Acoustic characterization of a CANDU primary heat transport pump at the blade-passing frequency

Abstract

In this paper, we examine the acoustics of a single-stage, double-volute CANDU heat transport pump based on a full-scale experimental investigation. We estimate the strength of source variables (acoustic pressure and velocity) and establish the pump characteristics as an acoustic source at the blade-passing frequency. We conduct this analysis by first assessing the resonance effects in the test loop, and then decomposing the measured signal into the components associated with pump action and loop acoustics with the use of a simple pump model. The pump model is based on a linear superposition of pressure wave transmission and excitation. The results of this analysis indicate that the pump source variables are nearly free of acoustic resonance effects in the test loop. The source pressure and velocity are each estimated at approximately 10 kPa (zero-to-peak). The results also indicate that the pump may act as both a pressure and a velocity source. At the loop resonance, the pump acoustic behavior is exclusively governed by the pressure term. This observation leads to the conclusion that the maximum amplification of pressure pulsations in a reactor heat transport system may be predicted by modeling the pump as a pressure source.