SOME PROBLEMS ON THE THERMAL STATE
OF THE EXTERNAL CORIUM CATCHER
AND ON SELECTING ITS OPTIMUM STRUCTURE
F. A. Akopova, A. S. Vlasova, L. A. Dombrovskiia, L. I. Zaichika, 
Yu. A. Zeigarnika, V. N. Mineeva, and O. M. Traktuevb

UDC 621.039

The thermal state of a molten corium and of the walls 
of the storage chamber of an EPR external corium catcher has been 
analyzed. It is shown that the strong nonuniformity of distribution 
of the heat-flux density over the surface of the storage chamber of 
the catcher makes it impossible to coordinate with the required degree 
of accuracy the processes of melting of a taphole and the processes 
of dilution of the oxide component of the melt (required to ensure 
the inverse stratification of the corium) with sacrificial concrete. 
Additional technical measures are required to ensure the effectiveness 
of the catcher.

aJoint Institute of High Temperatures, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia; 
email: zeigar@oivtran.iitp.ru; 
bInstitute of Nuclear Reactors, Russian Scientific Center "Kurchatov 
Institute", Moscow, Russia. 
Translated from Inzhenerno-Fizicheskii Zhurnal, Vol. 75, No. 1, pp. 3-8, 
January-February, 2002. Original article submitted May 22, 2001.

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