Calandria Tube Research Articles

Structural safety of coolant channel components under excessively high pressure tube diametral expansion rate at garter spring location

Structural safety of coolant channel assembly in the event of high diametral expansion of pressure tube in a 220MWe pressurised heavy water reactor was investigated using axisymmetric and 3-D finite element models. The axisymmetric analyses were performed and stresses were evaluated for pressure tube, girdle wire and calandria tube at different point of time for diametral expansion rates of 0.2%, 0.25% and 0.3% per year of the pressure tube inside diameter. The results of this study indicated that for the case of 0.3% per year of diametral expansion rate (worst case scenario), occurrence of complete circumferential interference of garter spring with calandria tube at the location of maximum expansion would take place much earlier at around 14years or 4.2% of the total expansion of pressure tube as opposed to its anticipated design life (30years). This fact was further corroborated by 3-D finite element analysis performed for the actual assembly configuration under actual loadings. The latter analysis revealed that net section yielding of calandria tube occurs in just 1year after the occurrence of total circumferential interference between calandria tube and garter spring spacer. It has also been observed that the maximum stress intensity in girdle wire does not increase beyond the ultimate tensile strength even when maximum stress intensity in calandria tube reaches its yield strength. These analyses also revealed that the structural as well as functional integrity of pressure tube and the garter spring is not affected as result of this interference.

RADIOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF DECOMMISSIONING WASTE FROM A CANDU REACTOR

The radiological characteristics for waste classification were assessed for neutron-activated decommissioning wastes from a CANDU reactor. The MCNP/ORIGEN2 code system was used for the source term analysis. The neutron flux and activation cross-section library for each structural component generated by MCNP simulation were used in the radionuclide buildup calculation in ORIGEN2. The specific activities of the relevant radionuclides in the activated metal waste were compared with the specified limits of the specific activities listed in the Korean standard and 10 CFR 61. The time-average full-core model of Wolsong Unit 1 was used as the neutron source for activation of in-core and ex-core structural components. The approximated levels of the neutron flux and cross-section, irradiated fuel composition, and a geometry simplification revealing good reliability in a previous study were used in the source term calculation as well. The results revealed the radioactivity, decay heat, hazard index, mass, and solid volume for the activated decommissioning waste to be 1.04 10 16 Bq, 2.09 10³ W, 5.31 10 14 ㎥-water, 4.69 10? ㎏, and 7.38 10¹㎥, respectively. According to both Korean and US standards, the activated waste of the pressure tubes, calandria tubes, reactivity devices, and reactivity device supporters was greater than Class C, which should be disposed of in a deep geological disposal repository, whereas the side structural components were classified as low- and intermediate-level waste, which can be disposed of in a land disposal repository. Finally, this study confirmed that, regardless of the cooling time of the waste, 15% of the decommissioning waste cannot be disposed of in a land disposal repository. It is expected that the source terms and waste classification evaluated through this study can be widely used to establish a decommissioning/disposal strategy and fuel cycle analysis for CANDU reactors.

Study of ballooning of a completely voided pressure tube of Indian PHWR under heat up condition

► Simulating of LOCA at 4 and 6 MPa internal pressures for IPHWR was carried out at IIT Roorkee, India. ► The sagging of PT takes place at 500 °C before the commencement of ballooning. Maximum sagging is less than 2 mm. ► Once PT touches the CT, there is no further rise in PT temperature. ► The maximum PT temperature was below 700 °C. ► The transverse creep correlation for CANDU material also holds good for Indian PT material for the temperature range expected during LOCA. In a nuclear reactor, loss of coolant accident (LOCA) considers wide range of postulated damage or rupture of pipe in the heat transport piping system. In case of LOCA with/without failure of emergency core cooling system in a Pressurized Heavy Water Reactor, the pressure tube (PT) temperature can rise significantly due to fuel heat up and gross mismatch of heat generation and heat removal in the affected channel. The extent and nature of deformation is important from reactor safety point of view. Experimental set-ups have been designed and fabricated to simulate ballooning (radial deformation) of PT for 220 MWe IPHWRs. Experiments have been conducted using voided PTs at 4 and 6 MPa internal pressure at different heating rates. It is observed that at 4 MPa and 6 MPa internal pressure, the PT sagged at about 500 °C before the ballooning initiation. The ballooning initiates at a temperature around 625 °C and contact between PT and Calandria Tube (CT) occurs at around 680 °C, respectively, for 4 MPa and the same was at 550 °C and 640 °C for 6 MPa. The structural integrity of PT is retained (no breach) for all the experiments. The PT heat up is found to be arrested after the contact between PT and CT, thus establishing the moderator acting as an efficient heat sink for IPHWRs. A thermal creep model ‘PTCREEP’ has been developed to predict creep behaviour of the PT of IPHWR. It is found that the contact time predicted by PTCREEP is very close to the experimental result. Hence, PTCREEP can be used for the prediction of the ballooning behaviour of the PT for IPHWR in case of LOCA for the operating temperature and pressure range.

