Steam generator tube rupture in lead-cooled fast reactors: Estimation of impact on neighboring tubes

Iskhakov, Arsen S.; Мелихов, В. И.; Мелихов, О. И.; Yakush, S. E.

doi:10.1016/j.nucengdes.2018.11.001

Cited by 18 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…Consequently, the heat exchange tubes in the main heat exchanger tend to be the weakest point in the primary loop system of lead-bismuth reactors. Thus, developing new heat exchange tubes that can exhibit superior heat transfer performance and exceptional reliability is necessary to mitigate the relatively high probability of failures, such as heat exchanger tube rupture and corrosion-induced flow blockage (Iskhakov et al, 2018). Closely bonded double-layer heat tube structures offer distinct advantages when applied to leadbismuth reactors; for example, they prevent continuous crack propagation in the event of a rupture.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Design and optimization analysis of a new double-layer tube type heat exchanger for lead-bismuth reactors

Qi,

Ai,

Zhao

et al. 2024

Front. Energy Res.

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Double-layer heat tubes have been designed to effectively reduce the occurrence of heat pipe rupture accidents. However, inter-tube thermal contact resistance can decrease heat transfer efficiency, thus hampering the heat dissipation in the primary loop system of lead-bismuth reactors. Therefore, optimizing the design of double-layer heat tubes is necessary. This work focuses on the double-layer heat exchanger of a lead-bismuth reactor and utilizes gallium-based graphene nanofluids as a thermal interface material to fill the gap between the heat tubes. Furthermore, the impact of the length, wall thickness, outer diameter, and spacing of heat tubes on the heat transfer performance of the double-layer heat exchanger with and without the nanofluids has been analyzed. The study aims to optimize the JF factor and cost-effectiveness ratio (CER). Genetic algorithms are employed to optimize and evaluate the heat transfer performance of the main heat exchanger based on the four aforementioned parameters. Consequently, a new design scheme is obtained for the double-layer heat exchanger, which increases the optimized overall heat transfer coefficient of the main heat exchanger by 5.79%, pressure drop in the primary loop by 2.32%, JF factor by 5%, and CER by 24.62%. These results demonstrate that the gallium-based graphene nanofluids can effectively enhance the heat transfer performance of the double-layer heat exchanger while reducing the likelihood of steam generator tube rupture accidents.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Design and optimization analysis of a new double-layer tube type heat exchanger for lead-bismuth reactors

Qi,

Ai,

Zhao

et al. 2024

Front. Energy Res.

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“…The initial stage of an accident with a rupture of the heat exchange tube of a steam generator was studied in sufficient detail in [4]. In this study, the force effects on adjacent intact heat exchange tubes of a steam generator from the following effects that occur during an emergency rupture of one of the tubes were estimated: 1) a shock wave propagating through the liquid lead coolant, 2) the impact of the lead coolant flow due to the expansion of the steam-water cavity around the rupture site, 3) the impact of a steam-water jet flowing from the rupture.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Model of interaction of a steam-water cavity with a molten metal near a solid wall

Melikhov,

Finoshkina

2023

E3S Web of Conf.

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To evaluate the consequences of an accidental rupture of a steam generator heat exchange tube in a reactor with a heavy liquid metal coolant, a mathematical model of the interaction of a steam-water cavity with molten metal near a solid wall was developed. The melt flow is considered as a potential flow of an incompressible fluid. The heat exchange between the melt and the steam-water mixture is not taken into account. The steam-water mixture is modeled by an equilibrium two-phase model. It is believed that the evolution of the steam-water cavity is an isentropic process. The numerical implementation of the mathematical model was performed using the boundary element method. Verification of the developed model using a numerical solution of a spherically symmetric problem of the interaction of a spherical steam-water cavity with a melt in infinite space, obtained using the Rayleigh-Plesset equation, showed good agreement between the solutions obtained by different methods. Using the developed model, a test calculation of the interaction of a steam-water cavity with the surrounding molten metal near a solid wall was performed. Analysis of the calculation revealed several stages of this interaction

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“…This process generates the propagation of a shock wave in the molten lead. Since the expansion of the two-phase mixture in the molten lead is relatively slow due to the high density of the melt, the shock wave is of quite low amplitude, having no significant impact on the steam generator internal structures [4].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Numerical Modeling of Water Jet Plunging in Molten Heavy Metal Pool

Yakush,

Sivakov,

Melikhov

et al. 2023

Mathematics

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The hydrodynamic and thermal interaction of water with the high-temperature melt of a heavy metal was studied via the Volume-of-Fluid (VOF) method formulated for three immiscible phases (liquid melt, water, and water vapor), with account for phase changes. The VOF method relies on a first-principle description of phase interactions, including drag, heat transfer, and water evaporation, in contrast to multifluid models relying on empirical correlations. The verification of the VOF model implemented in OpenFOAM software was performed by solving one- and two-dimensional reference problems. Water jet penetration into a melt pool was first calculated in two-dimensional problem formulation, and the results were compared with analytical models and empirical correlations available, with emphasis on the effects of jet velocity and diameter. Three-dimensional simulations were performed in geometry, corresponding to known experiments performed in a narrow planar vessel with a semi-circular bottom. The VOF results obtained for water jet impact on molten heavy metal (lead–bismuth eutectic alloy at the temperature 820 K) are here presented for a water temperature of 298 K, jet diameter 6 mm, and jet velocity 6.2 m/s. Development of a cavity filled with a three-phase melt–water–vapor mixture is revealed, including its propagation down to the vessel bottom, with lateral displacement of melt, and subsequent detachment from the bottom due to gravitational settling of melt. The best agreement of predicted cavity depth, velocity, and aspect ratio with experiments (within 10%) was achieved at the stage of downward cavity propagation; at the later stages, the differences increased to about 30%. Adequacy of the numerical mesh containing about 5.6 million cells was demonstrated by comparing the penetration dynamics obtained on a sequence of meshes with the cell size ranging from 180 to 350 µm.

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Steam generator tube rupture in lead-cooled fast reactors: Estimation of impact on neighboring tubes

Cited by 18 publications

References 16 publications

Design and optimization analysis of a new double-layer tube type heat exchanger for lead-bismuth reactors

Design and optimization analysis of a new double-layer tube type heat exchanger for lead-bismuth reactors

Model of interaction of a steam-water cavity with a molten metal near a solid wall

Numerical Modeling of Water Jet Plunging in Molten Heavy Metal Pool

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