OSCAR-Na: A New Code for Simulating Corrosion Product Contamination in SFR

J.B. Génin (1, 2) , L. Brissonneau (2, 1) , T. Gilardi (1, 2)

1 CEA-DES (ex-DEN) - CEA-Direction des Energies (ex-Direction de l'Energie Nucléaire)
2 SMTA - Service Mesures et modélisation des Transferts et des Accidents graves

A code named OSCAR-Na has been developed to calculate the mass transfer of corrosion products in the primary circuit of sodium fast reactors (SFR). It is based on a solution/precipitation model, including diffusion in the steel (enhanced under irradiation), diffusion through the sodium boundary layer, equilibrium concentration of each element and velocity of the interface (bulk corrosion or deposition). The code uses a numerical method for solving the diffusion equation in the steel and the complete mass balance in sodium for all elements. Corrosion and deposition rates are mainly determined by the iron equilibrium concentration in sodium and its oxygen enhanced dissolution rate. All parameters of the model have been assessed from a literature review, but iron solubility had to be adjusted. A simplified primary system description of PHENIX French SFR was able to assess the correct amounts and profiles of contamination on heat exchanger surfaces for the main radionuclides.

Keywords: Corrosion Rate; Corrosion Product; Neutron Flux; Diffusion Equation; Primary System

Domains: Nuclear Theory [nucl-th]; Nuclear Experiment [nucl-ex]

J.B. Génin, L. Brissonneau, T. Gilardi. OSCAR-Na: A New Code for Simulating Corrosion Product Contamination in SFR. Metallurgical and Materials Transactions E, 2016, 3 (4), pp.291-298. ⟨10.1007/s40553-016-0094-9⟩. ⟨cea-02381347⟩