Scoping assessment of design characteristics for an enhanced calandria tube

Over the lifetime of a CANada Deuterium Uranium (CANDU) type reactor, the pressure tubes and calandria tubes undergo creep deformation via static, dynamic and thermal stresses accelerated by neutron bombardment. Creep deformation leads to fuelling issues, potential contact between the calandria tube (CT) and the liquid injection shutdown system or between the CT and the pressure tube (PT). As such, this aging phenomenon limits the lifetime of these components. Also, in the event of Loss of Coolant Accident (LOCA) and Loss of Emergency Coolant Injection (LOECI) scenarios, PT/CT contact may occur and if sufficient cooling is not provided, PT/CT rupture may also occur. Conceptual designs were assessed to determine their potential for reducing the effects of aging by improving CT rigidity and thermal performance of the CT. Two different design options for a CT have been investigated using numerical simulation techniques. The CT design options include fins and ribs of different sizes and combinations. The fins and ribs provide improved structural integrity and improved thermal performance over the reactors lifetime. Analyzed results have shown that the design options yield an increased overall strength with a minimal impact on fuel efficiency. The analysis has determined that the finned design option is superior in terms of CT strength enhancement yet the ribbed design is superior for improving heat transfer in accident scenarios.

Methodology for developing channel disassembly criteria under severe accident conditions for PHWRs

This paper presents a methodology to develop a model for disassembly of the coolant channels in Pressurized Heavy Water Reactors under severe accident conditions. This model gives criteria to decide when under severe accident condition coolant channels will rupture due to deterioration in material properties at high temperatures and increase in load due to creep sag of channels above it and hence get disassembled. Presently available severe accident codes use simplistic and optimistic criteria based on a predefined temperature to predict failure of fuel channels and an explicit criterion for disassembly of the channel is not covered. The coolant channel disassembly model developed in this paper is based on modeling the sag and pile up of channels. A uniform temperature along the length of the channel is assumed. The disassembly of the channel is assumed when the total strain at any location exceeds the failure strain for a given temperature. A 3D failure surface which is a plot of time to failure, temperature of the calandria tube and load on the calandria tubes (on account of no of channels piled up) is developed. This failure surface can be used as an input to severe accident codes to predict the progress of the core disassembly. A set of failure surfaces is recommended to be used if metal–water reaction on the outer surface is to be accounted for loss in ductility due to metal water reaction. The temperature transient of the calandria tube for a severe accident obtained from system thermal hydraulic codes can be mapped onto the failure surface. The time at which the mapped transient crosses the failure surface gives the time at which the calandria tube is disassembled. This disassembly model is an engineered model which is much more realistic as compared to the current temperature based conservative model for predicting severe accident progression.

