Experimental investigation of solid particle spreading driven by gas injection into a pool of water

Motivated from the fuel-coolant interaction phenomena in boiling water reactors, in the present work, effect of natural convection flows, set during the melt dripping, on the nature of formation of debris bed, of solidified particles, at the bottom floor is studied. Standard shape solid particles are used to simulate the dripping melt and their paths are tracked using a particle tracking technique to acquire additional data such as particles velocity, travel time and path. The experimental studies performed on PDS-P facility are designed to study the separate effects and generate the data for codes validation. A novel particle tracking technique allowed quantification of kinetic properties for every particle. The results helped in refinement of the particles distribution on the floor, quantifying the debris bed shape. Higher pool depths and natural convection flows rates are seen effective in enhancing the distribution of debris particles, creating shallow and well spread debris bed.(c) 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

Motivated by fuel-coolant interaction phenomena, this study investigates the effect of natural convection flows during the melt dripping process on the formation of a debris bed at the bottom. Using solid particles to simulate the dripping melt, a particle tracking technique is employed to track their paths and gather additional data. The experimental studies reveal that higher pool depths and natural convection flows can enhance the distribution of debris particles, resulting in a shallow and well-spread debris bed.