| The thesis presented looks to build a model to evaluate the consequences of a breach of a
sodium-bonded fuel test capsule within a light water reactor. Sodium is commonly used as both a
bonding agent and coolant within advanced reactors. It is necessary to test these advanced fuels
prior to placement within a reactor. However, major test reactors, like the Idaho National
Laboratory’s Advanced Test Reactor (ATR), are water based. The sodium-water reaction is of
concern due to its spontaneity and heat generation.
The consequence analysis of a breach of a sodium-bonded fuel test capsule was
performed through the building of three scripts: a simple time-independent static sodium model,
a more nuanced time-dependent sodium model, and a flowing sodium model. The AFC-4C
capsule design was chosen as the input for the models. A generic capsule design is given within
the appendices with further evaluation of specific variable influence on the model outcomes.
Overall, the goal was to create a better, and potentially more realistic, view of evaluating
sodium capsule breaches rather than just relying on time-independent worst-case scenarios.
Keywords: Sodium-bonded fuel, Capsule breach, Sodium-water reaction, Consequence
modeling, Python |