Calculation of moderator circulation in IPHWR using a porosity approach

Abstract In the present configuration of the calandria for the 700 MWe Kakrapara Nuclear Power Plant, moderator inlet diffusers are directed upwards and the outlet is from the bottom of the calandria. Moderator circulation patterns and temperature distribution needs to be predicted to ensure adequate cooling margin for all channels. This study consists of two steps: at first, an optimized calculation scheme is obtained by comparison of the predicted results with the experimental data and by evaluating the fluid flow and temperature distribution. Then, in the second step, the analysis for the real 700 MWe IPHWR moderator under normal operating conditions has been performed with the optimized scheme. The present paper describes the methodology used for predicting the circulation pattern and temperature distribution in the moderator during normal operation using CFD code CFD-ACE+. The matrix of the calandria tubes in the core region is simplified to a porous media in which the momentum resistance model is used for pressure loss. The buoyancy effects due to internal heating and jet momentum effects through inlet nozzles have been considered in the analysis. The results show that the maximum temperature observed in the calandria is within the design limits during normal operation.

Numerical investigation of heat transfer in the vertical annulus between pressure tube and calandria tube of the advanced water cooled reactor

Abstract In advanced water cooled reactors, an annular gap exists between pressure tube and calandria tube. The gap is closed from top but is open from bottom. Due to differential temperature between pressure tube and calandria tube, air flow is induced by natural convection. This leads to heat transfer from pressure tube to calandria tube. The quantification of the heat transfer between pressure tube and calandria tube is numerically carried out with the help of the CFD code PHOENICS. Validation of the CFD code with experimental results and some established computational work from the literature has been done in order to verify the accuracy of the code. The natural convection phenomenon in the annular gap is then simulated. The velocity and temperature fields obtained from the CFD simulation are used to compute local and average heat transfer coefficients. Heat transfer coefficients for various pressure tube temperatures are computed. The effect of water on the heat transfer in the annular gas is also studied.

Experimental investigations on decay heat removal in advanced nuclear reactors using single heater rod test facility: Air alone in the annular gap

During a loss of coolant accident in nuclear reactors, radiation heat transfer accounts for a significant amount of the total heat transfer in the fuel bundle. In case of heavy water moderator nuclear reactors, the decay heat of a fuel bundle enclosed in the pressure tube and outer concentric calandria tube can be transferred to the moderator. Radiation heat transfer plays a significant role in removal of decay heat from the fuel rods to the moderator, which is available outside the calandria tube. A single heater rod test facility is designed and fabricated as a part of preliminary investigations. The objective is to anticipate the capability of moderator to remove decay heat, from the reactor core, generated after shut down. The present paper focuses mainly on the role of moderator in removal of decay heat, for situation with air alone in the annular gap of pressure tube and calandria tube. It is seen that the naturally aspirated air is capable of removing the heat generated in the system compared to the standstill air or stagnant water situations. It is also seen that the flowing moderator is capable of removing a greater fraction of heat generated by the heater rod compared to a stagnant pool of boiling moderator.

Experimental investigation of sagging of a completely voided pressure tube of Indian PHWR under heatup condition

Pressure tube (zirconium 2.5 wt.% Nb) serves as a pressure boundary for the coolant that removes nuclear heat generated in the reactor core of Indian Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (IPHWRs). Under postulated low frequency (<10 −6 per year) accidents like Loss of Coolant Accident (LOCA) along with failure of Emergency Core Cooling System (ECCS) injection, heatup of pressure tube (PT) combined with internal pressure and the weight of the fuel bundle may lead to deformation. The extent and nature of deformation is important from reactor safety point of view. An experimental set-up has been designed and fabricated to simulate sagging (downward deformation) of PT due to its own weight and the weight of fuel bundles for 220 MWe IPHWRs. Experiments are conducted at different heatup rates of voided PTs. It is observed that sagging initiates at a temperature around 450 °C. Contact between PT and calandria tube (CT) occurs at around 585–625 °C, respectively. Once PT–CT contact takes place, PT temperature either decreases or the temperature rise remains controlled whereas CT temperature keeps on increasing for next 20–30 s. The contact location in all the experiments was near the centre of the tube. Structural integrity of PT is retained (no breach) for all the experiments. The PT temperature rise is found to be arrested after the contact between PT and CT, thus establishing that moderator acts as an efficient heat sink for IPHWRs.

