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Iodine is a fission product of major importance, because volatile species can be formed under severe nuclear reactor accident conditions, and may potentially be released into the environment, leading to significant radiological consequences.

This programme is dedicated to studying iodine chemistry under thermal non equilibrium (impact of chemical kinetics) in the primary cooling system in the event of a core meltdown accident in a water reactor.
The CHIP programme follows two axes which respectivly aims to:

This emission has an impact on the iodine chemistry (AgI) and on the behavior of aerosols in the reactor primary circuit and in the containment. The presence of control rod material influences the source term potentially present in a PWR containment and likely to in the atmosphere.

HEVA programme started a series of fission-product release experiments, which have been continued with the VERCORS programme. HEVA and the three VERCORS (RT and HT) series represent a total of 28 tests.

SOURCE TERM is an international research programme carried out by IRSN and CEA (Commissariat à l’Energie Atomique) with the support of Electricité de France, the European Commission, the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (US), GDF/ SUEZ/ Tractebel (Belgium), Atomic Energy Canada Limited (Canada),

In case of a hypothetical severe accident in a nuclear LWR (light water reactor), the high radiation fields reached in the reactor containment building due to the release of fission products from the reactor core could induce air radiolysis.

Since the core meltdown accident in the Three Mile Island reactor in 1979, a series of experimental safety research programmes has been conducted by a number of international research organisations, including the IRSN, which manages the European SARNET network.

RECI is a 2½ year experimental programme that was brought to completion as of October 2004.

No description available.