Abstract
In the context of nuclear reactor safety, a pipe breach in the primary circuit is the initiator of a loss of coolant accident (LOCA). The calculation of leak rates involving the discharge of water and steam mixtures plays an important role in the modeling of LOCAs for both generation (GEN) II and GEN III reactors, and also for the supercritical water reactor of GEN IV. Indeed, the flow though the breach determines the depressurization rate of the system and the time to core uncover, which in turn are of major concern for when and how different mitigation auxiliary systems will be initiated and efficient. This paper deals with the delayed equilibrium model (DEM), which focuses on thermodynamic non-equilibrium conditions that prevail in the flashing flow process near the critical section. The DEM developed at the University of Louvain is a one-dimensional model for the choked or critical flow rate in steady-state or quasi-steady-state conditions, which deals with the effect of the metastable liquid phase during the flashing process. The DEM has been compared with 500 experimental data. The DEM was recently assessed against the Super-Mobydick and Bethsy experiments done at the Commissariat a L'Energie Atomique during the 1980s.
Published Version
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call