Experimental Research of Steam Explosion Propagation after its Spontaneous Triggering on the Salt and Tin Molten Droplets

Abstract

The vapor explosion (explosive boiling of the low-boiling liquid with a highly heated melt immersed in it) could occur during accidents in certain existing and promising technological processes, including nuclear power plants, metallurgy and cellulose production. Experimental research results are provided of the least studied stages of the vapor explosion process, i.e., triggering (initiation) and fine fragmentation of the melt. NaCl sodium chlorate and Sn tin were used as the melt materials. Introduction of the sodium chlorate drops is due to the practically "guaranteed" spontaneous triggering, which made it possible to bring experimental conditions closer to the real ones in comparison with the external (forced) triggering used in most studies. It was shown that in interaction of several sodium chlorate drops with water, spontaneous triggering (micro-explosive boiling of the cold liquid) on a single drop caused "chain reaction" of the micro-vapor explosions on the neighboring drops. The similar "chain reaction" of micro explosions also occurred from the drops of sodium chlorate to the drops of tin (probability of spontaneous triggering of the tin molten drops in water is very low). Due to transience (tens to hundreds of microseconds) of the processes being studied, high-speed video recording with a frame rate of up to 180 kHz and exposure time of up to 2 microseconds was used as the main research tool

This work was supported by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation (State Assignment no. 075-01129-23-00)

Please cite this article in English as:

Vasil’ev N.V.,Vavilov S.N., Zeigarnik Yu.A. Experimental research of steam explosion propagation after its spontaneous triggering on the salt and tin molten droplets. Herald of the Bauman Moscow State Technical University, Series Natural Sciences, 2023, no. 6 (111), pp. 25--38 (in Russ.). DOI: https://doi.org/10.18698/1812-3368-2023-6-25-38

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