Nucleation, growth and transport of corrosion product oxide particles in non-isothermal LBE systems

In LBE coolant, oxidized corrosion products together with lead oxide (PbO) are the most important sources of macroscopic amounts of solid impurities. Simple or complex mixed oxides of corrosion products may form; a prominent example is magnetite (Fe3O4). These solid impurities when are transported along with the coolant, may accumulate in narrow channels and, on the long term, lead to reduced flow and cooling. As opposed to watercooled nuclear reactors where a loss of coolant is the main accident trigger, these LBE specific processes may culminate into a so-called loss of flow accident. Physicochemical interactions of corrosion products in the liquid coolant including the mechanisms that govern solids formation and deposition onto surfaces are currently insufficiently understood to allow accurate predictions outside the ranges covered in specific experimental campaigns. The objective of the present PhD thesis is reaching a level of scientific insight at which accurate predictions of these phenomena are within reach using an interdisciplinary approach involving specific experimental campaigns and multi-scale CFD modeling,