Analysis on Non-Uniform Flow in Steam Generator During Steady State Natural Circulation Cooling

Abstract

ANALYSIS ON NON-UNIFORM FLOW IN STEAM GENERATOR DURING STEADY STATE NATURAL CIRCULATION COOLING. Investigation on non uniform flow behavior among U-tube in steam generator during natural circulation cooling has been conducted using RELAP5. The investigation is performed by modeling the steam generator into multi channel models, i.e. 9-tubes model. Two situations are implemented, high pressure and low pressure cases. Using partial model, the calculation simulates situation similar to the natural circulation test performed in LSTF. The imposed boundary conditions are flow rate, quality, pressure of the primary side, feed water temperature, steam generator liquid level, and pressure in the secondary side. Calculation result shows that simulation using model with nine tubes is capable to capture important non-uniform phenomena such as reverse flow, fill-and-dump, and stagnant vertical stratification. As a result of appropriate simulation of non uniform flow, the calculated steam generator outlet flow in the primary loop is stable as observed in the experiments. The results also clearly indicate the importance of simulation of non-uniform flow in predicting both the flow stability and heat transfer between the primary and secondary side. In addition, the history of transient plays important role on the selection of the flow distribution among tubes.