CFD analysis of a CiADS fuel assembly during the steam generator tube rupture accident based on the LBEsteamEulerFoam

Steam generator tube rupture(SGTR) accident is an important scenario needed to be considered in the safety analysis of lead-based fast reactors. When the steam generator tube breaks close to the main pump, water vapor will enter the reactor core, resulting in a two-phase flow of heavy liquid metal and water vapor in fuel assemblies. The thermal-hydraulic problems caused by the SGTR accident may seriously threaten reactor core's safety performance. In this paper, the open-source CFD calculation software OpenFOAM was used to encapsulate the improved Euler method into the self-developed solver LBEsteamEulerFoam. By changing different heating boundary conditions and inlet coolant types, the two-phase flow in the fuel assembly with different inlet gas content was simulated under various accident conditions. The calculation results show that the water vapor may accumulate in edge and corner channels. With the increase in inlet water vapor content, outlet coolant velocity increases gradually. When the inlet water vapor content is more than 15%, the outlet coolant temperature rises sharply with strong temperature fluctuation. When the inlet water vapor content is in the range of 5–20%, the upper part of the fuel assembly will gradually accumulate to form large bubbles. Compared with the VOF method, Euler method has higher computational efficiency. However, Euler method may cause an underestimation of the void fraction, so it still needs to be calibrated with future experimental data of the two-phase flow in fuel assembly.

Self-Floating Efficient Solar Steam Generators Constructed Using Super-Hydrophilic N,O Dual-Doped Carbon Foams from Waste Polyester

Solar evaporation is recognized as a prospective technique to produce freshwater from non-drinkable water using inexhaustible solar energy.However,it remains a challenge to fabricate low-cost solar evaporators with obviously reduced water evaporation enthalpy to achieve high evaporation rates.Herein,N,O dual-doped carbon foam(NCF)is fabricated from the lowtemperature carbonization of poly(ethylene terephthalate)(PET)waste by melamine/molten salts at 340℃.During carbonization,melamine reacts with carboxylic acids of PET degradation products to yield a crosslinking network,and then molten salts catalyze the decarboxylation and dehydration to construct a stable framework.Owing to rich N,O-containing groups,3D interconnected pores,super-hydrophilicity,and ultra-low thermal conductivity(0.0599 W m^(−1) K^(−1)),NCF not only achieves high light absorbance(ca.99%)and solar-to-thermal conversion,but also promotes the formation of water cluster to reduce water evaporation enthalpy by ca.37%.Consequently,NCF exhibits a high evaporation rate(2.4 kg m^(−2) h^(−1)),surpassing the-state-of-the-art solar evaporators,and presents good antiacid/basic abilities,long-term salt-resistance,and self-cleaning ability.Importantly,a large-scale NCF-based outdoor solar desalination device is developed to produce freshwater.The daily freshwater production amount per unit area(6.3 kg)meets the two adults’daily water consumption.The trash-to-treasure strategy will give impetus to the development of low-cost,advanced solar evaporators from waste plastics for addressing the global freshwater shortage.

Transient Analysis of Steam Generator in PWR Nuclear Power Plant

The water level control system of steam generator in a pressurized water reactor of nuchear power plant plays an important role which effects the water level control of the steam generator are due the reverse dynamics behavior,so the transient analysis of the steam generator should firstly solve their mathematical models.For determination of dynamic behavior and design and testing of the control system, a nonlinear math model is developed using one dimensional conservation equations of mass,momentum and energy of primary and secondary sides of the steam generator. The nonlinear model is verified with standard power plant data available in the references, then the steady states and transient calculations are performed for full power to 5% power reactor operation of the steam generator of Chinese Qinshan Nuclear Power Plant.

A Novel Computerized Water Level Control System of PWR Steam Generator of Nuclear Power Plant

This paper presents a novel method to solve old problem of water level control system of pressurized water reactor (PWR) steam generator (SG) of nuclear power plant (NPP) .The level control system of SG plays an important role which effects the reliablity,safty,cost of SG and its mathematical models have been solved.A model of the conventional controller is presented and the existing problems are discussed. A novel rule based realtime control technique is designed with a computerized water level control (CWLC) system for SG of PWR NPP.The performance of this is evaluated for full power reactor operating conditions by applying different transient conditions of SG′s data of Qinshan Nuclear Power Plant (QNPP).

