Assessment of Stability of Natural Circulation in the First Circuit of Small Modular Reactors
Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: The work contains the results of the study of the influence of the architecture and operating parameters of the water-based modular reactor plant on its functioning in the mode of natural circulation of the coolant of the first circuit. The purpose of the study is to assess the possibility of organizing a natural circulation regime in the first circuit of a modular reactor with the given structure, geometry and thermal parameters. In the world, there are more than 50 low-power reactor projects at various stages of development, designed to meet the energy needs of regions with different levels of resource availability. The expected advantages of modular designs, along with the possibility of their serial production, include the flexibility of operating modes and increased safety due to the use of natural circulation of the coolant in the first circuit. The methodology is based on the classical principles of the balance of forces acting on the system in a steady state, which is the closed loop of the reactor plant during operation. The necessary characteristics of the circuit components (reactor and steam generator) were obtained as a result of their calculations for the selected basic module SMR 160. The technological structure of the energy facility was obtained by a large-scale analysis of illustrative materials. Comparison of the calculated values of the driving pressure (19412 Pa) and total losses in the circuit (27302 Pa) showed that to organize a stable natural circulation mode, it is necessary to optimize the structure of the installation by jointly varying the parameters of the architecture and the operating characteristics of the circuit, which ensures flexible operating modes. The results of the study confirmed the feasibility of applying the principle of balance of forces to assess the possibility of organizing natural circulation in a closed loop. The paper proposes a methodology for pre-design joint analysis of the architecture of the power module and its operating parameters to ensure reliable and safe operation of a nuclear facility in autonomous conditions. Keywords: modular reactors, natural circulation, operating mode, driving pressure, hydraulic resistance, circulation circuit
Authors: V. Kovalchuk, I. Kozlov, O. Chulkin, K. Karchev, V. Miliev
Institution: Odesа Polytechnic National University
Language: English
Subfield: Nuclear Energy and Engineering
Field: Energy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $16
OpenAlex ID: W4408908429