Traceability of Thermal Power Measurments: Modified Venturi Tubes

2005 ◽  
Author(s):  
Herb Estrada ◽  
Don Augenstein ◽  
Ernie Hauser

This is the second of two papers describing the traceability of nuclear feedwater flow measurements. The first considered the challenges and methodology for establishing the traceability of chordal ultrasonic flow meters. This paper considers the challenges of establishing the traceability in a measurement using a flow element of the modified venturi tube type. It specifically considers the assumptions and uncertainties associated with the extrapolation, for use in the field, of tube calibration factors measured in the laboratory. To quantify these uncertainties, the in-situ performance of four modified venturi tubes is compared with the performance of four 8-path chordal ultrasonic flowmeters. The data analyzed were collected in the feeds of four steam generators in a large pressurized water reactor plant, each feed containing one meter of each type. The meters were initially calibrated in this series arrangement in a NIST traceable calibration lab and then operated in the same arrangement in the field.

Author(s):  
Katarzyna Skolik ◽  
Anuj Trivedi ◽  
Marina Perez-Ferragut ◽  
Chris Allison

The NuScale Small Modular Reactor (SMR) is an integrated Pressurized Water Reactor (iPWR) with the coolant flow based on the natural circulation. The reactor core consists of 37 fuel assemblies similar to those used in typical PWRs, but only half of their length to generate 160MW thermal power (50 MWe). Current study involves the development of a NuScale-SMR model based on its Design Certification Application (DCA) data (from NRC) using RELAP/SCDAPSIM. The turbine trip transient (TTT) was simulated and analysed. The objective was to assess this version of the code for natural circulation system modeling capabilities and also to verify the input model against the publicly available TTT results obtained using NRELAP5. This successful benchmark confirms the reliability of the thermal hydraulic model and allows authors to use it for further safety and severe accident analyses. The reactor core channels, pressurizer, riser and downcomer pipes as well as the secondary steam generator tubes and the containment were modeled with RELAP5 components. SCDAP core and control components were used for the fuel elements in the core. The final input deck achieved the steady state with the operating conditions comparable to those reported in the DCA. RELAP/SCDAPSIM predictions are found to be satisfactory and comparable to the reference study. It confirms the code code capabilities for natural circulation system transients.


Author(s):  
Huijing Jiang ◽  
Ning Bai ◽  
Huanfen Zhan ◽  
Feng Shen ◽  
Bin Gao ◽  
...  

Small modular reactor is investigated worldwide with the advantages of lower initial investment and short construction period. Generally, the economy of small modular pressurized water reactor (PWR) is not as good as large PWR, so various applications of small PWR are investigated, such as marine reactor, heat supply and sea water desalination. Limited to the parameters of steam generator, the generating efficiency for the pressurized water reactor nuclear power plant is about 33%, while the steam temperature of supercritical fossil power plant can exceed 600°C and generating efficiency is more than 45%. The essence of a hybrid power plant is to use a fossil fuel to superheat wet steam in an outer steam superheating device, after the steam generator to improve the parameters of working fluid. On one hand, the innovative hybrid nuclear power plant which combines nuclear reactor with conventional thermal energy can improve the efficiency of small PWR. On the other hand, this hybrid power plant has lower carbon emission compared with traditional thermal power plant. This paper describes two different coupling schemes of small pressurized water reactor combined with supercritical thermal power plant using steam turbine. Efficiency of hybrid power plant is influenced by the coupling scheme, steam parameter of the superheating device outlet, the proportion of nuclear energy, efficiency of assemblies and so on. The plant efficiency becomes higher with the improvement of parameter of the superheating device’s outlet steam, and it is higher when the proportion of nuclear energy becomes lower. Take the 660MWt integrated small pressurized water reactor as an example, when the proportion of nuclear energy accounts for 48%, the thermal efficiency of this innovative hybrid power plant is about 43%,while the net efficiency is 41%, that is much higher than the efficiency of traditional pressurized water reactor, improving about 24 percent. As to the carbon emission, it depends on the coal consumption rate of power supply. The coal consumption rate of this hybrid power plant is 158g /kWh, while the consumption rate of thermal hybrid power plant is 280g/kWh, reducing about 44 percent. Also, the fundamental solutions of technical problems for this innovative hybrid power plant are discussed in the paper. Furthermore, several useful outcomes and suggestions for key equipments are put forward, such as the scheme of a superheating device and high-temperature steam turbine, and the possibility of using a lava boiler as the superheating device to improve the steam parameters after the steam generator is analyzed.