Dynamic simulation of drum level sloshing of heat recovery steam generator

Drum level sloshing is the latest discovery in the application of heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) in combined cycle, and shows certain negative influence on drum level controlling. In order to improve drum level controlling, influence factors on the drum level sloshing were investigated. Firstly, drum sub-modules were developed using the method of modularization modeling, and then the model of drum level sloshing was set up as well. Experiments were carried out on the experimental rig, and the model was validated using the obtained experimental results. Dynamic simulation was made based on the model to get a 3-D graph of drum level sloshing, which shows a vivid procedure of drum level sloshing. The effect of feed-water flow rate, main-steam flow rate and heating quantity on the drum level sloshing was analyzed. The simulation results indicate that the signals with frequency higher than 0.05 Hz are that of drum level sloshing, the signals with frequency of 0.0-0.05 Hz are that of drum level trendy and "false water level", and variation of the feed-water flow rates, main-steam flow rates and heating quantities can change the frequency of drum level sloshing, i.e., the frequency of sloshing increases with the increase of feed-water flow rate, or the decrease of the main-steam flow rate and the heating quantity. This research work is fundamental to improve signal-to-noise ratio of drum level signal and precise controlling of drum level.

Modeling a high output marine steam generator feedwater control system which uses parallel turbine-driven feed pumps

Parallel turbine-driven feedwater pumps are needed when ships travel at high speed. In order to study marine steam generator feedwater control systems which use parallel turbine-driven feed pumps, a mathematical model of marine steam generator feedwater control system was developed which includes mathematical models of two steam generators and parallel turbine-driven feed pumps as well as mathematical models of feedwater pipes and feed regulating valves. The operating condition points of the parallel ttu-bine-driven feed pumps were calculated by the Chebyshev curve fit method. A water level controller for the steam generator and a rotary speed controller for the turbine-driven feed pumps were also included in the model. The accuracy of the mathematical models and their controllers was verified by comparing their results with those from a simulator.

Simulation analysis of static and dynamic characteristics of once-through steam generator in concentric annuli tube

The once-through steam generator (OTSG) in concentric annuli tube is a new type of steam generator which applies double side to transfer heat. The heat flux between the water of centric tube, outside annuli tube and that of annulus channel is assumed to be equal, and then the steam generator’s model is built by lumped parameters with moving boundary. In the basis of the built model, static and dynamic characteristics are analyzed. The static characteristics are proved by experiment results in a 19-tube once-through steam generator of Babcock & Wilcox. The characteristics that the lengths of three regions (subcooled region, nucleate boiling region, superheat region) change with power can be explained by theory analysis. The dynamic characteristics accord with the heat and hydraulics and the results of analysis according to the mechanism.

Prediction of External Exposure during Dismantling of Steam Generator

The decommissioning of nuclear power plants is in the Slovak Republic an actual issue. In 2015 started the second decommissioning stage of nuclear power plant V1 in Jaslovské Bohunice. This stage involves the dismantling and segmentation of activated (reactor pressure vessel, reactor internals) and contaminated parts (steam generators, pressurizer). From this reason it is necessary to investigate the radiation situation in the vicinity of the component to be cut. The presented results show that during remote dismantling the exposure is small (compared with the fragmentation tasks). Moreover, when the pre-dismantling decontamination with decontamination factor of 100 is applied, the total collective effective dose is below the yearly limit of 20 mSv for workers.

