Pressure Waves due to Rapid Evaporation of Water Droplet in Liquid Lead Coolant

Abstract

Flash evaporation of a superheated water droplet in heavy liquid metal coolant (lead) is considered, in application to the analysis of a lead-cooled fast reactor steam generator tube rupture accident. The model is based on thermodynamic equilibrium formulation for the expanding water-steam mixture and inviscid compressible formulation for the surrounding liquid lead, with the interface conditions determined from the solution of the Riemann problem. Numerical solution is performed in the spherically symmetric geometry using a conservative numerical scheme with a moving sharp interface. Transient pressure and velocity profiles in each phase are presented for the parameters typical of the steam generator tube rupture accidents, demonstrating the process of boiling water expansion and pressure wave formation in the coolant. The results obtained are compared with a simplified model which considers the volume-averaged parameters of boiling water droplets and considers coolant as an incompressible liquid. Good agreement between the full and simplified models is demonstrated. Impacts of coolant flow on structures caused by pressure wave propagation and subsequent coolant flow are discussed.