Comparison of thermal hydraulic performance between horizontal and vertical steam generators in nuclear power plants

Abstract

Steam generators (SG) for Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs) are important large-sized metal consuming equipment of nuclear power installations. Efficiency of steam generator operation determines the overall service life of the whole nuclear facility. Vertical steam generators are used normally in North America, Europe and South East Asia, but horizontal steam generators are currently of great importance to reduce building heights and construction costs that govern the overall cost of new nuclear power plants. The objective of the current study is to measure the performance of nuclear steam generators in NPPs through comparative assessments of vertical and horizontal configurations. For this purpose, the vertical U-tube steam generators of a typical 4-loop Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) was replaced by a VVER-1000 horizontal steam generators to evaluate the horizontal SG performance, at the same plant conditions and characteristics, in comparison with the vertical SG. The thermal hydraulic system code RELAP5 was used in the current work to perform the required analysis, during steady and transient scenarios.