Verification of Integrity of Steam Generator Tubes by Pressure Testing

This paper assessed the benefit of the in-situ pressure test to support steam generator tube integrity assessment and reviewed a conservatism of currently applied structural integrity assessment methodology against defected tubes. According to the steam generator program requirement, condition monitoring assessment was performed to the all detected flaws. For condition monitoring assessments, the limiting structural integrity requirement should be demonstrated for all detected degraded tubes at a probability of at least 0.95 at 50% confidence. Some flaws were slightly exceeded the structural integrity threshold values of the condition monitoring performance limits using analytical method. As a direct evaluation of tube integrity with degraded tubes, in-situ pressure testing performed on some selected flaws and passed all proof and leakage test criteria with no leakage. From this pressure testing, the authors have verified that degraded tubes met a specified value containing a defined safety margins. Also, the authors have confirmed that existing structural assessment methodology has enough margins to retain integrity of steam generator tubes.

High-efficiency inspecting method for mobile robots based on task planning for heat transfer tubes in a steam generator

Many heat transfer tubes are distributed on the tube plates of a steam generator that requires periodic inspection by robots.Existing inspection robots are usually involved in issues:Robots with manipulators need complicated installation due to their fixed base;tube mobile robots suffer from low running efficiency because of their structural restricts.Since there are thousands of tubes to be checked,task planning is essential to guarantee the precise,orderly,and efficient inspection process.Most in-service robots check the task tubes using row-by-row and column-bycolumn planning.This leads to unnecessary inspections,resulting in a long shutdown and affecting the regular operation of a nuclear power plant.Therefore,this paper introduces the structure and control system of a dexterous robot and proposes a task planning method.This method proceeds into three steps:task allocation,base position search,and sequence planning.To allocate the task regions,this method calculates the tool work matrix and proposes a criterion to evaluate a sub-region.And then all tasks contained in the sub-region are considered globally to search the base positions.Lastly,we apply an improved ant colony algorithm for base sequence planning and determine the inspection orders according to the planned path.We validated the optimized algorithm by conducting task planning experiments using our robot on a tube sheet.The results show that the proposed method can accomplish full task coverage with few repetitive or redundant inspections and it increases the efficiency by 33.31% compared to the traditional planning algorithms.

Two Phase Flow Stability in the HTR-10 Steam Generator

A 10MW High Temperature Gas Cooled Reactor (HTR-10) designed by the Institute of Nuclear Energy Technology (INET) is now being constructed. The steam generator (SG) in the HTR-10 is one of the most important components for reactor safety. The thermal-hydraulic performance of the SG was investigated. A full scale HTR-10 Steam Generator Two Tube Engineering Model Test Facility (SGTM-10) was installed and tested at INET. This paper describes the SGTM-10 thermal hydraulic experimental system in detail. The SGTM-10 simulates the actual thermal and structural parameters of the HTR-10. The SGTM-10 includes three separated loops: the primary helium loop, the secondary water loop, and the tertiary cooling water loop. Two parallel tubes are arranged in the test assembly. The main experimental equipment is shown in the paper. Expermental results are given illustrating the effects of the outlet pressures, the heating power, and the inlet subcooling.

Constructal design for a steam generator based on entransy dissipation extremum principle

Steam generator is optimized by applying entransy dissipation extremum principle and constructal theory and adopting analyti-cal method.The obtained results show that the optimal spacing between adjacent tubes,the mass flow rate of gas and the maximum entransy dissipation rate all depend on the dimensionless diameter of one tube,the dimensionless pressure difference number and the dimensionless length of flow channel of gas.Besides the three dimensionless groups,the optimal numbers of riser tubes and downcomer tubes and their summation all depend on the dimensionless height of one tube.The maximum entransy dissipation rate increases as the pressure difference that drives the gas flowing increases,and as the diameter of one tube and the length of flow channel both decrease.The mean heat flux in the heat transfer process of hot gas grows greatly,and the performance of the system is improved.Compared with the optimal construct with heat transfer rate maximization,the optimal construct with entransy dissipation rate maximization can improved the heat transfer effect of the steam generator more.

