Danger of Burning of Sodium Coolant

The properties of sodium as a substance that can burn are described. The radiation characteristics of sodium as a first-loop coolant in a fast nuclear reactor are presented. An assessment is made of the consequences of sodium burning in various situations. First and foremost, an unanticipated accident with burning of sodium in the first loop adopted in the BN-800 design, is examined. Next, situations with hypothetical scenarios are examined to obtain the limiting data charcterizing the potential fire hazard of radioactive sodium coolant. Specifically, a hypothetical situation where all of the sodium contained in the first loop of the reactor burns is examined. The computational results are analyzed from the standpoint of the role sodium plays in the overall problem of nuclear power plant safety.