Adapting and applying SCDAP/RELAP5 to CANDU in-vessel retention studies

Abstract In CANDU reactors, the cool moderator surrounding the calandria tubes provides a potential heat sink following an accident initiator if the emergency coolant injection fails. However, in scenarios when a subsequent loss of all heat sinks occurs, the fuel channels fail and ultimately, the entire reactor core collapses and relocates into the bottom of calandria vessel (CV), which is externally cooled by shield-tank water. Previous studies using MAAP4-CANDU and ISAAC computer codes were found to investigate the long-term coolability of the CV in the late phase of core degradation in course of a severe accident. SCDAP/RELAP5 was applied in a previous work of the authors to the study of the in-vessel retention issue using the COUPLE models with user-defined slumping inside the 2D COUPLE mesh. This option allows for thermal and mechanical analyses of the reactor lower head avoiding the necessity to calculate the preceding course of core degradation during the accident. The former analyses used an equivalent spherically shaped CV while, for the present paper, calculations are performed with COUPLE routines modified to properly use the option for a horizontal pipe in plane geometry. The paper describes the modifications and the application of the resulted SCDAP/RELAPSIM/MOD3.4 code version to the study of the coolability of a CV starting with a dry debris bed. The vessel rupture time is compared to the ISAAC calculated value for a LOCA with loss of all heat sinks and no recovery actions. Parametric studies are performed in order to quantify the effect of several identified sources of uncertainty: boundary conditions of the vessel above debris, gap heat transfer coefficient and metallic fraction of zirconium inside the debris.

Severe accident development modeling and evaluation for CANDU

Romania as UE member got new challenges for its nuclear industry. Romania operates since 1996 a CANDU nuclear power reactor and since 2007 the second CANDU unit. In EU are operated mainly PWR reactors, so, ours have to meet UE standards. Safety analysis guidelines require to model nuclear reactors severe accidents. Starting from previous studies, a CANDU degraded core thermal hydraulic model was developed. The initiating event is a LOCA, with simultaneous loss of moderator cooling and the loss of emergency core cooling system (ECCS). This type of accident is likely to modify the reactor geometry and will lead to a severe accident development. When the coolant temperature inside a pressure tube reaches 1000 °C, a contact between pressure tube and calandria tube occurs and the decay heat is transferred to the moderator. Due to the lack of cooling, the moderator, eventually, begins to boil and is expelled, through the calandria vessel relief ducts, into the containment. Therefore the calandria tubes (fuel channels) uncover, then disintegrate and fall down to the calandria vessel bottom. All the quantity of calandria moderator is vaporized and expelled, the debris will heat up and eventually boil. The heat accumulated in the molten debris will be transferred through the calandria vessel wall to the shield tank water, which surrounds the calandria vessel. The thermal hydraulics phenomena described above are modeled, analyzed and compared with the existing data.

Fabrication of seamless calandria tubes by cold pilgering route using 3-pass and 2-pass schedules

Calandria tube is a large diameter, extremely thin walled zirconium alloy tube which has diameter to wall thickness ratio as high as 90–95. Such tubes are conventionally produced by the ‘welded route’, which involves extrusion of slabs followed by a series of hot and cold rolling passes, intermediate anneals, press forming of sheets into circular shape and closing the gap by TIG welding. Though pilgering is a well established process for the fabrication of seamless tubes, production of extremely thin walled tubes offers several challenges during pilgering. Nuclear fuel complex (NFC), Hyderabad, has successfully developed a process for the production of Zircaloy-4 calandria tubes by adopting the ‘seamless route’ which involves hot extrusion of mother blanks followed by three-pass pilgering or two-pass pilgering schedules. This paper deals with standardization of the seamless route processes for fabrication of calandria tubes, comparison between the tubes produced by 2-pass and 3-pass pilgering schedules, role of ultrasonic test charts for control of process parameters, development of new testing methods for burst testing and other properties.

