The EBR-I Meltdown—Physical and Metallurgical Changes in the Core

Civilian Power Reactor Program. Part Iii. Book 5. Status Report on Boiling Water Reactors Technology as of 1959

“…To date, most of the reported physics data specifically applicable to boiling water reactors have been obtained from BORAX (3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12) Special Power Excursion Tests (SPERT) (13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19) and EBWR (1,2,20,21,22) experiments. These data have been largely concerned with the over-all behavior of boiling water reactors, and the physics data obtained are not of the basic type but are more in the nature of prototype experiments.…”

Terminal Report for the Mark Iv (Plutonium) Loading in Ebr-I

“…One of a number of transient experiments conducted with the main coolant flow stopped, demonstrated conclusively the existence of an overall, prompt, positive power coefficient of reactivity and led inadvertently to a partial melting of the reactor core. (8,9) As a consequence of this incident, considerable concern was expressed for the safe operation of future fastspectrum breeder reactors.…”

Thermal stress initiated fracture as a fragmentation mechanism in the UO2-sodium fuel-coolant interaction

“…It was subsequently postulated by Kittel (9) that vaporization of entrained NaK may have been responsible for the observed spongy remains.…”