Fast Reactors and Accelerator Driven Systems Knowledge Base

Conference Article: Sodium cleaning in Phenix steam generator modules

Gastaldi, O. (Commissariat a l'Energie Atomique (CEA), Saint-Paul-lez-Durance(France)); Grabon, V. (Framatome-ANP, Lyon (France)); Cavagna, C. (CEA-Phenix, Bagnols-sur-Ceze (France))

Abstract

The repair of the Phenix steam-generator's modules needed to establish a particular sodium cleaning procedure. The standard Phenix cleaning procedure, using water vapour in presence of nitrogen and carbon dioxide was indeed not suitable, because of bulky sodium residues and specific geometry of modules. A specific procedure, using a gradual water vapour nitrogen process has been developed, qualified and industrially implemented in a very short delay, in order to clean efficiently the steam generators modules, before repair and requalification. (author)

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key words: coolant cleanup systems; nitrogen; phenix reactor; reactor maintenance; repair; sodium; steam generators; water vapor; breeder reactors; enriched uranium reactors; epithermal reactors; fast reactors; fbr type reactors; liquid metal cooled reactors; lmfbr type reactors; plutonium reactors; power reactors; primary coolant circuits; sodium cooled reactors; vapor generators;
Reference:
Proceedings of a Technical Meeting held in Cadarache, France 11-15 March 2002
International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna (Austria)
IAEA-TECDOC--1405, pp:99-105