vessel ................. 61 IX. Scram Conditions ............................. 70 X. Alarm Conditions ............................. 71 XL Process System Interlocks. ...................... 106-107 XII. Equipment Connected to Emergency Power Supplies ...... 120 XIII. Location and Amount of Radioactivity in BORAX IV Fuel Clad Rupture ............................... 142 XIV. Populated Areas near BORAX V .................. 149 XV. External ^ Dose (Rep) and 7 Dose (Roentgens) from Airborne Fission Product Activity ....................... 154 f it PRELIMINARY DESIGN AND HAZARDS REPORT BOILING REACTOR EXPERIMENT V (BORAX V) I. INTRODUCTION In 1957 the idea for another boiling water reactor in the BORAX series was conceived by personnel of both the Idaho Division and Reactor Engineering Division of Argonne National Laboratory. In 1958 the Labo­ ratory proposed that an extremely flexible boiling reactor
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