Status of the ORNL Aerosol Release and Transport Project

The behavior of aerosols assumed to be characteristic of those generated during light water reactor (LWR) accident sequences and released into containment is being studied. Recent activities in the ORNL Aerosol Release and Transport Project include studies of (1) the thermal hydraulic conditions existing during Nuclear Safety Pilot Plant (NSPP) aerosol tests in steam-air environments, (2) the thermal output and aerosol mass generation rates for plasma torch aerosol generators, and (3) the influence of humidity on the shape of agglomerated aerosols of various materials. A new Aerosol-Moisture Interaction Test (AMIT) facility was prepared at the NSPP site to accommodate the aerosol shape studies; several tests with Fe/sub 2/O/sub 3/ aerosol have been conducted. In addition to the above activities a special study was conducted to determine the suitability of the technique of aerosol production by plasma torch under the operating conditions of future tests of the LWR Aerosol Containment Experiments (LACE) at the Hanford Engineering Development Laboratory. 3 refs., 2 figs., 7 tabs