Investigation of sodium area conflagrations and testing of a protective system

Abstract During research and development work on the SNR-300 sodium-cooled fast reactor the consequences and confinement of sodium fires occurring in enclosures were studied. The behavior of liquid sodium during fires and the behavior of an inherently ready-for-operation protective system are described. Theoretical considerations on the behavior of burning liquid sodium are compared with experimental results. A protective system for large facilities is presented and the use of extinguishing powders is reviewed.