CSNI1020 FALCON/ISP1-ISP2.

1. NAME OF EXPERIMENT:  FALCON/ISP1-ISP2.

3. DESCRIPTION OF TEST FACILITY

Falcon has been developed to study the transport and deposition of fission products through a complex pathway simulating to some degree a reactor environment under severe accident conditions. It consists of two negative pressure double glove boxes (one of which is mounted horizontally and the other vertically), a system of thermal gradient tubes, a stainless steel containment vessel, and a series of filters designed for use with gamma-ray spectrometers and aerosol analysis equipment. The apparatus was designed to study the transport of fission product vapours and aerosols as they pass from the high-temperature reducing conditions representative of the primary circuit to the low-temperature predominantly oxidising and condensing steam conditions simulating the containment atmosphere. Fission products are released from both simulant and trace-irradiated fuel samples heated inductively up to 3000 K in a controlled manner. The resulting species can be studied in the presence and absence of aerosols from bulk reactor materials such as the Ag-In-Cd control rod and boric acid. Such vapours and aerosols can be studied by a range of in-situ techniques including mass spectrometry, gamma-ray spectroscopy, aerosol analysis and Maypacks, together with their collection on filters and deposition foils for subsequent elemental, chemical and morphological analyses.
- Thermal gradient arrangement (TG): serves study of aerosol deposition inside a tube with controlled temperature gradient supposed to simulate a primary system condition;
- Containment Configuration (CT): serves to provide data related to a containment under severe accident conditions.

4. DESCRIPTION OF TEST

The FALCON experiments have been undertaken at the Winfrith Technology Centre to simulate the transport and deposition of fission products in the primary circuit and containment building of a LWR under severe accident conditions.
ISP 34 were based on two Falcon experiments using simulant fuel.
- FAL-ISP-1 (28 May 1992): Low relative humidity in containment (approx. 50 %) with high particle concentration (to test the impact of multicomponent aerosols involving differenct chemical species on different-sized particles and agglomeration models).
- FAL-ISP-2 (22 July 1992): High containment relative humidity (> 90 %) and low particle concentration (to test condensation onto hygroscopiec particles in the absence of agglomeration and assess the limitations of using 1-D aerosol equations).

6. PHENOMENA TESTED

Phenomena of fission product and aerosol transport in primary coolant system and in the containment
- physical and chemical behaviour of fission products under simulated severe accident conditions
- multi-component aerosol effects and vapour-aerosol interactions

- FALCON Specification (FAL/ISP(92)8)
- Summary of Solubility Data (FAL/ISP(92)9)
- Zircaloy Oxidation Data (FAL/ISP(92)10)
- A.M. Beard et al.:
FALCON Data Report 8 Integral Test 3A (FAL/ISP(92)12) March 1990
- P.N. Smith and P.L. Mason:
Analysis of Falcon Test FAL-3A using the CONTAIN Code
(FAL/ISP(92)13) AEA TRS 5095 (March 1991)
- N.J. Ashton et al:
Thermal-Hydraulic and Aerosol Analysis of the Falcon Facility
using the ITHACA Code (FAL/ISP(92)14) SRD R525 (July 1991)
- P. Dumaz:
Analyses of the FALCON Experiments using VICTORIA
(FAL/ISP(92)15) AEA RS 5257 (February 1992)
- A.B. Anderson et al.:
Characterisation of Boric Acid Aerosol Behaviour and Interactions
with Stainless Steel (FAL/ISP(92)16) AEA TRS 5091 (March 1991)
- A.M. Beard and P.J. Bennett:
Characterisation of Control Rod Release Rates and Aerosol Behaviour
(FAL/ISP(92)17) AEA TRS 5064 (March 1991)
- C.G. Benson et al.:
Falcon Seminar, 27-28 June 1989 (FAL/ISP(92)18) AEEW-M2612 (Dec.90)
- P.J. Bennett and B.R. Bowsher:
Falcon II Seminar, 13-14 March 1991
(FAL/ISP(92)19) AEA RS 5116 (May 1991)
- A.M. Beard et al.:
Chemistry Studies in Support of PHEBUS-FP: Multicomponent Aerosol
Behaviour, Summary Report (FAL/ISP(92)20) AEA TRS 5069 (January 91)
- A.M. Beard et al.:
Data Report: Characterisation of Falcon Aerosol Source
(FAL/ISP(92)22) September 1992
- A.M. Beard and P.J. Bennett:
Falcon Thermal-hydraulics Test Data Report
(FAL/ISP(92)23) September 1992
- P.J. Bennett et al.:
CSNI ISP 34 (FALCON): Proceeding of 1st Workshop, Winfrith Technology
Centre, 23-24 March 1992 (FAL/ISP(92)25) AEA RS 5321 (April 1992)
- FAL-ISP 1: Pre-Test Plan (FAL/ISP(92)26)
- Status of CSNI ISP 34 (Falcon), June 1992 (FAL/ISP(92)27)
- FAL-ISP 2: Pre-Test Plan (FAL/ISP(92)28)
- A.M. Beard and P.J. Bennett:
CSNI ISP 34 (FALCON) Data Report: Test 1 (FAL-ISP 1)
(FAL/ISP(92)29) September 1992
- A.M. Beard and P.J. Bennett:
CSNI ISP 34 (FALCON) Thermal Hydraulics Data Test 2 (FAL-ISP 2)
(FAL/ISP(92)30) September 1992
- Thermal Hydraulics for ISP1
- A.M. Beard and P.J. Bennett:
CSNI ISP 34 (FALCON) Primary Circuit Data: Test 2 (FAL-ISP 2)
(FAL/ISP(93)35) January 1993
- FAL-ISP 2: Input Data for Containment Calculations
(FAL/ISP(93)36) April 1993
- A.M. Beard and P.J. Bennett:
CSNI ISP 34 (FALCON) Data Report: Test 2 (FAL-ISP 2)
(FAL/ISP(93)42) July 1993
- P.J. Bennett et al.:
CSNI ISP 34 (FALCON): Summary Proceedings of 2nd Workshop
Winfrith, 7-9 December 1993 (FAL/ISP(93)45) AEA RS 3410 (Jan. 94)
- D.A. Williams:
OECD ISP 34, FALCON Code Comparison Report AEA RS 3394 (NEA/CSNI/R(94)27)
- CSNI ISP 34 (FALCON) Re-Assessment of Experimental Data
(FAL/ISP(94)46)

11. TEST DESIGNATION:  FAL-ISP1 and FAL-ISP2.

15. ESTABLISHMENT

AEA Technology
Winfrith Technology Centre
Dorchester
Dorset DT2 8DH
U.K.

Documentation in PDF format
Thermal hydraulic data