Off-Gas Performance and the Fission Product Mechanistic Source Term
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ORNL/TM-2018/958 Thermochemical and Transport Properties Important to Molten Salt Reactor Operation: Off-Gas Performance and the Fission Product Mechanistic Source Term Joanna McFarlane Charles F. Weber M. Scott Greenwood Approved for public release. A. Lou Qualls Distribution is unlimited. August 2018 DOCUMENT AVAILABILITY Reports produced after January 1, 1996, are generally available free via US Department of Energy (DOE) SciTech Connect. 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ORNL/TM-2018/958 Nuclear Security and Isotope Technology Division THERMOCHEMICAL AND TRANSPORT PROPERTIES IMPORTANT TO MOLTEN SALT REACTOR OPERATION: OFF-GAS PERFORMANCE AND THE FISSION PRODUCT MECHANISTIC SOURCE TERM Joanna McFarlane Charles F. Weber M. Scott Greenwood A. Lou Qualls August 2018 Prepared by OAK RIDGE NATIONAL LABORATORY Oak Ridge, TN 37831-6283 managed by UT-BATTELLE, LLC for the US DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY under contract DE-AC05-00OR22725 CONTENTS page ABSTRACT......................................................................................................................................4 1. INTRODUCTION...................................................................................................................................4 1.1. MSRs CONSIDERED AS TEST CASES ........................................................................................4 1.1.1.Impurities in Clean Salt ...........................................................................................................4 1.1.2.Fission Product Reservoirs under Normal Operation..............................................................5 1.1.3.Fission Product Inventory versus Burnup................................................................................6 1.1.4.High Dose Locations Outside the Core Coming from Delayed Neutrons...............................7 2. FISSION PRODUCT, ACTIVATION PRODUCT, AND REACTOR MATERIALS THERMOCHEMISTRY AND REACTION RATES.............................................................................8 2.1. SALT SOLUBLE FISSION PRODUCTS........................................................................................8 2.2. VOLATILE FISSION PRODUCTS AND DAUGHTERS..............................................................8 2.3. PRECIPITATES ...............................................................................................................................8 2.4. CORROSION OF METAL PIPING.................................................................................................9 2.5. RADIOLYSIS...................................................................................................................................9 2.6. OFF-EUTECTIC DRIFT ..................................................................................................................9 3. TRANSPORT PROPERTIES NEEDED TO DESCRIBE FISSION PRODUCT INVENTORY UNDER NORMAL OPERATING CONDITIONS..............................................................................11 3.1. HEAT TRANSFER IN SALT ........................................................................................................11 3.2. DIFFUSION OF FISSION PRODUCTS AND MINOR CHEMICAL SPECIES THROUGH SALT ............................................................................................................................................11 3.3. LOSS OF FISSION PRODUCTS TO THE HEAD SPACE ..........................................................11 3.4. PRECIPITATION OF SOLID FISSION PRODUCTS IN COOLER AREAS OF THE PHTS 3.5. GRAPHITE DEGRADATION.......................................................................................................12 3.6. AEROSOL FORMATION FROM MECHANICAL BREAKUP OF THE SALT........................12 3.7. REACTIVITY FEEDBACK ..........................................................................................................12 3.8. HEADSPACE GAS SPARGING AND OFF-GAS SYSTEM.......................................................12 4. ACCIDENT SCENARIOS POTENTIALLY ALLOWING FISSION PRODUCT RELEASE OR CONTAMINATION OF INTERNAL SYSTEMS ...............................................................................14 4.1. SCENARIOS LEADING TO BREECH IN PHTS ........................................................................14 4.1.1.Salt Leak ................................................................................................................................14 4.1.2.Crack in Headspace ...............................................................................................................14 4.1.3.Failure of heat exchanger.......................................................................................................14 4.2. FAILURE OF CHEMISTRY CONTROL......................................................................................15 4.2.1.Corrosion ...............................................................................................................................15 4.2.2.Failure of On-line Salt Processing.........................................................................................15 4.2.3.Failure of Off-Gas Removal System .....................................................................................15 4.3. SCENARIOS LEADING TO FLOW IRREGULARITIES ...........................................................15 4.3.1.Heat Exchanger Clogging......................................................................................................15 4.3.2.System and Component Malfunctions...................................................................................15 iii 5. SAFEGUARDS.....................................................................................................................................16 5.1. Assess the Need ..............................................................................................................................17 5.2. Methods for Monitoring Inventories...............................................................................................17 5.3. Securing the PHTS..........................................................................................................................17 5.4. Securing On- or Off-Line Salt Processing ......................................................................................17 5.5. Protection of Nuclear Waste ...........................................................................................................17 6. RECOMMENDATIONS ......................................................................................................................18 7. REFERENCES ......................................................................................................................................20 TABLES Page Table 1. Impurity Specifications for MSRE ..................................................................................................5 Table 2. Elements Generated from Operation of Selected MSRs..................................................................6 iv ABSTRACT The source term used in reactor performance and safety analysis requires understanding the chemical speciation and transport behavior of fission and activation products in the primary heat transport system (PHTS) and containment. As a starting condition, the transport models will use the isotopic compositions determined through ORIGEN (Bell 1973) calculations and thermochemistry that describes the speciation of the fuel, the salt, activation products and fission products. However, as changes in phase will be under non-equilibrium conditions, the source terms will also need models for the transport behavior of key compounds in the PHTS under various scenarios: normal operation with and without an off-gas system, maintenance, off-normal events, and severe reactor accidents. This document highlights those mechanistic behaviors for which models are needed. Simulations of reactor behavior require these models to be developed for molten salt reactors (MSRs), especially