PNNL

Abstract

The technology employed in designing and constructing the FFTF reactor, can significantly influence the development of new advanced reactor designs in the areas of plant system and component design, component fabrication, fuel design and performance, prototype testing, site construction, and reactor operations. Important lessons learned during the startup and nearly 10 years of reactor operation are being preserved. These areas include containment design and sodium fire testing. Although there were no identified Design Basis Accidents that required the inclusion of a containment building to meet the established regulatory limits for off-site radiological dose, a containment system was provided that included a steel containment vessel, a Containment Isolation System and a Containment Margins System to allow purging and venting the containment atmosphere. A sodium spill and fire test program was performed over a period of several years at the Hanford site. The program was both analytical and experimental and included computer code development and verification. Tests ranged in size from gram quantity laboratory tests to large spills. Both pool and spray fires were studied and information on burn rates and smoke release rates was correlated and compared to theoretical values with generally good agreement.