We present experiments in which real nuclear fuel, cladding, and containment materials are laser heated to temperatures beyond 3,000 K while their behavior is studied by radiance spectroscopy and thermal analysis. These experiments simulate, on a laboratory scale, the formation of a lava-phase following a nuclear reactor core meltdown.
Manara, D., Soldi, L., Mastromarino, S., Boboridis, K., Robba, D., Vlahovic, L., Konings, R. Laser-heating and Radiance Spectrometry for the Study of Nuclear Materials in Conditions Simulating a Nuclear Power Plant Accident. J. Vis. Exp. (130), e54807, doi:10.3791/54807 (2017).