• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.261-272
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• 2012

Molten Core Concrete Interaction (MCCI) is a complex process characterized by concrete ablation and volatile generation; Thermal and solutal convection in a bubble-agitated melt; Physico-chemical evolution of the corium pool with a wide solidification range (of the order of 1000 K). Twelve experiments have been carried out in the VULCANO facility with prototypic corium and sustained heating. The dry oxidic corium tests have contributed to show that silica-rich concrete experience an anisotropic ablation. This unexpected ablation pattern is quite reproducible and can be recalculated, provided an empirical anisotropy factor is assumed. Dry tests with oxide and metal liquid phases have also yielded unexpected results: a larger than expected steel oxidation and unexpected topology of the metallic phase (at the bottom of the cavity and also on the vertical concrete walls). Finally, VULCANO has proved its interest for the study of mitigation solutions such as the COMET bottom flooding core catcher.

• Journal of Welding and Joining
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.44-50
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• 2009

The characteristics of arc pressure, current density and heat flux distribution are important factors in understanding physical arc phenomena, which will have a marked effect on the penetration, size and shape of a weld in TIG welding. The purpose of this study is to find out the effect of the heat flux on the melting efficiency and penetration shape in TIG welding using the results of the previous investigators. The conclusions obtained permit to draw a proper method which derived the heat flux distributions by arc pressure distribution measurements, but previous researchers calculated heat flux and current distribution with the heat intensity measurements by the calorimetry. Heat flux of Ar gas arc was concentrated at the central part and distributed low from the arc axis to the radial direction, that of He mixing arc was lower than that of Ar gas, and it was wide distributed to radial direction. That showed a similar characteristic with the Nestor's by calorimetry calculated values. Throughout heat flux drawn in this study was discussed melting efficiency and penetration shape on Ar gas and He mixing gas arc.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.469-476
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• 2013

In a postulated severe core damage accident in a PHWR, multiple failures of core cooling systems may lead to the collapse of pressure tubes and calandria tubes, which may ultimately relocate inside the calandria vessel forming a terminal debris bed. The debris bed, which may reach high temperatures due to the decay heat, is cooled by the moderator in the calandria. With time, the moderator is evaporated and after some time, a hot dry debris bed is formed. The debris bed transfers heat to the calandria vault water which acts as the ultimate heat sink. However, the questions remain: how long would the vault water be an ultimate heat sink, and what would be the failure mode of the calandria vessel if the heat sink capability of the reactor vault water is lost? In the present study, a numerical analysis is performed to evaluate the thermal loads and the stresses in the calandria vessel following the above accident scenario. The heat transfer from the molten corium pool to the surrounding is assumed to be by a combination of radiation, conduction, and convection from the calandria vessel wall to the vault water. From the temperature distribution in the vessel wall, the transient thermal loads have been evaluated. The strain rate and the vessel failure have been evaluated for the above scenario.