Integrated Chemical Effects Test Project: Consolidated Data Report (NUREG/CR-6914)
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Publication Information
Manuscript Completed: August 2006
Date Published: December 2006
Principal Investigator: J. Dallman
Prepared by
J. Dallman, B. Letellier, J. Garcia, J. Madrid, W. Roesch
Los Alamos National Laboratory
Los Alamos, NM 87545
D. Chen, K. Howe
University of New Mexico
Department of Civil Engineering
Albuquerque, NM 87110
L. Archuleta, F. Sciacca
OMICRON Safety and Risk Technologies, Inc.
2500 Louisiana Blvd. NE, Suite 410
Albuquerque, NM 87110
B.P. Jain, NRC Project Manager
Prepared for
Division of Fuel, Engineering and Radiological Research
Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Washington, DC 20555-0001
NRC Job Code Y6999
Abstract
Five tests conducted in the Integrated Chemical Effects Test (ICET) project
apparatus attempted to simulate the chemical environment present inside a
pressurized-water-reactor containment water pool after a loss-of-coolant-accident.
The chemical environment within the tank included boric acid, lithium hydroxide,
and hydrochloric acid. Trisodium phosphate, sodium hydroxide, or sodium
tetraborate was added to each test. The tests were conducted for 30 days at a
constant temperature of 60°C. The materials tested within this environment
included representative amounts of submerged and unsubmerged aluminum,
copper, concrete, zinc, carbon steel, and insulation samples (either 100%
fiberglass or a combination of 80% calcium silicate and 20% fiberglass by
volume). Representative amounts of concrete dust and latent debris were also
added to the test solution. Water was circulated through the bottom portion of the
test chamber during the entire test to achieve representative flow rates over the
submerged specimens. Test solution pH ranged from just over 7 in Tests #2 and
#3 to just over 8 in Test #5, and it reached almost 10 in Tests #1 and #4. Test
solution chemistry varied from test to test, depending on the starting conditions
and amount of material corrosion or leaching. Either particulate, flocculent, or
film (webbing) deposits were observed in the fiberglass after each test. Visible
changes were also seen on the metal coupons in each test. Corrosion was evident
on both submerged and unsubmerged coupons. The amount of sediment
recovered was directly proportional to the amount of particulate debris added to
the test. Tests #3 and #4 had considerably more sediment than did the other tests,
primarily because of the cal-sil dust added to the tank. The top layer of Test #3
sediment contained a gel-like material. When cooled to ambient temperature, test
solution in Tests #1 and #5 contained precipitates. Test solution from those two
tests also exhibited a non-Newtonian tendency for shear thinning with increasing
strain rate when the solution was cooled to ambient temperature.
