An Experimental Study of Blowdown Thrust and Jet Forces for a Pipe under Boiling Water Reactor Loss-of-Coolant Accident Conditions

Abstract

Blowdown thrust and jet impingement forces are simultaneously examined in jet discharge tests relating to an instantaneous pipe rupture accident. Tests were performed with a 6-in. pipe under boiling water reactor loss-of-coolant accident conditions. The initial pressure of the hot saturated water was 6.86 MPa. The time history of the blowdown thrust force just after the break, the jet thrust parameter of the pipe, the jet impingement force, the pressure and temperature distributions of the impinging jet, and the relationship between the thermal-hydraulic quantities and the thrust forces are examined.