Abstract
In case of a Hypothetical Core Disruptive Accident (HCDA) in a Liquid Metal Reactor, the interaction between fuel and liquid sodium creates a high pressure gas bubble in the core. The violent expansion of this bubble is similar to an explosion; it loads and deform the vessel and the internal structures. The experimental test MARA10 simulates a HCDA in a mock-up schematising simply the reactor block of a Fast Breeder Reactor : the external vessel, the roof as well as the main internal structures of the reactor are represented. The vessel is filled with water, topped with an air blanket. The test is fired using an explosive charge. This paper presents the numerical model used in the simulation of the MARA10 test with the fast dynamics code EUROPLEXUS. A specific HCDA constitutive law has been implemented in this code to simulate this kind of explosion. The external structures are represented by shells. Coupled fluid-structure computations are carried out.