Ageing of zirconium alloy components

India has two types (pressurized heavy water reactors (PHWRs) and boiling water reactors (BWRs)) of commercial nuclear reactors in operation, in addition to research reactors. Many of the life limiting critical components in these reactors are fabricated from zirconium alloys. The progressive degradation of these components caused by the cumulative exposure of high energy neutron irradiation with increasing period of reactor operation was monitored to assess the degree of ageing. The components/specimens examined included fuel element claddings removed from BWRs, pressure tubes and garter springs removed from PHWRs and calandria tube specimens used in PHWRs. The tests included tension test (for cladding, garter spring), fracture toughness test (for pressure tube), crush test (for garter spring), and measurement of irradiation induced growth (for calandria tube). Results of various tests conducted are presented and applications of the test results are elaborated for residual life estimation/life extension of the components.

Fitness for service assessment of coolant channels of Indian PHWRs

A typical coolant channel assembly of pressurised heavy water reactors mainly consists of pressure tube, calandria tube, garter spring spacers, all made of zirconium alloys and end fittings made of SS 403. The pressure tube is rolled at both its ends to the end fittings and is located concentrically inside the calandria tube with the help of garter spring spacers. Pressure tube houses the fuel bundles, which are cooled by means of pressurised heavy water. It, thus, operates under the environment of high pressure and temperature (typically 10 MPa and 573 K), and fast neutron flux (typically 3 × 10 17 n/m 2 s, E > 1 MeV neutrons). Under this operating environment, the material of the pressure tube undergoes degradation over a period of time, and eventually needs to be assessed for fitness for continued operation, without jeopardising the safety of the reactor. The other components of the coolant channel assembly, which are inaccessible for any in-service inspection, are assessed for their fitness, whenever a pressure tube is removed for either surveillance purpose or any other reasons. This paper, while describing the latest developments taking place to address the issue of fitness for service of the Zr–2.5 wt% Nb pressure tubes, also dwells briefly upon the developments taken place, to address the issues of life management and extension of zircaloy-2 pressure tubes in the earlier generation of Indian pressurised heavy water reactors.

In-Reactor Deformation of Zirconium Alloy Components

Abstract This paper briefly reviews work by the author identifying and describing in-reactor deformation mechanisms of materials and structures used in nuclear reactors, in particular, Zircaloy-2, Zircaloy-4, and Zr-2.5Nb, and the CANDU fuel channel (comprising Zr alloy pressure tubes, calandria tubes, and spacers). The discussion is set in the context of contemporary findings of other workers in the international community. The following themes are highlighted: The contributions of creep and growth to deformation; c-component dislocations and the fluence dependence of irradiation growth; anisotropy of irradiation growth; deformation equations and pressure tube-to-calandria tube contact in CANDU reactors; low temperature flux (damage rate) dependence of deformation rates. The first developments were reported in 1976 at the third conference in this series and there are ongoing developments in all areas. The linear low temperature flux dependence of creep and growth rates is yet to be satisfactorily explained.

CONCEPTUAL FUEL CHANNEL DESIGNS FOR CANDU-SCWR

This paper presents two of the fuel channel designs being considered for the CANDU-SCWR, a pressure-tube type supercritical water cooled reactor. The first is an insulated pressure tube design. The pressure tube is thermally insulated from the hot coolant by a porous ceramic insulator. Each pressure tube is in direct contact with the moderator, which operates at an average temperature of about . The low temperature allows zirconium alloys to be used. A perforated metal liner protects the insulator from being damaged by the fuel bundles and erosion by the coolant. The coolant pressure is transmitted through the perforated metal liner and insulator and applied directly to the pressure tube. The second is a re-entrant design. The fuel channel consists of two concentric tubes, and a calandria tube that separates them from the moderator. The coolant enters between the annulus of the two concentric fuel channel tubes, then exits the fuel channel through the inner tube, where the fuel bundles reside. The outer tube bears the coolant pressure and its temperature will be the same as the coolant inlet temperature, . Advantages and disadvantages of these designs and the material requirements are discussed.