Author(s):  
M. Subudhi ◽  
E. J. Sullivan

This paper presents the results of an aging assessment of the nuclear power industry’s responses to NRC Generic Letter 97-06 on the degradation of steam generator internals experienced at Electricite de France (EdF) plants in France and at a United States pressurized water reactor (PWR). Westinghouse (W), Combustion Engineering (CE), and Babcock & Wilcox (B & W) steam generator models, currently in service at U.S. nuclear power plants, potentially could experience degradation similar to that found at EdF plants and the U.S. plant. The steam generators in many of the U.S. PWRs have been replaced with steam generators with improved designs and materials. These replacement steam generators have been manufactured in the U.S. and abroad. During this assessment, each of the three owners groups (W, CE, and B&W) identified for its steam generator models all the potential internal components that are vulnerable to degradation while in service. Each owners group developed inspection and monitoring guidance and recommendations for its particular steam generator models. The Nuclear Energy Institute incorporated in NEI 97-06, “Steam Generator Program Guidelines,” a requirement to monitor secondary side steam generator components if their failure could prevent the steam generator from fulfilling its intended safety-related function. Licensees indicated that they implemented or planned to implement, as appropriate for their steam generators, their owners group recommendations to address the long-term effects of the potential degradation mechanisms associated with the steam generator internals.


Author(s):  
Xuhua Ye ◽  
Minjun Peng ◽  
Jiange Liu

An investigation on the thermal hydraulic characteristics of the passive residual heat removal system (PRHRS) which is used in an integral pressurized water reactor (INSURE-100) is presented in this paper. The main components of primary coolant system are enclosed in reactor vessel. Primary fluid flow circle is natural circulation. The PRHRS can remove the energy from the primary side as long as the residual heat exchanger (RHE) is submerged in the emergency cooldown tank (ECT). The parameter study is performed by considering the effects of an effective height between the steam generators and the RHE and a valve actuation time, which are useful for the design of the PRHRS. The mass flow in the PRHRS has been affected by the height difference between the steam generators and the RHE. The pressure peak of the primary side and PRHRS has been affected by the valve action time.


Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (6) ◽  
pp. 1541
Author(s):  
Cristiano Ciurluini ◽  
Fabio Giannetti ◽  
Alessandro Del Nevo ◽  
Gianfranco Caruso

The Breeding Blanket (BB) is one of the key components of the European Demonstration (EU-DEMO) fusion reactor. Its main subsystems, the Breeder Zone (BZ) and the First Wall (FW), are cooled by two independent cooling circuits, called Primary Heat Transfer Systems (PHTS). Evaluating the BB PHTS performances in anticipated transient and accident conditions is a relevant issue for the design of these cooling systems. Within the framework of the EUROfusion Work Package Breeding Blanket, it was performed a thermal-hydraulic analysis of the PHTS during transient conditions belonging to the category of “Decrease in Coolant System Flow Rate”, by using Reactor Excursion Leak Analysis Program (RELAP5) Mod3.3. The BB, the PHTS circuits, the BZ Once Through Steam Generators and the FW Heat Exchangers were included in the study. Selected transients consist in partial and complete Loss of Flow Accident (LOFA) involving either the BZ or the FW PHTS Main Coolant Pumps (MCPs). The influence of the loss of off-site power, combined with the accident occurrence, was also investigated. The transient analysis was performed with the aim of design improvement. The current practice of a standard Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) was adopted to propose and study actuation logics related to each accidental scenario. The appropriateness of the current PHTS design was demonstrated by simulation outcomes.


Author(s):  
Ji Hwan Jeong ◽  
Ki Yong Choi ◽  
Keun Sun Chang

A multiple steam generator tube rupture (MSGTR) event in APR1400, an advanced pressurized water reactor, is investigated using the best estimate thermal hydraulic system code, MARS1.4. The effects of parameters such as the number of ruptured tubes, rupture location, affected steam generator on analysis of the MSGTR event in APR1400 are taken into account. In particular, the effects of tube rupture modeling are compared. In the present study, single tube (STM) and double tube modeling (DTM) are examined for assessment on the main steam safety valve (MSSV) lift time. Nuclear steam supply system (NSSS) and several safety systems that are relevant to the APR1400 are modeled. Automatic safety systems are assumed to mitigate the MSGTR events including the reactor protection trip, reactor coolant pump trip, the pressurizer heaters, high-pressure safety injection (HPSI) pumps, and the valves for atmospheric dump, main steam safety, main steam isolation, and turbine stop and bypass. When five tubes are ruptured, the STM permits the operator response time of 2085 seconds before lifting of MSSVs. The effects of rupture location on the MSSV lift time is not significant in case of STM, while the MSSV lift time for tube-top rupture is found to be 25.3% larger than that for rupture at hog-leg side tube sheet in case of DTM. The MSSV lift time for the cases that both steam generators are affected (4C5x, 4C23x) are found to be larger than that for the single steam generator cases (4A5x, 4B5x) due to a bifurcation of the primary leak flow. The discharge coefficient of Cd is found to affect the MSSV lift time only for smaller value of Cd below 0.5. For larger values of Cd than 0.5, its effect on the leak flow rates as well as the MSSV lift time become negligible. It is found that the most dominant parameter governing the MSSV lift time is the leak flow rate. Whichever modeling method is used, it gives the similar MSSV lift time if the leak flow rate is similar, except the case of both steam generators are affected. Therefore, the system performance and the MSSV lift time of the APR1400 are strongly dependent on the break flow model used in the best estimate system code.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document