Operating margin of Soviet RBMK-1000 nuclear power reactors
- Pennsylvania State Univ., University Park, PA (United States). Dept. of Nuclear Engineering
- Westinghouse Electric Corp., Pittsburgh, PA (United States)
This paper reports on a coupled thermal- hydraulic analysis that is performed for the Soviet-designed RBMK-1000 nuclear power reactor to assess the operating margin to critical heat flux (CHF); the Chernobyl-4 reactor serves as the principal model for this study. Calculations are performed using a simplified subchannel analysis. The overall analysis involves an iterative search to determine the individual subchannel flow rates, and a boiling transition analysis is performed to obtain a measure of the core operating margin. The operating margin is determined via two distinct methods. The first involves a calculation of the core critical power ratio (CPR) using an empirically derived correlation that the Soviets developed expressly for the RBMK-1000. Additionally, various subchannel CHF correlations typical of those used in the design of nuclear-powered reactors in the United States are also employed. When the Soviet critical power correlation is used, the calculations carried out for both normal operating and reference overpower conditions result in CPRs of 1.115 and 1.019, respectively. In most cases, the subchannel CHF correlations indicate that additional operating margin over that calculated by the Soviet critical power correlation exists for this design.
- OSTI ID:
- 5420200
- Journal Information:
- Nuclear Technology; (United States), Vol. 96:3; ISSN 0029-5450
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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