EXPLOSION CONTAINMENT LAWS FOR NUCLEAR REACTOR VESSELS
Abstract
The location of power reactors in urban areas increases the need for containment of the maximum credible nuclear accident. Such an accident could possibly involve a large and rapid energy release in the core region due to a nuclear excursion. To contain the energy release (and any subsequent release of fission products), the integrity of the reactor primary vessel is very important. To investigate this integrity, extensive theoretical and experimental analyses were performed, and basic explosion containment laws for water-filled right-circular cylinders were formulated and verified for a wide range of vessel materials and sizes. These laws express explosive charge weight as a function of vessel geometry and conventional material properties. The basic containment laws were amplified to characterize the response of reactor primary vessels to a large spectrum of postulated nuclear accidents. Included in the study are experimental data on the effects upon containment of weldments, nozzles, and end constraints.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 16, 1965
- Accession Number
- AD0622327
Entities
People
- J. F. Proctor
- W. R. Wise Jr.
Organizations
- Naval Ordnance Laboratory