SOME IN-REACTOR LOOP EXPERIMENTS ON CORROSION PRODUCT TRANSPORT AND WATER CHEMISTRY

A study of the transport of activated corrosion products in the heat transport circuit of pressurized water-cooled nuclear reactors using an in-reactor loop showed that the concentration of particulate and dissolved corrosion products in the high-temperature water depends on such chemical parameters as pH and dissolved hydrogen concentration. Transients in these parameters, as well as in temperature, generally increase the concentration of suspended corrosion products. The maximum concentration of particles observed is much reduced when high-flow, high-temperature filtration is used. Filtration also reduces the steady-state concentration of particles. Dissolved corrosion products are mainly responsible for activity accumulation on surfaces.