Computational study of moderator flow and temperature fields in the calandria vessel of a heavy water reactor using the PHOENICS code

Abstract Three dimensional CFD simulations of the moderator flow in the calandria vessel of a heavy water reactor are performed using the PHOENICS CFD code. The model includes the entire calandria vessel consisting of three shells, calandria tubes and inlet and outlet nozzle openings. The computational model prepared in PHOENICS consists of (a) standard k-∊ turbulence model, (b) PARSOL technique for handling curved objects in cartesian grids and (c) Boussinesq formulation for handling variable density flows. PHOENICS is validated by applying it to three different flow cases. The flow pattern in the calandria vessel under normal operating conditions is obtained through simulation. The effect of the presence of calandria tubes and heat generation on moderator flow pattern is studied. The simulation is also performed for various heat loads and moderator mass flow rates. The maximum temperature achieved by the moderator flow under various heat loads and moderator mass flow rates is obtained.

Validation of a CATHENA fuel channel model for the post blowdown analysis of the high temperature thermal–chemical experiment CS28-1, I – Steady state

To form a licensing basis for the new methodology of the fuel channel safety analysis code system for CANDU-6, a CATHENA model for the post-blowdown fuel channel analysis for a Large Break LOCA has been developed, and tested for the steady state of a high temperature thermal–chemical experiment CS28-1. As the major concerns of the post-blowdown fuel channel analysis of the current CANDU-6 design are how much of the decay heat can be discharged to the moderator via a radiation and a convective heat transfer at the expected accident conditions, and how much zirconium sheath would be oxidized to generate H 2 at how high a fuel temperature, this study has focused on understanding these phenomena, their interrelations, and a way to maintain a good accuracy in the prediction of the fuel and the pressure tube temperatures without losing the important physics of the involved phenomena throughout the post-blowdown phase of a LBLOCA. For a better prediction, those factors that may significantly contribute to the prediction accuracy of the steady state of the test bundles were sought. The result shows that once the pressure tube temperature is predicted correctly by the CATHENA heat transfer model between the pressure tube and the calandria tube through a gap thermal resistance adjustment, all the remaining temperatures of the inner ring, middle ring and outer ring FES temperatures can be predicted quite satisfactorily, say to within an accuracy range of 20–25 °C, which is comparable to the reported accuracy of the temperature measurement, ±2%. Also the analysis shows the choice of the emissivity of the solid structures (typically, 0.80, 0.34, 0.34 for FES, PT, CT), and the thermal resistance across the CO 2 annulus are factors that significantly affect the steady state prediction accuracy. A question on the legitimacy of using “transparent” assumption for the CO 2 gas annulus for the radiation heat transfer between the pressure tube and the calandria tube in CATHENA code’s inherent modeling feature is raised from this study. Based on a comparison of the prediction of the current CATHENA model and the experiment data, the steady state model is deemed to be adequate as a starting point for the following high temperature thermal–chemical experiment of a metal–water reaction.

WITHDRAWN: Fabrication of seamless calandria tubes by cold pilgering route using 3-pass and 2-pass schedules

This article has been withdrawn at the request of the editor. The Publisher apologizes for any inconvenience this may cause. The full Elsevier Policy on Article Withdrawal can be found at http://www.elsevier.com/locate/withdrawalpolicy.

Performance of Advanced Self-Shielding Models in DRAGON for the Estimation of CANDU-6 Safety Parameters

The effect of advanced resonance self-shielding models incorporated in the developmental version of the DRAGON code on estimation of reactivity coefficients of a typical CANDU-6 lattice is evaluated. The advanced self-shielding models are based on either equivalence in the dilution model or on a subgroup approach. Under equivalence in dilution models, the generalized Stamm’ler model was used with or without Riemann integration and Nordheim model. Among the subgroup approaches, the Ribon extended and the statistical self-shielding models were used. The Ribon extended self-shielding model uses mathematical probability tables, while the statistical self-shielding model uses physical probability tables. The analysis focused on four important transients, which include the fuel temperature coefficient, coolant void reactivity, pressure tube ingression, and calandria tube ingression. Four burnup stages for estimation of reactivity have been identified. To benchmark the results obtained using DRAGON, the results obtained were compared with those of MCNP5. These analyses indicated that, of all the self-shielding models, the resonance self-shielding model based on the subgroup approach using physical probability tables seems to perform well for all situations and can be recommended for CANDU-6 analyses using the code DRAGON.