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HTGR Dust Safety Issues and Needs for Research and Development

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HTGR Dust Safety Issues and Needs for Research and Development INL/EXT-11-21097 HTGR Dust Safety Issues and Needs for Research and Development P. W. Humrickhouse June 2011 DISCLAIMER This information was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the U.S. Government. Neither the U.S. Government nor any agency thereof, nor any of their employees, makes any warranty, expressed 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. References herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trade mark, manufacturer, or otherwise, does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the U.S. Government or any agency thereof. The views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the U.S. Government or any agency thereof. INL/EXT-11-21097 HTGR Dust Safety Issues and Needs for Research and Development P. W. Humrickhouse June 2011 Idaho National Laboratory Next Generation Nuclear Plant Project Idaho Falls, Idaho 83415 http://www.inl.gov Prepared for the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy Under DOE Idaho Operations Office Contract DE-AC07-05ID14517 ABSTRACT This report presents a summary of high temperature gas-cooled reactor dust safety issues. It draws upon a literature review and the proceedings of the Very High Temperature Reactor Dust Assessment Meeting held in Rockville, MD in March 2011 to identify and prioritize the phenomena and issues that characterize the effect of carbonaceous dust on high temperature reactor safety. It reflects the work and input of approximately 40 participants from the U.S. Department of Energy and its National Labs, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, industry, academia, and international nuclear research organizations on the topics of dust generation and characterization, transport, fission product interactions, and chemical reactions. The meeting was organized by the Idaho National Laboratory under the auspices of the Next Generation Nuclear Plant Project, with support from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Information gleaned from the report and related meetings will be used to enhance the fuel, graphite, and methods technical program plans that guide research and development under the Next Generation Nuclear Plant Project. Based on meeting discussions and presentations, major research and development needs include: generating adsorption isotherms for fission products that display an affinity for dust, investigating the formation and properties of carbonaceous crust on the inside of high temperature reactor coolant pipes, and confirming the predominant source of dust as abrasion between fuel spheres and the fuel handling system. vii viii CONTENTS ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................................................ vii ACRONYMS ............................................................................................................................................. xiii 1. INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................................. 1 1.1 Scope ........................................................................................................................................ 2 1.2 Outline ...................................................................................................................................... 2 1.3 PIRT Summary ........................................................................................................................ 3 2. DUST GENERATION AND CHARACTERIZATION .................................................................... 6 2.1 Pebble Bed Reactors ................................................................................................................ 6 2.1.1 Operational Experience and Legacy Data ................................................................... 6 2.2 Prismatic Reactors .................................................................................................................... 8 2.2.1 Operational Experience and Legacy Data ................................................................... 8 2.3 Recent and Ongoing Research ............................................................................................... 11 2.4 Gap Analysis .......................................................................................................................... 12 2.5 Planned Research ................................................................................................................... 12 3. DUST DEPOSITION ....................................................................................................................... 14 3.1 Operational Experience .......................................................................................................... 14 3.2 Recent and Ongoing Research ............................................................................................... 14 3.3 Gap Analysis .......................................................................................................................... 15 3.4 Planned Research ................................................................................................................... 15 4. DUST DISTRIBUTION UNDER NORMAL OPERATION .......................................................... 16 4.1 Operational Experience and Legacy Data .............................................................................. 16 4.2 Recent and Ongoing Research ............................................................................................... 16 4.3 Gap Analysis .......................................................................................................................... 17 4.4 Planned Research ................................................................................................................... 17 5. DUST/AEROSOL GROWTH .......................................................................................................... 18 5.1 Operating Experience and Legacy Data ................................................................................. 18 5.2 Recent and Ongoing Research ............................................................................................... 18 5.3 Gap Analysis .......................................................................................................................... 19 5.4 Planned Research ................................................................................................................... 19 6. DUST BOUNCE AND BREAKUP DURING DEPOSITION ........................................................ 20 6.1 Operational Experience .......................................................................................................... 20 6.2 Recent and Ongoing Research ............................................................................................... 20 6.3 Gap Analysis .......................................................................................................................... 21 6.4 Planned Research ................................................................................................................... 21 7. DUST/FP INTERACTION .............................................................................................................. 23 ix 7.1 Operational Experience and Legacy Data .............................................................................. 23 7.1.1 Peach Bottom ............................................................................................................ 23 7.1.2 FSV ........................................................................................................................... 24 7.1.3 AVR .......................................................................................................................... 24 7.1.4 THTR ........................................................................................................................ 27 7.1.5 Deposition Loops ...................................................................................................... 27 7.2 Recent and Ongoing Research ............................................................................................... 27 7.3 Gap Analysis .......................................................................................................................... 29 7.4 Planned Research ................................................................................................................... 29 8. RESUSPENSION ............................................................................................................................. 30 8.1 Operational Experience .......................................................................................................... 30 8.2 Recent and Ongoing Research ............................................................................................... 31 8.3 Gap Analysis .......................................................................................................................... 33 8.4 Planned Research ................................................................................................................... 33 9. EXPLOSION OF DUST IN CONFINEMENT ...............................................................................
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