Lucens reactor
The Lucens reactor at Lucens, Vaud, Switzerland, was a small pilot nuclear reactor destroyed by an accident in 1969.
In 1962 the construction of a Swiss-designed pilot nuclear power plant began. The heavy-water moderated, carbon dioxide gas-cooled reactor was built in an underground cavern[1] and produced 30 megawatts of heat (which was used to generate 8.3 megawatts of electricity).[2] It became critical in 1966 and the plant was decommissioned in 1988.[3] It was fueled by 0.96% enriched uranium alloyed with chromium cased in magnesium alloy (magnesium with 0.6% zirconium) inserted into a graphite matrix. Carbon dioxide gas was pumped into the top of the channels at 6.28 MPa and 223 °C and exited the channels at a pressure of 5.79 MPa and at a temperature of 378 °C.
It was intended to operate until the end of 1969, but during a startup on January 21, 1969, it suffered a loss-of-coolant accident, leading to a partial core meltdown and massive radioactive contamination of the cavern, which was then sealed.
The accident was caused by water condensation forming on some of the magnesium alloy fuel element components during shutdown and corroding them. The corrosion products from this accumulated in some of the fuel channels. One of the 73 vertical fuel channels was sufficiently blocked by it to impede the flow of carbon dioxide coolant so that the magnesium alloy cladding melted and further blocked the channel. The increase in temperature and exposure of the uranium metal fuel to the coolant eventually caused the fuel to catch fire in the carbon dioxide coolant atmosphere. The pressure tube surrounding the fuel channel split because of overheating and bowing of the burning fuel assembly, and the carbon dioxide coolant leaked out of the reactor.[4][5]
No irradiation of workers or the population occurred, though the cavern containing the reactor was seriously contaminated. The cavern was decontaminated and the reactor dismantled over the next few years. The accident was rated 5 on the International Nuclear Event Scale.
See also
References
- ↑ Summary of Swiss nuclear reactors, SAPIERR Support Action: Pilot Initiative for European Regional Repositories Archived July 19, 2011 at the Wayback Machine
- ↑ Swiss nuclear power, French Nuclear Energy Agency
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Description of events, Nuclear tourist
- ↑ Heavy water reactors: Status and projected development, IAEA, 2002
External links
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- Use mdy dates from March 2011
- Science and technology in Switzerland
- Nuclear technology in Switzerland
- Former nuclear power stations
- Nuclear power stations in Switzerland
- Nuclear accidents and incidents
- Buildings and structures in Vaud
- Radioactively contaminated areas
- 1966 establishments in Switzerland
- 1969 disestablishments
- Defunct nuclear reactors
