The COLIMA experiment on aerosol retention in containment leak paths under severe nuclear accidents

CEA and RSE managed an experimental research concerning the investigation of aerosol retention within concrete containment cracks under severe accident conditions. The main experiment was carried out in November 2008 with aerosol generated from the COLIMA facility and a sample of cracked concrete with defined geometric characteristics manufactured by RSE.The facility provided representative conditions of the aerosols suspended inside the containment of PWRs under a severe accident. Prototypical aerosol particles were generated with a thermite reaction and transported through the crack sample, where surface characteristics, temperature, pressure drop and gas leakage were properly reproduced.The paper describes the approach adopted for the preparation of the cracked concrete sample and the dimensioning of the experimental apparatus, the test procedure and the measured parameters. The preliminary results, obtained from this single test, are also discussed in the light of the present knowledge about aerosol phenomena and the theoretical analyses of particle behaviour with the crack path.

► Experiment investigating aerosol retention within concrete containment cracks under nuclear severe accident conditions.
► Provided representative conditions of the aerosols suspended inside the containment of PWRs under a severe accident.
► Prototypical aerosol particles generated with a thermite reaction and transported through the crack sample reproducing surface characteristics, temperature, pressure drop and gas leakage.
► The results indicate the significant retention due to zig-zag path.