Fluid-to-fluid modeling of natural circulation boiling loops for stability analysis

• Published in: International journal of heat and mass transfer Vol. 51; no. 3; pp. 566 - 575
• Main Authors: Marcel, C.P., Rohde, M., Van der Hagen, T.H.J.J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01-02-2008; Elsevier
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Boiling water reactors; Energy; Energy. Thermal use of fuels; Exact sciences and technology; Fission nuclear power plants; Fluid-to-fluid scaling; Installations for energy generation and conversion: thermal and electrical energy; Natural circulation loops; Thermal–hydraulic stability; Natural circulation loops; Thermal–hydraulic stability; Boiling water reactors; Fluid-to-fluid scaling; Boiling water reactor; Stability; Fission reactor safety; Thermohydraulics; Natural circulation; Modeling; Nuclear reactor
• ISSN: 0017-9310; 1879-2189
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.2007.05.027

Gravity driven flows may induce oscillations influencing the stability of natural circulation nuclear boiling water reactors. To experimentally study such phenomenon, a facility based on fluid-to-fluid downscaling modeling is proposed. New design criteria are developed for that purpose. It is found that a unique geometrical scale has to be used for all radial and axial dimensions. Moreover, the geometry and the time scaling are not independent each other. A Freon-based downscaled version of the economical simplified boiling water reactor (ESBWR) is designed and constructed based on the derived scaling rules. Experimental results show good agreement with numerical simulations regarding the static behavior and also the stability performance.