Study of the Behaviors of an Open-Loop Heat-Removal System

Abstract

In the third generation of nuclear reactors, passive systems have been widely used such as passive core cooling system and passive containment cooling system, which usually relay on natural circulation induced by buoyancy force to remove heat. Most of these passive cooling systems are closed-loop natural circulations. In recent years, some open-loop heat-removal systems have also been put forward. Open-loop heat-removal systems have its own advantages such as its simplification and low costs. However, the thermal-hydraulic behaviors of open-loop heat-removal systems are still not totally clear and need further study. In this study, a simplified open-loop passive containment cooling system is studied. A calculation model is built based on RELAP SCDAPSIM code. The thermal-hydraulic behaviors of the system are studied. By changing some key parameters of the system, the influences of these parameters on the system are evaluated.