Graphite dust resuspension in an HTR-10 steam generator

Graphite dust has an important effect on the safety of high-temperature gas-cooled reactors（HTR）.The flow field in the steam generator was studied by the computational fluid dynamics（CFD） method,with the results indicating that the friction velocity in the windward and the leeward of the heat transfer tubes is relatively low and is higher at the sides.Further analysis of the resuspension of graphite dust indicates that the resuspension fraction reaches nearly zero for particles with a diameter less than 1 μm,whereas it will increases as the helium velocity in the steam generator increases for particle size larger than 1 μm.Moreover,the resuspension fraction increases as the particle size increases.The results also indicate that resuspension of the particles with sizes larger than 1 μm exhibited obvious differences in different parts of the steam generator.

Scaling Analysis of Thermal-Hydraulics for Steam Generator Passive Heat Removal System

Steam generator passive heat removal system(SG-PHRS) is used as a passively safe mode to provide decay heat removal in some advanced pressurized water reactors. Due to the structure characteristics of steam generator(SG), there are two natural circulation loops coupling in SG-PHRS in case of a safety-related event. The existing natural circulation scaling criteria could be used to simulate the natural circulation inside SG. Two-phase natural circulation loop is studied carefully, and the dominant effects of SG on behaviors of natural circulation in passive heat removal system are presented. Based on the understanding of SG-PHRS operation, system pressure transient scaling and two-phase natural circulation scaling are analyzed by establishing the relevant continuity,integral momentum and energy equations in one-dimensional area-averaged forms. With modified equations,similarity criteria for SG-PHRS are obtained for engineering application. In addition, equal height simulation and reduced height simulation are studied.

Methodology for ranking controllable parameters to enhance operation of a steam generator with a combined Artificial Neural Network and Design of Experiments approach

The operation of complex systems can drift away from the initial design conditions,due to environmental condi-tions,equipment wear or specific restrictions.Steam generators are complex equipment and their proper opera-tion relies on the identification of their most relevant parameters.An approach to rank the operational parameters of a subcritical steam generator of an actual 360 MW power plant is presented.An Artificial Neural Network-ANN delivers a model to estimate the steam generator efficiency,electric power generation and flue gas outlet temperature as a function of seven input parameters.The ANN is trained with a two-year long database,with training errors of 0.2015 and 0.2741(mean absolute and square error)and validation errors of 0.32%and 2.350(mean percent and square error).That ANN model is explored by means of a combination of situations proposed by a Design of Experiment-DoE approach.All seven controlled parameters showed to be relevant to express both steam generator efficiency and electric power generation,while primary air flow rate and speed of the dynamic classifier can be neglected to calculate flue gas temperature as they are not statistically significant.DoE also shows the prominence of the primary air pressure in respect to the steam generator efficiency,electric power generation and the coal mass flow rate for the calculation of the flue gas outlet temperature.The ANN and DoE combined methodology shows to be promising to enhance complex system efficiency and helpful whenever a biased behavior must be brought back to stable operation.

Simultaneous Solar-driven Steam and Electricity Generation by Cost-effective,Easy Scale-up MnO 2-based Flexible Membranes

Harvesting solar energy in an effective manner for steam and electricity generation is a promising technique to simultaneously cope with the energy and water crises.However,the construction of efficient and easy scale-up photothermal materials for steam and electricity cogeneration remains challenging.Herein,we report a facile and cost-effective strategy to prepare MnO_(2)-decorated cotton cloth(MCx).The wide adsorption spectrum and excellent photothermal conversion ability of the in situ-formed MnO_(2)nanoparticles make the MCx to be advanced photothermal materials.Consequently,the hybrid device integrated with MCx as the photothermal layer and the thermoelectric(TE)module for electricity power conversion exhibits an extremely high evaporation rate of 2.24 kg m^(−2)h^(−1)under 1 kW m^(−2)irradiation,which is ranked among the most powerful solar evaporators.More importantly,during solar evaporation,the hybrid device produces an open-circuit voltage of 0.3 V and a power output of 1.6 W m^(−2)under 3 Sun irradiation,and outperforms most of the previously reported solar-driven electricity generation devices.Therefore,the integrated device with synergistic solar-thermal utilization opens up a green way toward simultaneous solar vapor and electric power generation in remote and resource-constrained areas.

