VA-89-14-3 -- Analysis and Consequences of Fire inside the Ventilation Ducts of a Nuclear Facility PDF

Accident events involving fire are rather frequent and could have a severe effect on the safety of nuclear facilities. Among the fires that have broken out in nuclear plants, several have resulted from ignition of dust deposited inside the ventilation ducts and on the high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters. The BEATRICE test facility has been designed and built at a French nuclear studies center to enable the analysis and consequences of these types of fires to be evaluated. The associated e×- perimental program is aimed at characterizing the fire (fire spread, aerosols formed), determining and simulating the temperaturo profiles along the duct (thermal losses evaluation by the PIPETTE code), and evaluating the challenge and behavior of the associated HEPA filters (efficiency, contamination release, etc.). The tests performed in this study contribute to improvements in the basic knowledge about fires inside ventilation ducts and define the associated strategies (ventilation control, filter protection, etc.).