Abstract
Massive concrete structures such as the containments of nuclear power plant must maintain their tightness at any circumstances to prevent the escape of radioactive fission products into the environment. In the event of an accident like a Loss of Coolant Accident (LOCA), the concrete wall is submitted to both hydric and mechanical loadings. A new experimental device reproducing these extreme conditions (water vapor transfer, 140°C and 5bars) is developed in the GeM Laboratory to determine the effect of the saturation degree, the mechanical loading and the flowing fluid type on the concrete transfer properties. The experimental tests show that the previous parameters significantly affect the concrete permeability and the gas leakage rate. Their evolution as a function of the mechanical loading is characterized by two phases that are directly related to concrete microstructure and crack development.
Highlights
Knowing the concrete transfer properties is essential for the performance and durability of structures
It is important to notice that gas permeability depends on several parameters: the mean free path covered by gas molecules, the pressure, the temperature and the nature of the gas (N2, O2...) [10]
The influence of water content located in the porous network and the loading level on gas permeability are studied
Summary
Knowing the concrete transfer properties is essential for the performance and durability of structures. Its value does not depend on the injected fluid. This last point is true for sandstone or granite materials [6,7], but not for cement matrix materials. Massive concrete structures are rarely completely dry or completely saturated (test conditions for the measurements of gas or water permeability respectively). They are more often characterized by an intermediate state where water, water vapor and air coexist in the pore network. This is the reason why in this article a new experimental device is proposed
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