Experimental investigation of natural circulation instability in a BWR-type small modular reactor

Shi, Shanbin; Schlegel, Joshua P.; Brooks, Caleb S.; Lin, Yifan; Eoh, Jaehyuk; Liu, Zhuo; Zhu, Qingzi; Liu, Yang; Hibiki, Takashi; Ishii, Mamoru

doi:10.1016/j.pnucene.2015.06.014

Cited by 36 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…Eqs. (5) and (6) boundaries (MSBs) of two low temperature heating reactors agreed well with experimental data.…”

Section: Analysis Methodssupporting

confidence: 76%

“…However, the suddenly increased flow velocity can bring in large amount of subcooled coolant into the active heated region from the downcomer causing the reduction of the driving force. Therefore, the natural circulation flow rate can experience many intermittent flow oscillations before the flashing is completely suppressed under high system pressure [6]. The flashing instability disappears when the system pressure beyond certain value, which is 0.5 MPa confirmed by many researchers.…”

Section: Flashing Instability During the Initial Startup Transientsmentioning

confidence: 78%

“…The scaling analysis was also performed according to those dimensionless numbers. In addition, the RELAP5 analysis [6] was utilized to examine the accuracy of the scaling analysis during startup transients and quasi-steady state states. Based on previous experiences, the magnitude of the flashing instability was mainly determined by the height of the chimney section.…”

Section: Purdue Nmr Test Facilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Based on Ishii's stability analysis [3], increasing core inlet K factor tends to stabilize the flow, while increasing core outlet K factor tends to destabilize the flow. It is recommended to maintain the similarity of the flow resistance in the core section by performing separate calibrations and a whole loop calibration [6].…”

Section: Consideration On the Scaling Analysis And Scaling Distortionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is not recommended to simply add a compensating power to the core heaters, which could affect the local heat transfer very easily. A better method is to add extra heater power in the loop to increase the structure temperature using PID controller during the startup transients [6].…”

Section: Consideration On the Scaling Analysis And Scaling Distortionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Startup instability in natural circulation driven nuclear reactors

Shi

Hibiki

Ishii

2016

Progress in Nuclear Energy

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Natural circulation driven nuclear reactors are prone to flow instability during the startup transients. This paper intends to provide the state-of-the-art reviews on the theoretical analysis and experimental studies on flow instability in three types of natural circulation driven reactors, ranging from conventional nuclear reactors to small modular reactors. Brief overviews of three categories of startup flow instability, i.e., density wave oscillations, flashing instability, and Geysering instability, are provided. A critical review is conducted for the scaling analysis and design of small scaled test facility. The review of obtaining quasi-steady state stability maps in the dimensionless stability plane through frequency domain analysis and experimental tests provides the state-of-the-art methodology of analyzing the flow instability. Experimental startup instability during different initial startup procedures is reviewed. Although extensive efforts have been made to study the flow instability, further work is required to improve the scaling ability of experimental investigation and the accuracy of code analysis. Some discussions for future research directions are given.

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“…Eqs. (5) and (6) boundaries (MSBs) of two low temperature heating reactors agreed well with experimental data.…”

Section: Analysis Methodssupporting

confidence: 76%

Section: Flashing Instability During the Initial Startup Transientsmentioning

confidence: 78%

Section: Purdue Nmr Test Facilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Consideration On the Scaling Analysis And Scaling Distortionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Consideration On the Scaling Analysis And Scaling Distortionmentioning

confidence: 99%