Nuclear Engineering and Technology

Korean Nuclear Society (한국원자력학회)
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Experimental research on the mechanisms of condensation induced water hammer in a natural circulation system

  • Sun, Jianchuang (Fundamental Science on Nuclear Safety and Simulation Technology Laboratory, Harbin Engineering University) ;
  • Deng, Jian (Science and Technology on Reactor System Design Technology Laboratory, Nuclear Power Institute of China) ;
  • Ran, Xu (Science and Technology on Reactor System Design Technology Laboratory, Nuclear Power Institute of China) ;
  • Cao, Xiaxin (Fundamental Science on Nuclear Safety and Simulation Technology Laboratory, Harbin Engineering University) ;
  • Fan, Guangming (Fundamental Science on Nuclear Safety and Simulation Technology Laboratory, Harbin Engineering University) ;
  • Ding, Ming (Fundamental Science on Nuclear Safety and Simulation Technology Laboratory, Harbin Engineering University)
  • Received : 2020.07.16
  • Accepted : 2021.05.27
  • Published : 2021.11.25
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Abstract

Natural circulation systems (NCSs) are extensively applied in nuclear power plants because of their simplicity and inherent safety features. For some passive natural circulation systems in floating nuclear power plants (FNPPs), the ocean is commonly used as the heat sink. Condensation induced water hammer (CIWH) events may appear as the steam directly contacts the subcooled seawater, which seriously threatens the safe operation and integrity of the NCSs. Nevertheless, the research on the formation mechanisms of CIWH is insufficient, especially in NCSs. In this paper, the characteristics of flow rate and fluid temperature are emphatically analyzed. Then the formation types of CIWH are identified by visualization method. The experimental results reveal that due to the different size and formation periods of steam slugs, the flow rate presents continuous and irregular oscillation. The fluid in the horizontal hot pipe section near the water tank is always subcooled due to the reverse flow phenomenon. Moreover, the transition from stratified flow to slug flow can cause CIWH and enhance flow instability. Three types of formation mechanisms of CIWH, including the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability, the interaction of solitary wave and interface wave, and the pressure wave induced by CIWH, are obtained by identifying 67 CIWH events.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

The authors are profoundly grateful to the financial supports of the National Natural Science Foundation Projects of China (No. 11975085 and No. 11875117), and Key Laboratory of Advanced Reactor Engineering and Safety of Ministry of Education of China (No. ARES-2020-01)

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