Abstract
The total amount of stored energy (Wigner energy) and the physical-mechanical properties of the graphite plunger, which exhausted its total service life (6 yr), in the No. 2 unit of the Kursk nuclear power plant were estimated experimentally. The results showed that the total accumulated energy was 180–220 cal/g ((8–10)·105 J/ kg). The real tempearture of the graphite plunger was found to be much lower – 70–80°C compared with the computed value 180–200°C. The energy was nonuniformly distributed over the cross section and azimuth of the plunger.
Measurements showed that the thermal conductivity of the graphite in the plunger is low (no greater than 14–15 W/(m·K) at the measurement temperature 70°C) and that the temperature dependence is clearly nonmonotonic and contains stages with accelerated variation followed by moderation. These stages of nonmonotonic behavior correlate with stages where energy is released in experiments with linear heating of the irradiated graphite samples.
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Platonov, P.A., Burlakov, E.V., Chugunov, O.K. et al. Computational-Experimental Investigation of the Wigner Energy and the Physical Properties of Plunger Graphite in the Safety and Control System of an RBMK Reactor. Atomic Energy 94, 225–237 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1024737702092
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1024737702092