Facilities

The catalyst sheets (stainless steel coated with washcoat/platinum catalyst material) are arranged in parallel forming vertical rectangular flow channels. Such a set-up represents a box-type recombiner section of AREVA design. Inside of the configuration the distribution of the catalyst temperatures and the gas com- position in vertical flow direction are measured. The correlation of the hydrogen conversion and catalyst temperatures with the experimental parameters serve basically to clarify the interactions of reaction kinetics, heat and mass transfer, and the flow conditions inside the recombiner.

Facility is in operation.

The experiment objective was to study the physical phenomena that affect hydrogen distribution in the reactor containment such as: steam wall condensation, heat mass and momentum exchanges with the sump or with the containment spray systems. These different phenomena have been studied during specific test phases.
TOSQAN facility is highly instrumented both in terms of measurement density and diversity. Most of instrumentation is based on innovative optical diagnostics, which allows to measure accurately and non-intrusively the multiphase flow composed of various gases (air, steam, and helium used as a surrogate of hydrogen), water droplets, and aerosols simulating the fission products.
Facility is in operation.

The influence of containment sprays on atmosphere behaviour is being investigated both experimentally and theoretically. Experiments are being performed on the TOSQAN and MISTRA experimental facilities. The main objective of the CEA's MISTRA programme was to study condensation on the walls and the water droplets (from spraying) in a geometry larger than that of TOSQAN and with the possibility of compartments.
The experiments, carried out at MISTRA within SARNET, followed the same basic pattern. First, a well-defined (in terms of pressure, temperature and atmosphere composition) initial state was obtained, with a quiescent atmosphere. Then, sprays were activated with all boundary conditions remaining constant. The tests lasted typically less than two hours.
Facility is in operation.

In order to comply with experimental device design requirements, different devices were developped, tested and set up on CARAIDAS:

• experimental enclosure in which representative thermodynamic conditions could be achieved,
• the monosized drops generator, the drops diameter measurements and the drops collector,
• the cesium iodide aerosols generator, concentration and size distribution measurements.

Facility is not operating.

TUBA (thermo-phoresis and diffusiophoresis) programme included experiments represented conditions expected in the SG tubes. Laminar flow was used in TUBA tests (TUBA-T: thermophoresis and TUBA-D: diffusiophoresis & thermo-diffusiophoresis).

From the comparison of experimental results and SOPHAEROS calculations it was concluded that there was sufficient agreement for most of the cases studied.
Facility is dismanteled.

RECI is a 2½ year experimental programme that was brought to completion as of October 2004. The aim of the RECI (RECombiner & Iodine) program was to quantify the iodide → iodine conversion in realistic conditions of recombiner operation, albeit under the following constraints: the experiments were to be performed with non-radioactive substances, and without hydrogen. The comprehensive tests grid allowed to investigate into the decomposition of cesium and cadmium iodides under thermal-hydraulics conditions that mimics the recombiner operation, despite the technical limitations of the RECI test bench.

The aerosol generator selected limits the RECI programme to the study of water soluble substances, namely cesium and cadmium iodides: silver iodide is insoluble in water, and indium monoiodide is hydrolysed. However, the experimental results can be interpolated with reasonable confidence, since CsI and CdI2 are the two end-terms in the stability range of the relevant iodides. The instability of metal iodides, in a wet and oxidizing atmosphere, already demonstrated in chemistry laboratories, has been confirmed in more relevant physico-chemical conditions. The high conversion yields obtained do not come as a surprise since the RECI experiments provide a close analogy to the processes known as spray drying and spray (reactive-, or oxidizing-) pyrolysis, widely used in the laboratory and in the manufacturing industry. Both processes capitalize upon the high surface/volume ratio of aerosol particles to master comparatively slow chemical reactions and to produce nano-particles, the precursor material being often a finely powdered metal halide.

The experimental test bench consists of 4 units.

• Aerosol generation: an ultrasonic aerosol generator atomises the aqueous solution of a water soluble iodide. Monodispersed droplets are then dried, yielding iodide particles, the size of which is determined by the concentration of the solution. The input power of the ultrasonic acoustic transducer sets the aerosol concentration.
• Recombiner surrogate: a clear fused quartz or alumina tubing, which can accommodate a catalyst foil, is heated in a vertical tube furnace.
• Aerosol characterization: particles concentration & size distribution measurements. • Gaseous iodine analysis: 3 independently calibrated methods are implemented in the flue gas.

Facility is dismanteled.