Correlation Dimension in Fault Diagnosis of 600 MW Steam Turbine Generator

GP algorithm of correlation dimension computation is ameliorated which overcomes the shortage of traditional one. Improved process of GP algorithm takes the influence of temporal correlative pairs of points on correlation dimension into account and promotes the computational efficiency prominently. Iterative SVD method is applied to remove the influence of noise on the result of correlation dimension. The faults of steam flow turbulence and oil film disturbance which occur in 600 MW Steam Turbine Generator are analyzed and whose correlation dimensions are computed. More distinct quantitative index than FFT is gained to distinguish two faults and it’s of little importance to apply correlation dimension to study the influence of various factors on steam flow turbulence fault for nonexistence of convergent floor in correlation integral curve, which presents a new way to learn the operational function of large capacity steam turbine generator and carry out comprehensive condition monitoring.

Experimental investigation on pressure-buildup characteristics of a water lump immerged in a molten lead pool

Motivated to understand the pressure-buildup characteristics in a circumstance of a water droplet immerged inside a heavy liquid metal pool,which is a key phenomenon during a Steam Generator Tube Rupture accident of Lead-cooled Fast Reactor,many experiments have been conducted by injecting water lumps into a molten lead pool at Sun Yat-sen University.In order to deepen the understanding of the influence of melt material,this lead experiment was compared with a Lead-Bismuth-Eutectic(LBE)experiment in the literature.For both experiments,a steam explosion occurred in a small part of the experi-mental runs,which generally leads to strengthened pressure buildup.Regarding the non-explosion experimental cases,the impact of all parameters employed in lead experiments(i.e.,water lump volume,water lump shape,molten pool depth,and temperature of water and melt)on the pressure buildup is non-negligible and similar to that in our previous experiments using LBE.Notably,limited pressure buildup with an increase in water lump volume was also observed.A slightly more violent pressure buildup tends to appear in the lead experiments than in the LBE experiments under the same experimental conditions,which may be due to the higher thermal conductivity of lead than of LBE.In a few experimental runs with a relatively low melt temperature close to the melting point of lead,local solidification of liquid lead was observed,restricting pressure buildup.For the lead and LBE experiments,the calculated melt kinetic energy conversion efficiencyηhas a relatively small value(not exceeding 1.6%),and theηvalues have an overall positive correlation with the impulse on the molten pool.

Fretting wear behavior of Inconel 690 in hydrazine environments

The friction and wear behaviors of Inconel 690 flat against Si3Ni4 ball were investigated using a hydraulic fretting test rig equipped with a liquid container device. The loads of 20-80 N, reciprocating amplitudes of 80-200 μm and two different environments （distilled water and hydrazine solution at temperatures from 25 to 90 ℃） were selected. The results show that the ratio of Ft/Fn is lower in distilled water than that in hydrazine solution at the same temperature in the slip regime. Both the ratio of Ft/Fn and wear volume gradually increase with increasing medium temperature under the given normal load and displacement amplitude. Besides the displacement amplitude and load, temperature also plays an important role for wear behavior of Inconel 690 material. The increase of temperature could reduce the concentration of dissolved oxygen, and promote the absorption reaction of hydrazine and dissolved oxygen. As a result, the oxidative corrosion rate is obviously lowered. Abrasive wear and delamination wear are the main mechanisms of Inconel 690 in distilled water. However, in hydrazine solution the cracks accompanied by abrasive wear and delamination wear are the main mechanisms.

Passivity Degradation of Nuclear Materials in Reduced Sulfur Environments:A Review

This paper reviews sulfur-induced passivity degradation of nuclear materials with emphasis on steam generator(SG)alloys. The state of arts on this topic concerning thermodynamic calculation and experimental data has been reviewed. Thermodynamic calculation results indicate that the distribution of sulfur species strongly depends on p H and temperature. Experimental data show that solution p H, temperature and solution chemistries can significantly affect the electrochemical behaviors of SG materials and the underlying degradation mechanisms. Some issues when conducting corrosion tests at high temperature should be paid attention to, such as the dissolution of the autoclave, which may affect the facticity of the experimental results.